Human, Equine and Canine BSc(hons)sports therapist
18 years of experience in performance therapy. Qualified & Insured
(2)
Cooling Hot Horses: The Right Way & Busting Myths
Cooling down a horse after intense exercise or in hot weather is crucial for its health and well-being. There are numerous myths surrounding the best practices for cooling horses, some of which can be detrimental. Here we’ll take a look at some of the common misconceptions and the best way to cool a hot horse.
Read more here: https://buff.ly/3LJMOwE
Yesterday I spent the day as a steward at the in hand ring of south kilworth championship show. I had so much fun, met many lovely people and learnt so much about showing (plus had ice cream). What a wonderful relaxed atmosphere for anyone wanting to take their horses out. Youngsters and veterans were all made to feel really welcome and when a couple of the younger horses played up they were given space and time to settle. It’s definitely a place I’d take my horses and will certainly volunteer there again.
On that subject volunteers are the key element to these shows so don’t be shy and lend a hand - there might be ice cream in it for you!
Not long left to redeem this offer!
This is a great stretch routine to use before riding, it’ll give the lumbar and pelvic muscles enough stretch to cope with saddle shaped movement. Also great afterwards to reduce the lower back stiffness.
Welcome to your 20 min morning yoga flow. This class includes options for all levels and focuses on helping you start your day in a mindful way. 👉 Progress ...
What do you need in your vet kit? 👇
⭐⭐ Monthly Theme continued - First Aid ⭐⭐
First aid kit essentials:
Having a good complete first aid kit at your stables and in your horse’s transport is essential. This can allow you to manage minor scrapes yourself, keep a wound clean before the bet arrives or whilst traveling your horse to the vets (if deemed acceptable by a veterinary surgeon). Essentials to have in your kit:
• Cleaning materials
o Cotton wool (NEVER use a sponge to clean wounds)
o Swabs
o Non-sterile gloves
o Hibi scrub
• Bandaging materials
o Non-stick dressings – melonin
o Soffban
o Cotton wool
o Knitfirm (stretchy cotton bandages)
o Vet wrap
o Duct tape
o Tensoplast
o Poultices (NEVER apply a poultice/animal lintex to skin)
• Miscellaneous
o Clean bowl
o Scissors
o Thermometer
o Torch
o Twitch
Most of these items are available to purchase from us so please get in contact if you need to re-stock any of your first aid kit items!
And not forgetting to keep the pups cool too!
Dogs & hot weather!! 🐶🌞🔥
There's a lot of mis-information out there, about how to cool them down! :(
Here's a link from the RVC for the best current practice for cooling dogs: https://www.rvc.ac.uk/vetcompass/news/the-rvc-urges-owners-of-hot-dogs-to-cool-first-transport-second
Remember, heatstroke is a medical emergency, get them to a vet ASAP!!! 🙏
The HEAT is on!
☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️
We have a poster for you to share at your yard, stables, tackroom and anywhere else you feel other horse owners will see it!
Please print the poster – it should print directly to your home printer as an A4 poster. Please print in colour or black and white, whatever works for you.
https://drdavidmarlin.com/heatwave-poster-print-and-share/
HOW CAN I TELL IF MY HORSE/PONY IS TOO HOT?
1. Are they hot to touch?
2. Covered in sweat?
3. Showing prominent veins on the skin?
4. Blowing (laboured deep breathing)?
5. Have flared nostrils? 6. Look depressed or overly excited?
7. Unsteady on their feet (ataxic)?
If you answer YES to any of the above the horse needs rapid cooling AND A VET!
There is lots of help and advice on the website > https://drdavidmarlin.com/?s=hot+Heat+cooling
My husband finally fixed my wheel barrow but it’s already been re-purposed!
Really heartbreaking to read this, but it isn’t just at Appleby. Sadly overworking of horses goes on in all sectors of the horse world from riding schools to racetracks
A pony showed ‘all the signs of exhaustion’ – a second equine death has been confirmed at Appleby as overworking was rife
Read more via link below
We’re feeling it!
