Melissa Pinfield-Wells : Equine Physiotherapist & Coach

19/10/2024

Had the best day in the sun painting some more of our new showjumps.... Arthur made his very own planks!

Aren't they adorable?

15/10/2024

Available on part loan to stay at my yard.

Looking for someone to ride Blossom as regularly as they would like.
Blossom would like to do a bit of everything, based on my yard in Newport.
She is a very good girl but not suitable for a novice and no under 18s.

Possibility of the opportunity to compete in the future.

No yard duties but financial contribution required.

Very kind a supportive owner who just wants to see Blossom having some fun!

11/10/2024

Clipping season has officially started at Little brook farm.

Isle Sharp Professional Clipper blade sharpening.

05/10/2024

The best way to start the weekend is by riding a super genuine and trainable pony!

I'm very lucky to ride some lovely horses for clients including this lovely boy owned by Becca Burt.

04/10/2024

Starting him young helping with the yard jobs 😂

04/10/2024

It's a polework kind of morning this morning

22/09/2024

We made the most of yesterday's sunshine and spent the afternoon outside painting our new poles.

They're looking really smart.... Can't wait to get them in use 😃

Arthur did a top job at supervising us all and cheerleading 😂

21/09/2024

I just love this horse 🥰

He just gets better and better every ride 😁

21/09/2024

Tilly was excited to do some work after being really poorly following her tooth extraction.
Time to start building some muscle again so I can get back on her 😁 Can't wait 💕

20/09/2024

Harry did a thing today 😁

This morning there were some jumps left up in the school from yesterday's lessons..... It would have been rude not to let him have a go!!

And what a star he was for his first time over a fence!! 🤩

He always impresses me how he takes on a new challenge, he's so trainable and continues to take everything in his stride.

I just love this horse more and more each day 💕

Molly’s Equine Services

19/09/2024

I have a few last minute spaces available for lessons at

Little brook Farm

This Saturday 21st

Flat work, pole work or jumping.

Message me if you would like to book a space 😊

17/09/2024

16/09/2024

Getting back to it this morning at the yard with 4 horses worked with a breaker, 2 schoolers and a Harry!

So grateful to be helped by Molly’s Equine Services at the moment while I get fitter, especially when I've not been well! What an asset to our team Molly has been!!

02/09/2024

Arriving soon Approx 16.1
ISH

Looking for the perfect 🏡

31/08/2024

When the children are away I get to play 😁

It's been a good while since I left the ground, but thought I'd better start getting my eye back in ready for Harry to play with some jumps!!

30/08/2024

Slowly getting fitter, managed to ride 3 today.

I keep getting so frustrated with myself that I can't ride like I was before having a baby, but I am slowly getting back there.

Now just to get some test riding done ready to get out competing again 😁

27/08/2024

Really excited to see beautiful Bosco featuring in Amy Blount Dressage article on training the unconventional dressage horse in Your Horse Magazine

He's such a clever boy and really shows that cobs can!!

23/08/2024

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧? 🐎

A lot of people don't know what to expect during a physiotherapy session, so here is a quick run down of what we do and why 😊

🦄 HISTORY 🦄

I start by taking an in depth history of your horse. This includes what you do with your horse currently, what they have done in the past and even what your intentions for the future are.
Any injuries your horse has had in the past is also good to know as it may change the course of the treatment. Even if you think it is irrelevant please do mention it as it may be relevant to us!

🦄 STATIC ASSESSMENT 🦄

Next I look at you horse standing, I will try to ask him to stand as square as possible. This helps me start to gain a bigger picture of your horse. Looking at a horses posture can tell us as therapists a lot about him, including where there may be potential 'problem areas' As well as posture and overall condition, I am looking for any asymmetries in the way your horse is muscled.

🦄 DYNAMIC ASSESSMENT 🦄

This is where I watch your horse move. Again I am looking for any asymmetries, any indication of discomfort in movement and anywhere where they may be holding tension.
This is usually done as a trot up, but in some cases it may be useful to see the horse on the lunge or even under saddle.

🦄 PALPATION 🦄

Palpation is a vital part of the assessment, h this is where we feel all over the horses body to assess the state of the muscles looking for any tension, atrophy or dysfunction. I again check for any asymmetry and mentally compare what I have seen in the static and dynamic assessments. I can now piece together in my head what will be most beneficial to the horse both during treatment and in the future.

🦄 TREATMENT 🦄

Next comes the treatment. I use a combination of manual manipulations and electrotherapies all of which are tailored to your horses needs based on what was found during assessment.

🦄 EXERCISE PERSCRIPTION 🦄

Following treatment we will discuss any exercises that may be beneficial to your horse. If you would like ongoing support I also offer therapeutic coaching sessions which tailor your riding lessons to conditioning your horse for their specific job.

22/08/2024

A quiet and wet day means time for more CPD!

