Loren Pearson - Optimal Dynamics Veterinary Physiotherapy

17/09/2025

12/09/2025

This‼️‼️ A 1000 times over 👏🏼

Stop riding endless circles – start riding with purpose! ✨

Trotting round and round the arena might feel like work, but it doesn’t truly develop your horse. When we just drift in endless circles, our horses often fall onto the forehand, switch off mentally, and never really learn to use their bodies properly.

True progress comes from riding with intention. That means guiding your horse—step by step—like holding their hand. Encourage them to stretch, bend, engage their core and carry themselves gymnasticly. Use transitions, figures, lateral work, and changes of direction to keep their body and mind engaged.

Riding isn’t about mileage—it’s about quality. Every stride is a chance to build strength, balance and trust. Ride thoughtfully, ride kindly and help your horse become not just obedient, but supple, confident and proud in their work and lastly, remember you can't run a horse into true balance 💫

12/09/2025

Everyday is a school day!! 😳

12/09/2025

Elsa: “the sun is in my eyes this morning”
Loren: “don’t worry girl you can borrow my sun glasses”
Elsa: “thanks do I look cute mom?”

🤭🤣😎🐶

09/09/2025

If you’ve ever heard me mention “the dip in front of the withers” this visually explains what is going off underneath ‼️

🐴✨ Our horses don’t lie. Their bodies speak louder than words — bracing, stiffness, evasions, or discomfort are not “normal.” If something isn’t right, listen. Be their guardian, not their battle. Every horse deserves to be heard. 💕

PC 📸: .physio.phyle

08/09/2025

Took the kids for a spin out at Burghley for the day 😇🐾🐎

14/08/2025

I am officially clocking off and out of office until Thursday 21st August 😆

All messages will be replied too once I am home.

See you all in a week 🤗

06/08/2025

🐎 I’ve said it many times — HORSES DO GET HEADACHES!!

And I’ll keep saying it, because too many still ignore the signs.

It is NOT normal if your horse hates to have ONE or BOTH ears touched 🚩
Let’s talk about WHY ⬇️

The general term head shyness refers to a horse that moves its head away when touched in certain areas — especially the ears, poll, face, or upper neck.

Yes, rough handling can create this behaviour. But I’m talking about the horses that give a clear pain response — and we MUST pay attention to the 🚩 red flags 🚩

Let’s break it down with some anatomy — including cranial nerves — and real-life examples:

🔺 If you have to take your bridle apart to get it on — this is NOT normal.
🚩 It’s a pain response! Likely involving the poll, the occipital bone, or surrounding soft tissues like the nuchal ligament and suboccipital muscles.

🔺 Soreness around C1 and the upper neck? 🚩
The atlas (C1) supports the skull and sits in close proximity to the brainstem — where cranial nerves originate. If there’s tension, compression, or trauma in this area, horses can experience headaches, vision changes, coordination issues, and hypersensitivity.

🔺 Ear shyness – Behind the ears lies a complex neural and muscular region. Structures here include:

CN VII (Facial Nerve) – controls facial expression; dysfunction can lead to twitching or hypersensitivity.

CN V (Trigeminal Nerve) – especially its mandibular and ophthalmic branches, which are often involved in facial pain and head-shyness.

CN VIII (Vestibulocochlear Nerve) – important for balance; tension near the inner ear can affect proprioception and make head movement uncomfortable.

🔺 Horse is poor to catch?
Many are not trying to be 'difficult’ — they’re avoiding the discomfort of the halter going on, which may stimulate the trigeminal nerve or cause tension in the TMJ area. 🚩

🔺 Can be brushed on one side but not the other? 🚩
Could be unilateral cranial nerve irritation, often stemming from fascial pulls, past trauma, or misalignment.

🔺 Foaming at the mouth under bit pressure? 🚩
This isn’t always “submission.” Bit pressure can impact:

the mandibular branch of CN V (trigeminal nerve)

the hypoglossal nerve (CN XII) — which controls tongue movement

the glossopharyngeal nerve (CN IX) — associated with the throat and swallowing
All of these nerves can be compromised by poor dental balance, bitting, or cranial dysfunction.

Summary

Refusal to touch the ears, poll, or head is NOT just “bad behaviour.”
It’s communication.

Horses with myofascial pain, C1 restrictions, cranial nerve irritation, or TMJ dysfunction will naturally protect themselves — pulling away, raising the head, tensing the jaw, or shutting down altogether.

💡 Signs of stress you may see when touching the head area:

Elevated heart rate or subtle sweating

Holding the head unnaturally high

Tight nostrils or pinched expression

Squinting or avoiding eye contact

Rushing to the back of the stable when a rug is taken from the door almost in a panic

Don’t ignore these changes. Don’t write them off as “just being difficult.”
Think about pull-back injuries, rope accidents, or even long-standing bridle or bit pressure. These can have lasting effects on the cranial nerves, cervical vertebrae, fascia, and overall comfort.

Not to forget the cranial sacral connections, got a a horse with SI joint issues ? Could be related all the way to the skull!

🧠 Pain is real.
🐴 Headaches are real.
🎯 And your horse is telling you — are you listening?

Reposting because it’s THAT important.
Let’s do better for them.

02/08/2025

😯😯😯

Here is a CT scan image of the same neck we posted the x-ray of yesterday. The 'facet' joint changes here are so marked the bony surfaces impinge on the vertebral body, and where the circles are should be a wide space for the nerves to exit the spine. For such a long time, either these changes went under the radar not being identified or with limited treatment options such as injections alone.
Thanks to work in human medicine, and recently in horses, things have moved on and we now have a new option: a foraminotomy. Keyhole surgery to remove the abnormal bone and decompress around the spinal nerve +/- the outside surface of the spinal cord. Whilst not a small undertaking, this could be a game changing option.
Now available at Rainbow Equine Hospital for selected cases following consultation with our team.

01/08/2025

Last minute appointment now available , Thursday 7th August afternoon slot. This is my only availability for August. Please PM if interested ☺️🐴🐾

01/08/2025

Saw this on a mallenders & sallenders page on Facebook and thought it was worth a share … I am often asked if I have heard of anything that works. I don’t, I can only share other people’s experience. Hopefully it helps others 😊🐴