Equine Performance Therapy - South

29/10/2024

*************Admin Post********
Sorry, I have been quiet on here recently...busy with work and "life stuff"...😳🙈
I just wanted to let everyone know that as of 1st November my website will no longer be active. I have always generated business through word of mouth and the ongoing protection and updating of the website has become a cost which I feel outweighs its benefit. So, don't be alarmed if you are browsing and the old website is showing as unavailable. I am still here working hard!
Also, whilst we are on the subject of costs, can everyone please remember to pay on the day through cash or bank transfer. It is my year end this week and I am currently chasing quite a lot of outstanding money.....🙈. Thank you to the vast majority of you who do pay on time 😍.

19/08/2024

Back to work today after a very relaxing holiday. Feeling refreshed which is just as well as I seem to have "eased" myself back in with 8 horses booked🤔💪😂.
I think I have now responded to everyone who messaged me whilst I am away but if you haven't had a response then please nudge me!

01/08/2024

Regular clients know this is a favourite exercise of mine. Carried out correctly, unmounted, it has lots of benefits.

Walking backwards - rein back - step back

This has always been an exercise I recommend and a recent article has used 3D motion capture to explore back and pelvis motion during the movement - Jobst, Zsoldos and Licka, 2024

'A significantly larger maximum and a greater ROM was reached between the withers, thoracic region and sacrum (labelled D-angWmT16S2) in Backwards Walking compared to Forwards walking, indicating a lifting of the back, an effect necessary to facilitate strengthening of the horse’s core and therefore often desired in equine physiotherapy and in equestrian sports (Clayton, 2016; Shakeshaft & Tabor, 2020)'

A few steps backwards - Unmount SD Cardnted - as part of groundwork and before mounting are a really good idea to mobilise your horse's back.

Link to article:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1090023324001412?via%3Dihub

01/07/2024

Just a quick post to advise that I am away on annual leave from 3rd to 16th August (inclusive).

27/04/2024

Another client enjoying success at Addington Premier League 😍.

03/03/2024

I think this also applies, perhaps to a lesser extent, when some horses move yards but not owners. Like us, some horses are more sensitive to change than others. Of course, there are unscrupulous sellers out there, as the article acknowledges, and, of course, there can be a genuine mismatch in the partnership but, in other cases, sometimes we just need to give the horses a little more time and understanding......

New horse problems 🐴

Why do so many people seem to have problems with new horses? You get them home and suddenly they are not the horse you tried and everyone scoffs as the seller swears “he’s never done that before!”. Now I am not discounting the fact that there are many unscrupulous people out there lying to make a sale and selling horses they know have issues, but that is not always the case.

No matter how seasoned a horse is, no horse is unaffected by changes in their life. We are taking a very social, prey animal away from their equine friends, the humans they know and the environment they likely felt safe in, to a completely strange place with strange horses and strange people. Add in new tack, a different routine, different forage etc. How could that not be incredibly stressful? 🤯

To move a horse like this then expect them to be as relaxed and trainable as they were in their old home without putting any time and effort into building a relationship with them and giving them time to settle in is just asking for trouble. A huge part of the problem is the lack of education around equine behaviour and what it actually means, people cannot seem to read a stressed horse that’s about to lose it. 🐎

Someone I know recently sold a lovely, quiet 4yo mare backed and riding away. She had lived in the same home for years, the buyers tried her twice and liked her. Off she went to her new home and within a week they sent her back because she had bucked them off as soon as they tried to get on. Upon watching the video you can see the horse is really stressed and unhappy before they even approach the mounting block, but they proceeded anyway because she was fine when they tried her. We have got to learn to read the horse that is in front of us. So many of these accidents would never happen and we wouldn’t be going around giving horses bad experiences and labelling them as dangerous.

I often go out to people who are having similar issues, horses seemingly having had a personality transplant from when they tried them, and having everyone around them tell them the horse is just taking the mick out of them. On further investigation they’ve often gone from living in a settled herd turned out 24/7 to being stabled and on individual turnout, or from being ridden by professionals 5 times a week to being ridden solely by a nervous/novice rider with no help. And we expect them to behave the same? Another huge factor is stomach ulcers can flare up hugely with stress and travelling to a new home might just be that tipping point.

