ESP Equine

25/08/2024

Love a bit of interesting research. As with humans, the gut microbiome is hugely important! Have a read on how it is seemingly affecting physical performance 👇🏻

🤓 I wanted to share this recent study with you all as I think the findings are really exciting. 📖

A new study by Proudman et al. at the university of Surrey has shown that foals with a more diverse microbiome at 28 days old went on to have a better racing career than foals with a less healthy gut.

They investigated the composition of gut bacteria in Thoroughbred foals bred for flat racing and its impact on their long-term health and athletic performance.

“To investigate this, 438 faecal samples from 52 foals were analysed and respiratory, gastrointestinal, orthopaedic and soft-tissue health issues were tracked from birth to age three. In addition, the team analysed information regarding finishing position, official rating, and total prize money earnings as measures of athletic performance.”

They identified that horses with a higher abundance of Anaeroplasmataceae had higher Official Ratings (a rating based on previous race results) and those with higher numbers of Bacillaceae went on to have higher race placings a during their careers.

They also looked at foals that had received antibiotics before the age of 28 days and found that they went on to win significantly lower prize money and have a significantly increased risk of respiratory disease later.

Interestingly, the researchers also found that low bacterial diversity early in life is associated with an increased risk of soft tissue and orthopaedic issues later in life.

We know from other research that antibiotics can be very damaging to the microbiome and a gut imbalance can lead to long term health issues.

Other studies in humans and animals show that good early gut health is important in priming the immune system and can affect how susceptible they are to disease in the future.

This is the first animal study I have seen that shows a strong relationship between a healthy gut and better sports performance. It leaves me with so many questions.
I wonder if we should be providing our sports dogs with pre and probiotics from a young age, or if feeding certain foods will help improve their microbiome and lead to better performance?

I would love for someone to research this area more 🙏🏻

This is the paper if you’d like to read it:

Proudman et al. 2024. Early-life gut bacterial community structure predicts disease risk and athletic performance in horses bred for racing.

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20/08/2024

New water treadmill research, very informative read for technicians and owners👇🏻

https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/14/16/2393?

Repeated exposure to water treadmill (WT) exercise could elicit kinematic responses reflecting adaptation to WT exercise. The study’s aim was to compare the responses of a group of sport horses to a standardised WT exercise test (WTSET) carried out at three time points, week 0 (n = 48), week 20 (n...

12/08/2024

27/07/2024

Just putting this out there….

Can you relate??

21/06/2024

Well West Buckland, that’s a wrap 😢

It’s been quite a week waving off rehab liveries, saying goodbye to all you lovely clients and my wonderful support crew, and closing the doors on Chapter One of ESP Equine 🥹

Lord Dickie Dude and Roo Poo (who came to us as a rehab livery, and never went home 🥰) are tucked up in their temporary new beds, before we embark on the next chapter near Burford/Chipping Norton.

🐎 Dickie Dude was the first one on, and as chief in charge of nannying so many nervous horses, was definitely going to be the last one off. Dick, there were plenty of times that we quite literally couldn’t have done it without you 🥰

It’s taken a week to take down the barn, pack up the treadmill and close the doors on what is now a rather unrecognisable yard 😞

Thank you SO much to my amazing parents, who supported me in the beginning of this journey and have worked tirelessly this week. Legends. Big huge shout out to my partner for all his help with taking the barn down, dealing with the all the mixed emotions, all whilst fitting in his own busy work life 🤹✈️❤️

Many others have given up their time to help move the treadmill and fix things that needed fixing. THANK YOU 🙏🏻

A little thought to leave you with for anyone who is doubting their career dreams. Ask me 10 years ago if I saw myself doing this, the answer would have been a big fat “no”. I would have been too full of fear and “what ifs”. The one phrase that kept going round my head before I embarked on this journey was “the only person stopping you, is you”. Rehabbing horses is hard, the equine industry is….challenging…running a business is damn hard. But. The rewards and knowing you are making a difference, is worth it. So get qualified (this bit is SOOOO important!!) and get living your dream ✨

And on that bombshell, we shall see you on the other side of the summer, in our new location, ready to start splish splashing ☀️💦🥂

03/06/2024

🏇💦 Relocation Notice 💦🏇

As many of you know, ESP Equine has been looking at options for relocating the business away from the current location at West Buckland.

This is due to many factors, both business, and personal.

From a business point of view, we have been fully booked with liveries for much of the last 6 months. In order to grow, we need more stables.

From a personal perspective, Founder and Director Emma, has been running the show as a full time single Mum. With the prospect of secondary school on the horizon, personal life choices needed to be reviewed and made. Subsequently, Emma is taking a leap of faith and is Cotswolds bound, to start a fresh chapter.

We have tried SO hard to find a way to keep the business running in the area. We’ve spoken to vets, clients, colleagues, but sadly the right location hasn’t been found.

The water treadmill is heading to the Cotswolds, where a new facility will open. Do keep an eye on our page for more info on this over the next few weeks.

Our last day of running the treadmill will be Wednesday 12th June. Please do contact us if you want a last minute session!

This has been a VERY tough decision to make. We are beyond proud that we are going out on a high, and so very grateful to all our clients for your support and trust. We have loved helping so many horses, and will miss them (and you owners!) hugely.

