Emily Skinner McTimoney Veterinary Chiropractor

15/01/2024

The wonderful Bernie enjoying her treatment in the sunshine at the weekend ☀️

21/12/2023

Exciting news! I have completed my Master's degree and I am now a fully qualified and insured McTimoney Veterinary Chiropractor.

Thank you so much to all my clients who have supported me throughout the past two years whilst I've been studying.

I am now taking bookings for the new year
🐴 Equine
🐶 Canine
🐱🦙Other animals
Please PM or WhatsApp me to enquire or book!

17/07/2023

First day of data collection for my Master's dissertation done ✅ Super excited to start analysing the videos soon and to see the results.
A massive thank you to everyone at Hillside Stables - Karina Thompson BHS Coach for letting me use your wonderful horses and facilities 🐴

24/12/2022

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of my wonderful clients! Thank you for making this year an amazing one.

13/12/2022

03/11/2022

The autumn/winter months mean a change to the weather and management routines for many horses. Alterations to things such as turnout time, time spent stabled, ground and surface types, diet, and the temperature can all have an impact on your horses musculoskeletal system. The cold can particularly impact those with degenerative conditions such as osteoarthritis and result in additional discomfort/pain. To help your horses and ponies stay comfortable I am offering a £10 discount to all clients from the 7th November till the 18th December. Call, text, DM, or email me with any questions and to make a booking.
Phone number: 07415057748
Email: [email protected]

25/08/2022

We are looking to expand our group of volunteers on a Saturday morning. Please contact [email protected] for further information. Full training and a warm welcome will be given.

07/06/2022

Hamstring Hypertonicity and Tarsal (Hock) Pathology 🌟

I often talk about the “spiral of dysfunction”, an ever progressing degenerative down turn in musculoskeletal health. So I thought I would share one of the most common spirals I see.

- Hock arthritis = pain and joint inflammation in acute stages, progresses to structural joint adaptations as the condition progresses.
=> reduced hock joint range of motion.
=> rotation of hock joint inwards during movement
=> external rotation of stifle joint in synergistic response to hock motion
=> hip drop on flex/ext depending on pathology => sacroiliac joint strain and gluteal tension
=> use of hamstring muscle group and other medially placed hindlimb muscles to facilitate this gait pattern
=> medial (inside) weight placement through the hoof = uneven wear of shoe and asymmetrical hoof conformation
=> hamstring muscle hypertonicity and pain on palpation due to overexertion/repetitive strain outside of functional means.
= reduced hindlimb joint range of motion due to restrictions in muscle tone and pliability.

It is super important to identify the cause of asymmetry/lameness in order to prevent this cycle of dysfunction from occurring.

23/05/2022

EQUINE MASSAGE can help with the detection, treatment, and restoration of musculoskeletal imbalances. At this time of year with so many equestrians out competing people are turning to Animal Sports Therapists for help.

Animal massage is an evidenced based profession with animal welfare at its core and can play an important role in chronic pain management and rehabilitation following injury. In addition, it can have a soothing effect on the nervous system which can help reduce stress and anxiety.

Find an Animal Sports Therapy and Massage specialist accredited by the Animal Health Professional’s Register so you can be sure they adhere to the highest standards - www.ahpr.org.uk/the-register

AHPR members have achieved an industry recognised appropriate standard of training through externally accredited courses, comply with Continuing Professional Development and hold full, valid professional indemnity insurance as required by the wider industry.

17/04/2022

Happy Easter!

The wheelofnames.com has spoken and the three lucky winners of the Easter giveaway are:

Helen Roberts
Charlotte Sheath
izwheaton

Congratulations! Please message me to claim and book your appointments.

Thank you so much to everyone you liked and shared.

23/03/2022

GIVEAWAY TIME! 🎉

As a thank you for a great start to the year there are three prizes up for grabs this Easter!

🐴 1x Free treatment
🐴 2x 50% off treatments

All you have to do is:
⭐ Follow, like and share
⭐ Comment below tagging a friend
🌟 1 tag = 1 entry
🌟 Facebook and Instagram count seperately so head over to both accounts for more enteries!

