The Equine Chiro

17/07/2024

When I say there’s no such thing as a cold backed horse, this is what I mean, there’s a reason…

12/03/2024

Really happy to announce that for all my clients wanting human chiropractic treatment, I am now based at Becvar Health in Waterlooville.

We are delighted to welcome chiropractor, Matt Kenna, who has joined the clinic to add to the clinics treatment provision.

Matt enjoys treating patients of all ages, but specialises in the treatment of sports injuries and rehabilitation. He is currently an active consultant First Team Chiropractor working within the Premier League and works worldwide with International equestrian athletes.

His hours currently are Tuesday afternoons and Saturday mornings.

20/02/2024

Matt has space to treat one horse in the new forest area Thursday morning due to a cancellation.

He’s getting booked up in March and April currently so please book ahead to avoid disappointment

02/01/2024

Matt will be around the new forest Salisbury way Friday with a space or two due to cancellation. Please contact if you’re in need

25/10/2023

SPACES AVAILABLE THIS FRIDAY (27th)

I have a few spaces in the New Forest for equine treatments due to cancellation this Friday (27th). If you’d like to take any of them please let me know.

21/10/2023

20/09/2023

Matt is now fully booked until mid October.

There is a few opportunities to fit in around other bookings if it is in your area.

Due to going to Ghana on 8th October, we will now be taking bookings for the week beginning 23rd October.

28/06/2023

Sorry to anyone who is waiting for replies from me. I promise I will get back to you this week.

We were blessed with the arrival of our second son last Thursday (22nd June) and have been in our little bubble settling into a family of four.

I’m aiming to be back working week commencing 10th July, so please plan ahead. I’ve been, at my shortest, operating a three week wait time all year.

Thank you for all of your lovely messages. They mean the world

14/02/2023

I have a few slot available this Thursday (16th) due to cancellation for New Forest/Salisbury area.

Give me a shout if you would like to book as I am returning to work post surgery and with the polo season rearing it’s head, things are about to go crazy busy for the next 3-4 months.

03/02/2023

After a break from treating riders at yards during COVID due to having a young family at home, I will now be opening up yard booking days again whereby we can get your horse and you treated to ensure you’re both in top condition simultaneously.

To arrange these clinics, please just get in touch but make sure to do so well ahead of time as things will be getting extremely busy upon my return from hand surgery in two weeks!

22/01/2023

I literally swear by these boots, not only are they convenient but they are the best I can give my horses and recommend to others

Matt we found a pic of you!
Matt champions the welfare of horses from all disciplines, treating some of the most successful. He travels all over the world to share his expertise. He is a HUGE supporter of as has seen first hand how our 6D Air Protection Boots have helped so many horses where additional heat would exacerbate an old injury, or simply the weight & protective qualities of the boots do not hinder the athleticism of the horses.
Protect your horses for the long term with the smart choice of HUSK
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07/10/2022

Great insight here from Yogi, who is a brilliant farrier and horseman.

Horses that are a “pain in the ass” to shoe, may just have a pain in their ass…..

Why is your horse difficult to shoe?
Is it a sign of pain?

Similar to Dysons ethogram, Mannsman et al. (2011) suggested a pain ethogram for the shoeing process. The study expressed that the behaviours can be the result of bad training, improper handling, or the recall of past pain/punishment but its findings correlated with Dyson and concluded that pain must be considered first!

When shoeing horses we can be asking them to make unnatural body compensations to facilitate our work. The image below shows how shoeing the hinds can affect all the way along the dorsal myofascial line. Horses presenting with pathology along that line will struggle. A common "behaviour" can be hopping around, also snatching or slamming the leg down. Something I have experienced often in horses presenting with negative plantar angles. However, often these horses can have great feet and we are experiencing the effects of higher pain.

Very often the amount of difficulty can be proportionate to how poor the feet are, as they improve with remedial farriery the signs of pain reduce.
In the meantime simple considerations can be made. A horse with very thin soles or pr*****ed frogs, leave the opposite shoe on and do one foot at a time, for example.

As farriers we are well placed to note these "behaviours" as possible early signs of otherwise unrecognised discomfort, or even reactions to obvious poor hoof conformation. Not label the horse as "bad"!