Summer 2024 vibes… winter but with flies and a high pollen count. 🤧
©️Emily Cole Illustrations
I couldn’t agree more with this. If the riders body is not balanced due to lack of body strength, imbalance caused by a stronger side or because of injury, then the horse is not going to be balanced.
Absolutely love this illustration from Franklin Method demonstrating how a tight/rounded right shoulder can affect the left hip.
I talk to my riders a lot about the pelvis sling and this is a great way of seeing. It’s all connected!!!
💙💙💙
⭐⭐ WE ARE HIRING ⭐⭐
We have an exciting job opportunity - we're looking for an Equine Veterinary Nursing Assistant/Yard Groom who is a passionate horse enthusiast, with a minimum of 2 years experience working with horses. The ideal candidate must be a compassionate, hard working team player with a flexible working approach.
We are an independently owned practice with a fabulous and friendly team - could you be our ideal candidate?
Take a look at our website for full details of the role, how to apply and a job description. The closing date is Friday 21st June.
Please share with anyone who you feel may be interested!
www.avonvaleequine.co.uk/more-information/
⭐⭐ Should I have my horse's sacroiliac joints medicated? ⭐⭐
The sacroiliac joints are large joints connecting the underside of the ileal wing of the pelvis, to the sacrum in the lower part of the spine. They are supported by the dorsal, ventral, interosseous sacroiliac and sacrosciatic ligaments. Just in front of this region, the sacrum joins the lumbar spine to form the lumbosacral joint, and this is where the majority of flexion and extension of the lumbar spine takes place, particularly when doing fast work and jumping.
Pain in this region is common in horses and is usually one of the first signs identified by owners of horses with performance issues. Horses often present with pain behind the saddle, a lack of or irregular muscling over the hindquarters, an unlevel pelvis, a poor quality canter, and reluctance to work over the back. Horses doing fast work, or jumping work, are seen more commonly with issues here, as their work requires greater flexion and extension of the spine.
As the sacroiliac joints are the point at which the limb meets the spine, irregularities of gait and compensation for limb lameness will often cause secondary sacro-iliac pain. Primary sacroiliac issues are certainly possible, although less common. What is important is to identify any underlying limb lameness that may be driving the discomfort, and address that first.
Accurate diagnosis of the problem is the first step in managing these cases. Exactly what is wrong, and where? Is the pain primary or secondary? If it is primary, does it involve the sacroiliac joints, ligaments, or surrounding structures? Some horses with secondary sacroiliac pain will improve after treatment of the primary limb lameness, and concurrent physiotherapy and rehabilitation. Others may require medication of the sacroiliac joints.
Because the sacroiliac joints lie underneath the ileal wing of the pelvis and cannot be externally visualised, medication involves depositing anti-inflammatories in the muscle near the joints, and relying on those medications to diffuse to the surrounding areas, often including the lumbosacral area. There are multiple techniques and approaches for this procedure, although it is usually done under standing sedation and local analgesia by passing a large needle under the front of the ileal wing. Using an ultrasound machine to image the needle as it passes under the ileum ensures that the needle placement is correct. Steroid medications are most commonly used in this region due to their powerful anti-inflammatory properties and the ability to diffuse into other local structures.
If you have any questions about the performance of your horse, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
‼️ VOLUNTEERS NEEDED URGENTLY ‼️
We are in urgent need of volunteers for this Saturday and Sunday, if you are able to fill any of the following roles, even if it’s for half of a day, please do let me know:
⚫️ Fence judges
⚫️ Dressage stewards
⚫️ Dressage writers
⚫️ Entries office management
Please email [email protected]
And laminitis is booming!
🌱🚀 Grass growth is booming, surpassing 2023 and long-term averages! Ensure quality by managing grazing residuals and top/mow where needed. Watch for potential drops in growth if dry conditions persist.
I’m a little bit fanatical about saddle fit and gullet in particular can cause so much damage if not the correct size - or worse still it’s a second hand saddle which has not been checked and re flocked for the new horse 😣
If you hurt yourself on any part of your body, you stub your toe or burn your hand, your immediate reaction is to pull away from the pain right?
