Yesterday was one of those days where getting my tack out and getting soaked just to have to clean in and be frozen just didn’t seem worth it! So we spent some time in the afternoon doing some ground work! Chiefy has some proprioceptive aids on his legs, and his bands on! Current roller isn’t ideal but I pad it round his withers and it does the job!!
Here I have his front limbs on a raise surface and I’m just gently pushing each shoulder. This shifts his weight back on to the hind limbs making him engage his core, top line and stifle stabilisers! You can see his muscles engage and relax with the pushes. However simple this might seem, it’s a great warm up, and a great exercise in general to help engage some muscles that aren’t often used so specifically when moving! It really helps them relax and start releasing those often tense places around their pelvis that so many horses struggle with tension!
#equinephysiotherapy #veterinaryphysiotherapy #vetphysio #Equestrian #tallenvetphysio
🟢Fern showing off her pole skills🟢 It’s really hard for lots of dogs to do poles and it’s one of my favourite basic exercises as it highlights lots of things with one exercise ▪️Swapping sides and changing the way they are looking can be lots harder on one side than the other, highlighting a weaker side or leg ▪️you often see their weaker leg hitting the pole consistently really showing the issue but also meaning we are able to see improvements easily when they hit the pole less! ▪️lots of dogs struggle to concentrate and this really highlights that, being able to think about the job at hand, SLOW DOWN and focus on each leg is very hard. Fern shows off that she can do this for treat in hand and when I scatter in the poles to slow her down! Although she does find this harder as it removes her momentum! ▪️some dogs look like the can do this well until you slow them down, and it highlights that they use momentum to keep straightness and balance, and when you slow them down they lack the control in the movement!
The face of no f*cks given after dumping me because he’s absolutely full of beans and there was a dog in a gap in the hedge. A dog he has met 100x before, and was no need to be quite so ridiculous spring is springing! Note to self don’t hack in your new boots, they are stiff and you aren’t secure 🤦♀️😂.
If I am a do lots of deep breaths before bending this week, apologies!
Sorry Wanda and Queenie for the drama on our first warm sunny hack of the year!
After being away a for a week afew weeks ago, I managed to work chief once, before the time off all got too exciting and a shoe was sacrificed to the mud gods!
I had already put the poles out before I realised he’d lost said shoe so off we went to do some walk poles and proprioception work before he had it off more than a few hours and got foot sore!
Aim of his backing up is to stay as straight as we can, lift, think about each leg over the pole, where the pole is, all at the same time, while staying relaxed and controlled, big thinking for chiefy brain! It’s important to keep taking breaks for them to react and think in between, especially when something was a bit hard for them!
Last two videos are explaining about why when I say Chief tends to entertain himself if he has time off, I mean it. Especially if it’s a cold morning like it was that day! Thankfully the mud is drying, the grass is growing and spring is springing 🌹 🌺
🟩USE YOUR SURROUNDINGS🟩 We’ve had a LOT of rain recently, which is great for the ground and grass as long as it’s not lots more 🤦♀️. However it’s means puddles. Our school gets puddles, but it never rides deep, doesn’t ever change the surface it’s amazing! But there is puddles with lots of rain, and on big puddle days I like to use them to aid our work. Puddles either encourage better foot flight, higher and longer strides, or if in the water, increases resistance! Chiefy is doing lots of strengthening and mobility work this year, he does ground work once or twice a week, with his band and sometimes weighted boots for proprioception and strengthening, and lots of in hand exercises in between, such as backing up. We’ve made so much improvement recently and even fixed some issues we’ve been having for a long time. So today we took to the puddles and his foot flight was brilliant, maybe just brilliant for chiefy but that what matters!! There was improvement! We only did 15-20 of walk and trot with exercises in between. Were there is water or deep ground WALKING through it can be brilliant exercise for your horse, especially when rain is running other more fun fitness work! Always speak to your physio or vet before adding new exercises if your horse has pain related issues to make sure they are suitable for you and your horse.
Fern having a little less than ideal session in the garden. Grass is long, my garden is on a slope and we were already tired. We have these set up through summer in the garden just to play with and make her exercises fun!!
There is a couple of times especially with the foam pad I have to readjust her and she comes off, or I ask to stand and the pad pops up off the grass 🤦♀️. As I said not ideal but we can always improve and the 5 minutes she did was really good and focused work. But always room for improvement hey!
Just look at the muscle engagement!!
New clients tend to look at me a bit like really will this help when I suggest a wobble cushion. Fern is on a wobble cushion in front and foam pad behind. She is working on her hip stability and extension at the moment. We have added lots of things into her weekly routine recently and she is loving it! Does help that she is a Labrador and food is life, so always enthusiastic.
#veterinaryrehabilitation #vetphysio #tallenvetphysio #caninerehabilitation
Why I discourage ball throwing especially in compromised dogs?
While it may seem like a harmless and fun activity for your furry friend, excessive ball throwing can actually lead to long-term damage and chronic pain. You can see in this video how much force goes through Ferns front limbs while decelerating!
The primary concern with ball throwing is the repeated strain it puts on your dog's joints and muscles. Dogs love to chase and retrieve balls, often with intense enthusiasm and energy. Fern is obsessed she will chase a ball into certain death no questions asked. This can lead to them pushing themselves beyond their physical limits, causing repetitive impact and strain on their joints, especially elbows. However in full flight and sharp changes in direction, can cause injury to all areas. Sometimes catastrophic and life changing for the animal!!
Over time, this repetitive strain can lead to various musculoskeletal conditions, such as arthritis, bursitis, and tendonitis, which can cause chronic pain, lameness, and reduced mobility. Additionally, ball throwing can also cause dental problems, such as broken teeth or wear and tear on the enamel, as dogs often pick up and carry the ball in their mouths if the right equipment isn’t used.
Furthermore, playing with a ball can be dangerous for certain breeds, such as those with short noses, such as bulldogs, pugs, and boxers, who can easily overheat and suffer from respiratory distress.
So, what can you do to keep your dog healthy and safe while still enjoying ball throwing? Here are some tips:
1 Limit the amount of ball throwing - Instead of playing for hours on end, limit the game to a few short sessions a week or even month.
2 Mix up the activity - Instead of only playing fetch, try other activities such as hiking, swimming or puzzle games to provide a variety of exercises and mental stimulation. Use the ball as a reward, or hide the ball and encourage scent tracking for the ball, this uses brain energy and
Let talk long reining!
Ground work is something I always recommend, and most people hate! Unless you do it a lot can be tricky to juggle everything and keep and even light contact and correct bend! However long reining and groundwork poles is key for any horse to help with core strength range on motion, helping lift through there back and shoulders. Recent research has given further evidence base for groundwork using ground poles and raised poles improving range of motion.
You can see Chief start to stretch and reach for the contact in the non poles part of his circle. Also takes a lap for me to get the contact right and help him maintain a good rhythm. Something we have always struggles with while lunging with one rein rather an two, is stretch and rhythm, as he’s really good at cheating and finding ways that are easier for him!
I now set out a day for ground work, even if this means he is just walked round for 10 minutes in hand over raised poles on his day off. A quick exercise when running out of time but always shows the next day in his schooling!