In my experience, and supported by Mannsman et al. (2011) these behaviours desist with the improvement of the feet or higher issues.
Horses, in general, are genuine animals. Recognising pain in the horse is an obligation for anyone working with them and mentioning shoeing observations can be the first step in saving horses from unrecognised higher issues.

Further reading at this link..
https://www.theequinedocumentalist.com/post/recognising-pain-in-the-horse

28/09/2022

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT RUGGING HORSES!

It's that time of year when WE notice that it's got a little colder and we dig out our fleeces and jumpers. And many of us are likely to do the same for our horses, unpacking the stable and turnout rugs we packed away in late Spring. BUT, horses don’t feel the cold in the same way we do.

Why? The answer is pretty straightforward - they are around 7 times heavier than us and covered in hair. Although they are 7 times heavier they don’t have 7 times more skin surface. In fact, it’s only around 2.5 times more. Skin surface is the key to retaining or losing heat as this is the main route horses lose heat in cooler weather. That’s why in nature if you live in a cold climate it’s generally an advantage to be large and if you live in a hot climate it’s an advantage to be small – and yes there are exceptions to this, such as elephants!

So the temptation is to start over-rugging horses at this time of year because we are feeling cold and putting on more layers. Over-rugging may make your horse or pony feel uncomfortable and unhappy. It’s also not good for coat and skin health and it may even contribute to obesity.

What rug should I use? There are a lot of things to consider and there is no one-size fits all but some general rules do apply.

To learn more about the science of rugging……https://drdavidmarlin.com/tag/rugging/ (MEMBER CONTENT - Subscription of £8 required for 30 days access).

QUICK UPDATE!
The wonderfully talented Erin at Chestnuts created this brilliant illustration, and we are very grateful that she has allowed us to use it. We chose the image as we think it perfectly depicts Dr Marlin's point in this post. Thank you Erin Chestnuts!

01/09/2022

Matts diary is now pretty much full until then end of September.

We are limiting the amount of horses he is doing a day at the moment to allow him to catch up with his health.

This year so far has been unprecedentedly busy and with a weeks trip to Ghana coming up where we will see over 60 horses, we need to make sure Matt looks after his health.

The knock on effect of this will be longer waiting times so if you want Matt to see your horse over the next 6-8 weeks, please get them booked in now.

There will be a few emergency slots available but they go quick so please don’t rely upon them.

Thank you all so much for your support, we really do love working with you and your fabulous horses.

The Equine Chiro team 🐎

21/08/2022

This is why I always advocate treatment and correct training/riding alongside Kissing spine treatment from Veterinarians.

Chiropractic care is not a replacement for primary veterinary care of this condition, it can however, provide your horses with additional comfort and help other, medical interventions, be more successful

08/08/2022

Exciting News!

Matt is now working two afternoons a week at Becvar Health in Waterlooville just off the A3 by Queen Alexandra Country Park.

This will allow Matt to see more people and fit you all in more regularly, improving continuity of care, due to his very busy time schedule when on the road.

The clinic has great parking, is easy to find and has a great support team on the reception desk.

To book in with Matt visiting the website or call

023 9223 1527

Becvar Health is a multidisciplinary clinic which provides chiropractic care, supported by a sports therapist. Our facilities allow yoga classes to be held in the evenings, and the rooms are rented to medico-legal specialists.

23/06/2022

Matt is out of office from today until 4th July taking a much needed rest. Please be aware it may take a little longer than normal for us to respond to messages and bookings.

This year has been unprecedentedly busy and we couldn’t be more grateful for your support and referrals.

The first week is full so if you’re wanting horses treated in July, please don’t hesitate to message.

05/05/2022

I DON’T KNOW YOUR HORSE…
…But I do know horses. Here are a few things I’ve learned that should help most horses, most of the time, with whatever problem you may be having.