This time getting some more inspiration for groundwork exercises. I will often recommend various exercises following physiotherapy sessions to help improve areas of weakness.

I am also happy to do groundwork sessions, so that you can gain confidence in what you can do in these sessions with your horse and the benefits, which will be tailored to your horses needs.

And of course many of these exercises can also be performed ridden, although not quite as effective under saddle.

If you would like a session specifically tailored to strengthening your horses weaknesses please get in touch ☺️

18/08/2024

I am now offering limited spaces for teaching at my yard just outside Newport.

Flat, Poles or Jumping.

Private or Semi-private slots available.

To book please PM me on this page 😊

16/08/2024

I’m so pleased with how Harry is going after I managed another little sit today.

I must admit, I didn’t intend to give him the last year off. He had that break because of my pregnancy not because it was planned.
I spent the entire time feeling guilty I had turned him away and feeling under pressure that he should have been doing something.

Why did I feel that? Because of his age…..

Harry is 6 this year, and although he has been backed previously this is the first time I would say he is in full ridden work.

Tradition tells us this is late to start him, and I’ll admit I was worried I would be judged for leaving him.

BUT in hind sight I am glad he had that extra time. When I look at him now and compare him to last year, he wasn’t really ready before.

Could I have continued last year and got good work out of him? Yes I could have

But this year he just feels happier in his work and just more, well, ready. I can’t explain it any other way 🤷‍♀️

It’s a hot topic at the moment that horses shouldn’t do too much too early, and often this is mainly focusing on them being ready physically, which is of course important; but their brains should be ready too!

Moral of the story is, don’t feel bad about leaving your young horse that bit longer. I might not have wanted Harry to have a break but I’m really glad he did!!

Now I just need to get MUCH fitter because right now I am the one letting the side down 🙈

14/08/2024

A day at home is perfect for a bit of CPD!

11/08/2024

As I prepare to come back to work following my maternity leave, I thought it was time I gave my page a little update.

Melissa’s equine services has been going for 10 years this year 😱 and in that time I have had such great fun and gained a lot of knowledge. So although I do still offer other services (please enquire if you would like help with something) my business is now focused more on the Coaching a physiotherapy work.

For those who don’t know me that well, here is a bit about me;

I started riding from a young age, being put on ponies and led about with my granddad who was a farrier. Very quickly this became a huge part of my life, as a child I was diagnosed with autism and for me the horse world was always somewhere I felt I belonged.

At 16 I went off to the mainland for the first time to work on an event yard. When I returned home my parents told me it was time to get a grown up job, and so I worked at the local hospital as a trainee biomedical scientist alongside studying for a degree in biomedical science.
My annual leave was used travelling to a showjumping and racing yard on the mainland where I would spend a month at a time backing youngsters and schooling the racehorses while they had a holiday from racing.

Eventually I decided I wanted to go full time with horses and spent some time working on dressage yards on the mainland, gaining valuable experience in training horses through the levels.

After starting Melissa’s equine services I realized that I missed academia and science (I am a bit of a qualification collector 🙈), which is when I decided to pursue a career in equine physiotherapy. I had always had a keen interest in equine behaviour and became more and more interested in the link between pain/discomfort and behaviour.

Fast forward to today and I am an IAAT registered animal physiotherapist and soon to be centre10 advanced coach 😁

I am a great believer that there is no such things as a naughty horse. I pride myself in working at the horses own pace, and listening to them to find answers to owners problems. I have worked with several “last chance” horses and enjoy the challenge and reward involved.

I could go on forever 🙈 but I will stop now and say if you would like to know anymore about me or what I can do for you please drop me a message 😊

(Photo by the lovely EB Photography )

10/08/2024

We have had the most stressful week with this one!!

Last Thursday Tilly travelled up to Endell Equine Hospital to have a broken tooth removed. Against all odds the tooth came out relatively easily (or at least more easily than expected 🙈)
We just knew it was too good to be true!!!

We got home Friday evening and settled her in amazed at how smoothly it had all gone…..

Saturday morning we arrived to find her colicking with an impaction 😩 we think as a result of the sedation/pain relief and her just being the sensitive little flower she is.

Well in true Tilly style she dragged that colic out for an entire week nearly!! Each time we thought she was over it she would throw something else at us.
At one point I was almost convinced she had just decided she was “too posh to push” and instead preferred Tim manually evacuating her bowels for her 😂😂

I cannot thank Tim at Caballus Equine Ltd. enough for looking after her (and me!). I don’t know where we would be without you.

I mean you know you have a good vet when your horse gives them the same whinny on arrival as she gives you 😂

Thankfully she is looking much brighter today and almost back to my Tilly 💕

Apologies to anyone I have forgotten to reply to/message I will endeavour to get back on top of things in the next few days (assuming Tilly behaves herself!)