Jayne Connors - Equine Osteopath & Sports Massage

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Jayne Connors - Equine Osteopath & Sports Massage

Sports Massage Therapist (human & equine), equine osteopath and WINBACK therapist covering Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire

12/11/2025

Have you ever noticed your horse finding it harder to bend or flex one way compared to the other?

This isn’t always about training — it can often be a sign of underlying physical imbalance.

Horses, just like people, develop natural asymmetries. But when these are combined with factors like saddle fit, rider balance, or old injuries, they can cause uneven muscle development or restricted joint movement.

You might notice:
- Difficulty maintaining a consistent contact on one rein
- A stiffer canter lead
- Resistance when turning or lateral work
- One shoulder that feels “heavier” to ride

From an osteopathic and massage perspective, these are signs the body is compensating. Muscles, fascia, and joints on one side may be overworking to make up for restriction elsewhere.

Treatment aims to:
👐 Restore symmetry through the spine and pelvis
💆 Release tension in overused muscles
🦴 Improve flexibility and joint mobility

The result? A more balanced, supple horse who can bend evenly both ways.

If this sounds like your horse, now is the time to get them booked in so that we can get on top of the issue quickly.

10/11/2025

As the weather turns colder, it’s common to notice your horse feeling a little more stiff — especially at the start of a ride.

Cold temperatures can cause muscles to tighten and circulation to slow, leading to reduced flexibility and a longer warm-up time.

Here are a few simple ways to support your horse:
🔥 Allow extra time to warm up and cool down
🧣 Use exercise sheets or quarter rugs during warm-up
💆 Regular bodywork to release tension and maintain mobility

Osteopathy and sports massage can make a big difference in how your horse feels through their back and hindquarters — helping them stay comfortable, supple, and ready for work even on frosty mornings.

07/11/2025

Did you know your horse’s core muscles are just as important as their legs when it comes to performance and soundness?

The core — including the abdominal muscles, back muscles, and deep stabilisers around the pelvis — plays a vital role in:
- Supporting the spine and posture
- Maintaining balance through transitions
- Absorbing movement forces from the hindquarters

When these muscles are weak or tight, you may notice:
🐎 Hollowing through the back
🐎 Difficulty engaging the hind end
🐎 Uneven contact or irregular rhythm

Through osteopathic treatment and targeted soft tissue work, we can help restore correct function and activation of these muscles — allowing your horse to move with strength, stability, and comfort.

A well-functioning core means a happier, more balanced horse both under saddle and at rest.

05/11/2025

🐴 What Is Equine Osteopathy — And How Can It Help Your Horse?

Equine osteopathy is a hands-on, whole-body approach to improving the health, comfort, and performance of your horse. It’s based on the principle that the body functions as one connected system — muscles, joints, fascia, and organs all working together in balance.

When one part of the body becomes restricted, whether from an old injury, poor posture, or repetitive strain, it can affect how the rest of the body moves. Over time, your horse may start to compensate — using different muscles, changing their movement pattern, or becoming uneven through the reins or stride.

Osteopathy looks to identify why this imbalance has occurred, not just where your horse is sore. Through gentle techniques such as joint mobilisations, soft tissue release, stretching, and fascial work, an osteopath aims to restore mobility, alignment, and balance across the entire body.

You might notice your horse feeling looser, moving more freely, or engaging more easily through their back after treatment. But osteopathy isn’t just about performance — it’s also about comfort. Many subtle issues like reluctance to canter, difficulty bending one way, or behavioural changes under saddle can stem from underlying physical discomfort.

By improving circulation, reducing tension, and supporting joint health, osteopathy helps your horse maintain long-term well-being. It can be beneficial for:
- Horses in regular work or competition
- Young horses starting their careers
- Older horses needing help to stay comfortable and mobile

Osteopathy works well alongside veterinary care, farriery, dental, and saddle fitting — creating a complete support system for your horse’s health.

I focus on helping horses move and feel their best, using a combination of osteopathic principles and soft tissue therapy to address both the cause and the compensation.

📍Covering Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire & Berkshire.

03/11/2025

When your horse shows discomfort — like a sore back, shortened stride, head tossing, or behavioural changes — it’s tempting to treat the area that looks or feels painful.

But here’s the truth 👇

The body doesn’t work in isolation.

Read the post to find out more!

31/10/2025

As the nights draw in and the wind picks up, it’s not just the skeletons and shadows that can make your horse a little tense! 👻

Seasonal changes — colder mornings, blustery weather, and less turnout — can all contribute to tighter muscles, reduced flexibility, and increased sensitivity. You might notice:
- A stiffer warm-up
- More tension through the back and neck
- A few extra “spooky” moments in the arena
- Difficulty settling into work

When the body feels tight or uncomfortable, it’s natural for horses to react more sharply to their surroundings.

👐 Osteopathy and sports massage can help ease that tension, improve mobility, and keep your horse feeling relaxed and supple — so those “ghosts in the hedge” aren’t quite so scary after all!