This post isn’t to shame anyone at all, I just desperately want there to be more education out there about horse behaviour and what horses actually need, not what we want them to be. There is so much misinformation out there it feels impossible at times, especially when we’re being told it by experienced professionals.

Horses are sentient beings, we expect them to cope with so much and we really need to start appreciating how much of a huge stress it is to move to a completely new environment. Give them suitable management, time, patience and have suitable help on the ground from someone who actually understands horse behaviour and isn’t going to set you up to fail. 🐴

www.lshorsemanship.co.uk

15/02/2024

This! Regular clients will have heard me droning on about all of the below 😉

𝐓𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐓𝐢𝐩 - 𝐌𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞'𝐬 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤 & 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐤

Walk is an a effective way to mobilise the back - here are 4 ways to improve the walk and increase back rotation.

𝟏. 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬
This can be a single pole or a series of poles. This is a great exercise to maintain mobility, improve core stability & posture. There are so many benefits.
Set up some poles on the way to the arena, or field so you can walk your horse over them everyday.

𝟐. 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫
A similar effect to walking over poles, but your horse doesn't have to think about where he's putting his feet but still has to lift his legs.

𝟑. 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐥
You can feel the rotation in your horse's back through your seat. If you can find a consistent slope - try walking your horse across the slope too.

𝟒. 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩
A great exercise that has lots of benefits. Aim for long steps with the head and neck low for maximum benefit. Start off with just a few steps and build up.

Discover more about the Biomechanics of Walk and how to improve this pace with our On Demand Webinar - https://www.horsesinsideout.com/about-webinars/walk

12/02/2024

Another lovely client dancing his way to success at the weekend. This youngstallion is gorgeous inside and out, and an absolute gentleman to treat 😍.

11/02/2024

Another client "flying" this weekend 😍

10/02/2024

Brand on point today 👌😍.

09/02/2024

I may be wrong but I think he is a satisfied client...💤 😍

07/02/2024

This! How amazing to compete in your first GP at 19 on a nearly 19yr old horse who has been in your family since a 3yr old. Look at that hugging photo...that represents what I see on the yard too.... we need so much more of this at the moment 😍
Proud to be part of the support team.

05/02/2024

My horse had a training session with Carl Hester at the weekend 😍. Don't worry, I wasn't riding 😉 thank goodness as I was a little bit star struck 😳. It was a really lovely day and an amazing learning experience just watching and listening to him teach my horse and then the other horse we took with us who is at GP.
I think what struck me most is how he brought the best out of each horse and rider with quiet, calm instructions and with lots of altering of the frame/breaks to ensure the horse didn't get tired. Despite the strange environment with 50 million peacocks, guinea fowl and others running around, my horse stayed calm and (mostly) focused throughout. They all laughed when, given my background, I was more excited by the true stretch my horse offered rather than any other fancy moves 😂 (see pics below).
There is no real point to this other than the horseworld seems to be full of negativity at the moment and this felt like an oasis of what training should be about.

01/02/2024

One of my absolute favourite horses to treat because it has been SUCH a journey with him 😍😍😍. Humbled that he lets me help him a little...😉

01/02/2024

I am often asked by potential clients whether my work is mostly manual or whether I use machines....take a guess at my answer ..😂

01/02/2024

Post treatment snooze for 2 others on same yard...

01/02/2024

Days like these....😍
Apologies for quality of videoing - it's really hard to film and treat at the same time...😳🙈

02/01/2024

Happy New Year!
Catching up on some CPD, which was excellent by the way 👏👏, after taking my daughter in to College where she is participating in a 5 hour dissection. There is a theme here....😉
Wishing you all (human and equine) a happy, healthy and successful 2024.

30/12/2023

Worth a read. I know it is not always easy for the less brave amongst us but canter is a really useful pace to embrace for all the reasons set out below. Strengthening the topline in particular as the abdominal muscles engage. I also find canter due to its asymmetry can often (not always) highlight physical issues/weaknesses more than trot which is worth bearing in mind. Of course, as always, the below is the ideal...running consistently hollow on an unbalanced/green horse is not helpful to anyone (horse or rider)... but start with baby steps and remember it's worth having it as a goal....

Canter

Walk may be considered the mother of all gaits, but canter is the disco sister, and you don’t want to leave her at home.