Now imagine trying to remove yourself from the pain, only to be pushed back into the source of pain over and over again.
That’s how your horse feels when you’re riding in a saddle that doesn’t offer sufficient gullet channel clearance - or is ill-fitting in another way that places pressure on the reflex points on his back. When a gullet channel is too narrow, it places pressure on the sensitive reflex points on horses’ vertebral processes, the dorsal ligament system or in some cases on the nerve endings that originate along the spine. Your horse will drop his back to escape the discomfort, only to be asked by the rider to engage the core and lift through the back into the source of pain and discomfort. Not only is this a physically and emotionally distressing situation for your horse, but it also hinders his performance and progress in training.
The gullet channel of your saddle needs to be wide enough through the entire length of the saddle to accommodate the spinal processes, ligaments and nerve endings from front to back. Unfortunately many, many saddles we see in barns each and every day do not offer sufficient width through the gullet channel and are putting pressure on the above mentioned sensitive areas. Often saddles appear nice and wide at the front, but become more and more narrow towards the rear of the saddle.
But wider =/= better. The width of the gullet channel will affect the width of the horizontal panels, with a wider gullet channel resulting in a narrower panel and less weight-bearing surface. Gullet channel width can therefore not be an arbitrary decision and must be determined from horse to horse, depending on their built. That being said, the optimal width of the gullet channel is between 2 1/2 - 4 inch (6-10cm) and should never be less.
Next time you tack up your horse, flip your saddle over and take a look at the gullet channel width of your saddle.
Does it offer the same width from front to back?
The Equine Jump – An Osteopathic Review
Chris Bates M.Ost EEBW BHSAI
Whether showjumping, eventing or jumping for fun, jumping horses is a thrilling activity and the horses often thoroughly enjoy it too. Jumping is certainly one of the more intensive physical activities that we do with our horses and so it makes sense to fully understand what the horse is going through and how it can affect them, this way we as owners and riders can ensure that the horse doesn’t undergo unnecessary strain or stress.
🐴 Read more here: https://buff.ly/3Kkaqas
Riders, if you are in pain your horse will feel it.
As you try and sit comfortably to ease your discomfort the adjustment will put uneven pressure through your horse.
Please make sure you are treated at the same time as your horse so you can both work freely together 🥰
Keeping an eye on the fat boys silhouette while the spring grass enjoys the sunshine!
𝐁𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐝
It's often difficult to assess your horse's weight, not only because you see them every day, but because they deposit fat unevenly. To make this easier Bailey's have divided the equine body into three key areas of focus:
1) Neck
2) Middle
3) Rump/rear
How does your horse compare to the diagrams?
For any advice on weight loss (or weight gain), call our team on 01323 815120.
"But I want to ride."
Is your desire to ride more important than the well being of your horse?
We would not ride a horse that is visibly lame, but we would happily ride around on a horse with clear postural and movement issues (as long as it isn't limping).
People get so focused on riding, that they miss out on all the benefits of lunging, groundwork and work-in-hand - all things that can be done in the interim while finding a correct saddle.
Having a saddle that doesn't fit doesn't mean the end of your riding or working with your horse. There is so much benefit to working from the ground for both horse and rider, and allows the horse to heal and develop properly after the removal of a poorly fitted saddle.
Not riding is NOT the end of the world.
You don't have to ride to build muscle.
You don't have to ride to build a relationship with your horse.
You don't have to ride to improve gaits, create suppleness, balance and rhythm.
You don't have to ride to improve posture.
You don't have to ride to have a relationship with your horse.
Riding is NOT worth breaking your horse, it's not worth injuring them, deforming their body or altering their movement just so you can sit in the saddle. There is so much more you can do with your horse, it's not all about riding!
One for the riders!
THE GIFT OF PILATES
Would make a lovely Mother’s Day present. Sessions in Studio or online via Zoom.
Message for details.
Lutterworth
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