Massage therapy has benefits for all animals, so please don't hesitate to enter.

The winners will be announced on Easter Sunday. Good luck!

*Normal travel conditions apply (go to http://esequinesportsmassage.com for details)

09/12/2021

New years deal!

Start the new year right by treating your horse to a massage with 25% off all treatments booked for between the 3rd and 31st January!

Some benefits of massage include:
- Reduced muscle tension and tightness, helping to improve comfort, joint range of motion, and suppleness
- Pain relief
- Improved muscle tone and strength
- Improved performance and coordination
- Reduced risk of injury

Sessions will include:
- Full history intake for initial assessments
- Static and dynamic assessment
- Palpation
- Full body treatment
- Appropriate stretches
- A detailed treatment report including the sessions findings and an after care plan; this may include maintenance, prehabilitation or rehabilitation exercise plans if required.

Message or email to book now on:
07415057748
[email protected]

05/12/2021

23/09/2021

25/08/2021

I had the pleasure of treating the lovely Woody last week. As you can tell from his soft facial expressions he thoroughly enjoyed his session and at 36 years old he is still looking and feeling amazing!

16/08/2021

03/08/2021

🤔🤔 What diagonal do you use whilst out trotting on hacks?? 🤔 🤔

We all know when schooling to rise when the inside hind moves forward to relieve some of the pressure off of the limb that is taking more weight on a circle.
We also (hopefully) all know to spend equal amounts of time on both reins during a session…end result…all four corners of the horse are worked evenly.

But what about whilst out and about hacking?

Many horses AND riders favour a certain diagonal and many tend to ride this diagonal whilst out hacking with no thought to alternate.

This was mine and Archie’s NUMBER ONE bad habit back in our younger years! 🙋🏼‍♀️

Here’s why we ought to be consciously alternating diagonals whilst out trotting during a hack ⬇️⬇️

1️⃣ Ensures both hind legs/lower back take an equal work load.

2️⃣ Promotes suppleness throughout the back/avoids overly straining one side.

3️⃣ Prevents the horse from becoming too one-sided/left or right lateralised.

4️⃣ Helps to build and develop muscles evenly.

5️⃣ Helps them to become more balanced on corners.

6️⃣ Helps us to become a more balanced and coordinated rider which will help us to become as little a burden as possible for our horse’s backs.

✅ Spend some time on your next hack to think about what diagonal you or your horse prefers and make a conscious effort to spend equal amounts of time on both. This is particularly important for inexperienced and/or unbalanced horses but ultimately beneficial for all. ✅

01/08/2021

01/08/2021

Maintaining a relaxed posture is so important for your horse whilst they are developing the correct musculature to support you as a rider. This applies not only to young horses, but also to those that are being brought back into work after a period of time off.

Why we should ride young horses forward and down...

It is a commonly accepted training principle that we should encourage young horses to have a low head carriage. But why is this?

The muscles of the horses back are still immature at 3,4 and even at 5 years old. This is a combination of being developmentally (age related), and physically immature, in the sense that they lack the muscle condition which comes from years of training-induced exercise. Of course the maturity of their muscles will come naturally with time, and as we work them through groundwork and under saddle. But how can we get to this point, while protecting these fundamentally weak muscles and avoiding musculoskeletal injuries further down the line?

By utilising the passive ligament mechanism, we can allow the horse to support the back and carry the weight of the rider with very little muscular effort. This allows the epaxial muscles of the back to be free to perform their primary functions in movement, rather than acting as weight lifters.

The passive ligament system of the back is primarily composed of, well ligaments, the nuchal and supraspinous ligament to be exact.

The nuchal ligament is a strong, collagenous structure, originating at the extensor process of the occiput (the back of the skull), forming attachments to the cervical vertebrae, before inserting on the spinous process of the fourth thoracic vertebrae. Here the nuchal ligament broadens in the region of the withers, before continuing as the supraspinous ligament running along the top of the spinous processes of the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae and terminating in the sacral region of the spine.