✨ Treat your horse to some well-earned bodywork this spooky season — no tricks, just comfort and movement.

📍 Covering Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire & Berkshire.

29/10/2025

When one area of your horse’s body becomes restricted — whether through injury, poor saddle fit, or uneven work — the rest of the body adapts to keep moving.

This process is called compensation, and while it helps in the short term, it can lead to long-term imbalances and discomfort.

For example, if the horse is stiff through the right shoulder, they may start loading the left hind more heavily, or hollowing slightly to avoid flexing that side. Over time, these subtle adjustments can cause uneven muscle development, reduced performance, and even behavioural changes.

💡 You might notice:
- Uneven sweat patterns or muscle definition
- Difficulty bending one way
- A choppy or irregular stride
- Resistance when asked to collect or stretch
- Contact issues or inconsistent feel through the reins

👐 Osteopathy and sports massage work together to identify and release these compensatory patterns — restoring mobility, symmetry, and balance throughout the body. By addressing the cause and the compensations, your horse can move more freely, comfortably, and efficiently.

✨ True balance isn’t just about straightness — it’s about freedom of movement through every joint and muscle.

📍 Covering Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire & Berkshire.

27/10/2025

TMJ tension can develop for many reasons — often a combination of physical and mechanical influences.

💡 Common causes include:
- Dental imbalances or uneven wear
- Bit, bridle, or noseband pressure
- Rider asymmetry or inconsistent rein contact
- Past trauma to the head, neck, or poll
- Compensations from back, pelvis, or limb discomfort

Because the jaw plays such a central role in posture and balance, small restrictions here can lead to bigger issues elsewhere in the body.

Next week: we’ll look at how to spot the signs of TMJ dysfunction.

📍 Covering Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire & Berkshire.

24/10/2025

As the colder months approach, your horse’s workload, routine, and even muscle tone begin to shift.

You might notice a bit more stiffness, changes in posture, or loss of topline as turnout reduces and exercise patterns change.

Now is the perfect time to check in with how your horse is feeling.
A pre-winter osteopathy or sports massage session can help:
- Loosen residual summer tension
- Support circulation and flexibility
- Prepare muscles and joints for the colder weather ahead

✨ Preventing issues now means fewer setbacks when the ground gets heavy and the rugs go on.

👐 Keeping your horse comfortable, supple, and ready for the season ahead.

📍 Covering Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire & Berkshire.

22/10/2025

A well-fitting saddle does more than just keep your horse comfortable — it allows the back, core, and hindquarters to move in harmony.

When the fit isn’t right, even small imbalances can have a ripple effect through the whole body.

A saddle that’s too tight, unbalanced, or sitting in the wrong place can compress key muscles like the longissimus dorsi and trapezius. This limits the horse’s ability to lift through the back, shortens stride, and restricts shoulder movement. Over time, the horse begins to compensate, tightening one side more than the other and developing uneven muscle tone.

These muscular changes don’t stay local. Tightness through the back can affect the thoracic sling, neck, and pelvis, leading to:
- Shortened or choppy stride
- Resistance in transitions
- Difficulty bending or maintaining straightness
- Reluctance to stretch long and low

It’s not “naughty behaviour” — it’s the body protecting itself.

As tension builds, joint mobility and overall movement patterns can change, even influencing how the horse carries weight through the limbs and hooves.

👐 Osteopathy and sports massage can help by releasing tension, improving spinal mobility, and rebalancing muscle tone once the saddle fit has been addressed.
By restoring normal movement and comfort through the back and core, your horse can move more freely, engage more effectively, and perform with confidence again.

✨ A balanced saddle supports a balanced horse — from poll to pelvis.

20/10/2025

The TMJ -What it is and Why it Matters?

The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) connects your horse’s jaw to their skull — just below the ear.

It’s responsible for chewing, bit contact, and balance of the head and neck. There are two joints, one on each side.
But it’s much more than just a jaw joint — because of the deep fascial, nerve and muscular links through the poll, neck, and spine, tension here can affect movement and comfort through the ENTIRE body.

✨ When the TMJ isn’t moving freely, you may see changes in contact, straightness, posture and even overall way of going.

Next week: we’ll look at what can cause TMJ tension in horses.

📍 Equine Osteopath and Sports Masseur Covering Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire & Berkshire.

17/10/2025

The Importance of a Good Warm-Up

As the temperatures drop, you might notice your horse feels a little stiffer or slower to loosen up at the start of a ride.

Just like us, horses’ muscles and joints take longer to warm when it’s cold — and rushing this stage can increase tension or discomfort.

💡 A good warm-up helps to:
- Increase blood flow to muscles
- Improve joint mobility and flexibility
- Prepare tendons and ligaments for work
- Reduce the risk of strains or stiffness later

🐴 Take your time — start with plenty of walk work, gentle suppling exercises, and gradual transitions before asking for more collection or power.

✨ Small changes to your warm-up can make a big difference to your horse’s comfort this winter.

Address

Oxford
OX44

Telephone

+447970270204

Website

http://www.jayneconnors.co.uk/

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