Canter is a gait every horse needs to experience regularly - it’s so beneficial for their brains and bodies. The dolphin like action of the spine in canter creates waves of release throughout the whole horse. The action of the hind limbs really helps dissolve tension in the lumbar and hamstrings. And, if we’re not holding and blocking with our hands then the amplitude of the inside foreleg and action of the head and neck create a helpful range of motion.

There are great benefits to the cardio vascular system that can only be found through canter. And, mentally, it can be a huge release valve for both horse and rider.

When involved in ridden rehab of horses, walk and canter can be a lot more useful than trot. Less weight is borne by the front legs in canter than in trot, and a horse has to let go of their back in canter in a way they don’t have to in trot.

However, canter has challenges inherent within it that mean many of us avoid it.

The first often being that it’s faster. And we may not enjoy the feeling of the speed going up.

And that’s particularly true when our horse is out of balance - add speed to an out of balance horse and things tend to not go well or feel good.

Circles and canter can be a tricky combination for green or unbalanced horses. Naturally a horse wants to turn by looking to the outside and ‘falling’ to the inside with their shoulder. Combine this with their need to take their head and neck away from the leading leg in canter and this can become motorbiking to the max.

And, canter asks quite a lot of a rider in terms of their ability to balance and connect with a moving animal.

Finally (in a list which can be a lot longer) a horse with spine issues usually feels this the most in canter, kissing spines often reveal themselves here, similarly SI or stifle issues. As do metabolic challenges such as PSSM.

And the less we do it - the worse all of these things get….that actually may be the biggest challenge.

With all that being the case, what can we do?

The first thing is to ensure our horse is getting the chance to canter without us influencing them. Is their paddock actually large enough for them to canter? Often paddocks are so small a horse doesn’t really get to open up. And many horses are in restricted spaces due to the weather. Can you find somewhere, even once a month, where they can access a safe space in which to move their body?

Can you find situations which are going to make cantering as easy as possible for both of you? Again this may require some effort, but your horse will thank you.

I don’t start young or unbalanced horses cantering in the school. Circles are hard for them, the fences or walls come up quickly and they have to find the correct leads. Instead, I find a long hill and just let them roll into canter heading up that. Don’t expect them to know the aids for canter at this stage, they’re not factory fitted.

If you’re worried about cantering then get someone you trust to canter your horse. And get yourself lessons on an established horse with good enough balance that they can fill in for you while you find your cantering legs.

If your horse has balance challenges in canter you need to understand what these are about and what exercises can help. Anyone who tells you to fix their head in place or block with low hands is someone I’d suggest you avoid. It may be an issue of straightness, balance, understanding, posture. This could be addressed under saddle, on the lunge, in-hand. You could actually use the winter months to understand and improve these elements.

This is all said as one half of a partnership who really struggled with canter for years. You may have witnessed mine and Des’s canter nightmares, if you could keep up as we zoomed by. Cantering with Des now is up there with my favourite things to do in life.

23/12/2023

Aaaannnndddd that's me finished until 28th December 😊.
Thank you all for your support during 2023.
Wishing all of my lovely clients a very happy Christmas and a healthy and successful 2024.

02/12/2023

At the risk of stating the obvious, blimey that was a cold day's work 🥶🥶🥶. Luckily the clients were all amazingly well behaved and feeling good 👌. The photo below shows just how many layers I had to take off when I got home 🙈😂.
Also, a quick reminder, I have very few appointments left available now before the end of the year so send me a message if you need an appointment ASAP.

11/11/2023

Love this.

20/10/2023

It's the Rainy Friday Admin Morning post 😉
A reminder please that payment is due on the day of treatment by cash or bank transfer. I understand that sometimes people forget but I am a very small business operating on very thin margins in order to keep the costs down for the client. Please help me to continue to keep those costs down by paying on the day.
Thank you to the vast majority of you who do :)

13/10/2023

Just a quick reminder post looking out the window this morning.....
please make sure your horses are dry and (relatively) clean before their treatment. This is not because I am fussy about staying clean (as if!) but my work is manual and my hands will slip on wet and muddy fur...
Thank you and hoping you all manage to stay relatively dry today.....

06/10/2023

It's all about the journey....proud to be part of the support team 😍