This creates an inverse relationship between the position of the head and neck and the balance between flexion and extension of the spine.

Generally speaking, lowering the head induces flexion in the thoracic region (the back is lifted) and conversely, raising the head creates extension in the thoracic region (the back hollows/drops). This is because the elongation of the strong and elastic nuchal ligament created when the head is lowered, creates a forward traction on the high spinous processes of the withers, and travels through the supraspinous ligament to lift the thoracic region of the spine. Comparatively, shortening of the ligament raises the head.

This system has provided an evolutionary advantage to the horse, as while they are grazing, the weight of the thorax and abdomen is supported passively by the ligament with very little muscular effort over long periods of time (up to the 16-19 hours per day they can spend grazing in the wild). Equally, because of the stored elastic potential energy in the liagement when it is stretched for the head to be at ground level, the horse can quickly raise its head to gallop away at the first sign of a predator.

Furthermore, lowering of the head and neck, stretching downwards and forwards, straightens out the natural S curve of the horse's spine. This lifts the bottom of the S curve, the cervico-thoracic junction and the ribcage, which creates lightness in the forequarters when the horse is moving. Further back, flexion in the thoracic region, increases the spacing between the dorsal spinous processes as the most dorsal aspect of the spine is stretched out. This posture is particularly therapeutic for horses with kissing spines.

In fact, the degree of flexion of the back is most marked between the 5th and 9th thoracic vertebrae, but is also significant between the 9th and 14th. Consequently, the arching and lifting of the back takes place directly under the saddle and therefore works to support the rider.

This is particularly useful in young horses; it allows the young horse, whose muscles are not mature enough to carry the rider, the chance to support its back and lift the weight of the rider by moving the head-neck axis rather than using active muscle contraction.

This means that the horse can use its muscles solely for movement; creating a loose, swinging back, free of tension, and suppleness in the gait.

Here we have the opportunity for us to slowly develop and condition the epaxial musculature of the young horse. Which will create a foundation of strength and suppleness of the back and the core to support more advanced movements later in their career.

Comparatively, if this system is not used, and the young horse is pulled into a shortened outline, it is the Longissimus Dorsi muscle which takes up the role of supporting the weight of the rider. But theLongissimus Dorsi is not designed for weight carrying, it is primarily a movement muscle.

Muscles act in the direction through which their fibres flow; the Longissimus Dorsi works in the horizontal plane, originating in the sacral and lumbar region of the spine and inserting through the lumbar, thoracic and ending in the cervical region. The Longissimus Dorsi primarily acts to extend and stabilise the entire spine, while also acting unilaterally to induce lateral flexion of the back. You can see the Longissimus Dorsi in action when watching a horse moving from above; the large muscle contracts alternately on each side of the back in the rhythm of the gait to stabilise the movement.

Once the Longissimus Dorsi is required to lift the weight of the rider, the muscle becomes blocked and stiff. Muscles are designed to work through a process of contraction and relaxation; held too long in contraction (to carry the weight of a rider, or support a shortened outline) and the Longissimus Dorsi will fatigue. This will lead to muscle spasm and pain within the muscle. Not only will the horse lose the strength to carry the rider, but they will also lose the natural elasticity of the back which will reduce the fluidity of their gaits.

Over time with greater overuse and fatigue, the Longissimus Dorsi muscle will atrophy, requiring the recruitment of other muscles, such as the Iliocostalis, to take up the role of stabilising the back and supporting the weight of the rider. Other muscles which are equally not designed for weight lifting. And so the cycle continues and the performance of the horse suffers.

With this knowledge in mind, we can understand why it is so essential to make use of the passive ligament system, by striving for that forward and down head carriage. Furthermore, that we also allow our young horses regular breaks, working on a loose rein to allow our horse to come out of the outline, stretch out, and reduce the risk of fatigue.

I always marvel at the intricately designed systems of energy conservation to create efficiency in the horse's way of going. It is our role as a rider to have an awareness of and make use of these systems; to allow our horses to go in the most efficient and beneficial way for them possible, upholding their standard of welfare.

Image credit: Tug of War, Gerd Heuschmann