DO LESS:
Whatever it is, just do less. Expect less. React less. Use less strength. Less contact. Less pressure down the rein/rope. Less pressure from the leg. Less driving from the seat. Less noise…

GIVE MORE:
More patience. More time. More benefit of the doubt. More rest breaks. More reward. More still. More quiet. More variety. More length to the neck…

DITCH YOUR EGO & LET STUFF SLIDE:
Your horse isn’t trying to get one over on you, (or if he is, ask yourself why he feels the need to). What you think is naughty behaviour is usually just an attempt to communicate something: Discomfort, distrust, uncertainty, anxiety, fear, none of which require ‘telling off’…

COUNT TO TEN:
Be in control of your own emotions before you try and control your horse’s emotions. Once you let your emotions change, the whole dialogue upon which your training is based, changes…

IT TAKES TWO TO ARGUE:
So rather than asking for something that goes against your horse, start by asking for things you’re already pretty sure the horse is going to give, and go from there. (This one takes a little figuring out but is totally worth it!) N.B.: Common sense required!…

EVERYTHING IS MADE UP OF THE BASICS:
More advanced work is simply an arrangement of the basics taken care of simultaneously…

NEVER DISCOUNT PAIN:
You can never truly ‘rule out pain’ as a cause of unwanted behaviour. No matter how much money you spend, or how good your vet is…

REST DAYS ARE AS IMPORTANT AS TRAINING DAYS: Overtraining can be just as damaging as under preparing. Horses only have so many jumps/steps in them - use them sparingly…

BREAK IT DOWN:
Most issues can be solved by taking a step back, breaking the issue down into smaller chunks, and taking care of those chunks one by one…

TAKE YOUR TIME:
You’ll get there much quicker if you do. Cutting a corner will only come back to bite you in the ass sooner or later…

ONE FINAL THING…
Horse training is subject to the same laws of physics as everything else. You can’t argue with either anatomy or physics, no matter how many medals you’ve won. Train with this in mind, because there isn’t a single instance where an unyielding or strong rein contact will benefit your training, or your horse…

07/04/2022

We are now FULL until May! Thank you all so much!

With the constant increase in travelling and miles, we have been wondering what we can do to offset our carbon footprint due to the miles we travel.

Therefore, we have signed up to - they plant 16 trees a month on behalf of our company, which reduces 18tonnes of CO2 on our behalf a year and supports local economies in Africa.

We will be looking at updating the company car this year to a hybrid too to become more responsible for our output.

29/03/2022

Currently Matt is booked up until nearly May with very limited availability throughout April.

As times get busier, we appreciate there will be a few emergency cases with competition season looming, therefore we will be offering an emergency call out rate to get to you within a few days.

Also, due to constant late payments, there will now be a late payment charge of £5 per week the payment is late. We simply don’t have the time to constantly chase people. Payment is due on the day or before treatment, in no other world would you walk into a shop, take something and then expect to pay for it months later, the same goes for the treatment of your horses.

Quite simply, if you can’t afford it, don’t book it, we are a small business and need cash flow to operate with constantly increasing costs.

Those of you (the majority) who pay straight away, thank you!

22/02/2022

Heads up to all of our great clients, Matt is getting booked up well into March and has a work trip to Ghana as well so please, to avoid disappointment, book well ahead over March and April :)

16/01/2022

Years ago, many believed the horses back never moved during exercise…..thank goodness for the sensible change in attitude and research

30/10/2021

As of Monday, we will no longer be accepting bank transfer as payment or be invoicing unless it’s after payment for insurance or business purposes.

Over the last three years we have been extremely
lenient but waiting weeks/months for payment is out of the question now.

Cash, card or bank transfer before treatment is the only methods that will be accepted as of 1st November 2021.

As always, thank you to those of you who have always been loyal payers!

14/05/2021

🏇🏻Equine Appointment updates 🏇🏻

Please note , Matt is fully booked until the end of May with limited availability until mid June

If you’d like to book your horse in, please contact us ASAP to avoid any disappointment .

Holding regular dates throughout the year helps us plan the diary and helps you get the dates you need without waiting.

Have a great weekend 👍🏻

30/04/2021

As of today, 30th April, we will no longer be invoicing or allowing anything other than payment on the day via card or cash unless agreed going forwards with us.

The chasing of payments has now become so bad that is affecting the way the business runs and taking away from where my expertise are, chiropractic and rehabilitation.

I am very sorry to do this but years of poor payment conduct and continuing, ongoing debt (client debt) has left me no other option.

I am extremely sorry for those who have been good and regular, I really appreciate you!