Emma has had THE best help and support from Ella Hooper since she joined the Team in March 2023. Her horsemanship and dedication is second to none. She is currently about to finish her Sports Massage Diploma. If you need her help with equine care, yard help or massage, please do contact her.

We’ve also had a wonderful team of weekend help and holiday help, thank you to you all too.

Thank you to the vets, body workers and farriers that have referred to us. Working with a team of professionals has been great. A special thank you to Hazel Clewley for working your acupuncture magic on our rehab cases. Said as an equine chiropractor, equine acupuncture is AMAZING and complements all other forms of body work. You can contact Hazel for acupuncture via Western Counties.

We have learnt a lot, there is still a lot to learn in the world of equine hydrotherapy, and hopefully the next chapter will contribute to this in some way. Knowledge is power. 💦🏇🙌🏻

28/05/2024

Following the tragic incident that claimed the life of Georgie Campbell on Sunday, the entire Bicton Team wish to extend their heartfelt condolences to Georgie’s family and friends alongside all those who were involved with and affected by the tragedy.
Whether you were a fence judge, photographer, volunteer, or spectator who witnessed the accident; whether you were on site and experienced the swell of sadness that encapsulated the aftermath, we wish to make sure that you have the support that you need.
British Eventing recognises the importance and benefit of being able to offer support to the entire eventing community. The British Eventing Support Trust, working together with Sporting Chance is offering help and support to anyone who wants or is seeking it during this difficult time.
Please call 07780 008877 any time of day or night and you will be connected with a mental health professional who will ensure you are connected to the most appropriate support. Please, don’t hesitate to call.

24/05/2024

Lots of our clients are out competing this weekend at events all over the country 🏇

From International Eventing at Bicton to NSEA at Hickstead, Team ESP are super proud to be part of your fitness journey, and wish you all lots of luck 🍀🤞🏻💦💪🏻🐎

22/05/2024

Keep listening to your four legged friends folks.

06/05/2024

04/05/2024

30/04/2024

No balance, no horse? 🤔

It never ceases to amaze me how many poorly balanced horses we see. It doesn’t take long to help them, and the changes in rider feedback in performance is phenomenal!

Have a read of this article 👇🏻

Lightbulb moment!
This is how important balance & co-ordination are to the horse.

In my own head, from learning Human Physiotherapy first, the Cerebellum is a small part behind & below the main part of Brain (cerebrum). It co-ordinates gait, balance, and posture control.

So to see in real life, that the horse’s cerebellum is almost as big as the rest of the brain itself, was a massive eye-opener!

We know that horses don’t have a large frontal cortex, the complex thought part, like humans. But, naively, I kinda thought the whole brain was just smaller. I never expected the ratios of parts to be so clearly different.

So is it any wonder then, that horses react when they feel unbalanced? They react when their co-ordination is messed with?

The size of the cerebellum means it is VITAL for horses to maintain balance, gait & posture co-ordination.

If you put your horse off balance when riding, because your own body is wonky or weak, they have to react. Biomechanically, they HAVE to stabilise the system. But it could be a behavioural reaction too.

If you mess with their gait & posture control because you have no idea about timing of aids, or suddenly pull them around, or block their spinal movement with your rigid seat… they will probably react. You’ll be met with resistance. They might even rear or buck you off.

It’s not just about pain. A rider that puts their horse off balance doesn’t necessarily hurt them, but it does impact these vital things that horses need to feel safe.

If your horse doesn’t like their feet being picked up… or they do silly behavioural things with the farrier… Please ask yourself if it’s because they find it difficult to balance, and therefore don’t feel safe!

A lot of people these days are looking for pain when there’s a behavioural problem, which is fantastic and right. But if your Vet doesn’t find anything, don’t just assume ‘it must be behavioural then’ and try to TRAIN them better.

Consider balance & muscle/posture control. Ask a Physiotherapist to assess and teach you exercises to help your horse.

Sort your body as a rider, to improve your own balance & symmetry, to avoid throwing your horse off balance.

Save this post to remind yourself again.

15/04/2024

As (yet another) cold wet windy Monday
goes, today has been a good day! 😄

How lovely to receive such wonderful reviews, and to see our client’s achieving greatness over the weekend 🥇🏆

12/04/2024

This looks SUPER interesting!

How does our myofascial system affect the horses?

Many of you have probably seen our upcoming webinar for Myofascial Tissue Dysfunctions and Treatment with Tuulia Luomala. Our last webinar with Tuulia was a huge hit where she discussed the Horse - Rider Myofascial Connection!

In the images below connections from the pelvic floor to the diaphragm are illustrated to visualize 3 dimensional continuities that myofascial structures create within the human that transfer to the horse. Correlations between the asymmetries of the horse and the rider are common place. Often horse-rider combinations show re-occurring types of health issues.
Any weakness, crookedness, or imbalance in the human, will have implications for the training of the horse and often these can’t be remedied without addressing the myofascial tissues.

In an absolutely mind blowing webinar Tuulia detailed topics such as our own psychological connections, to how myofascial restrictions in our own body creates mirroring dysfunctions in our horses.

Horse - Rider Myofascial Connection:

https://equineeducationhub.thinkific.com/courses/horseriderconnection

Upcoming Webinar Myofascial Tissue, Dysfunctions and Treatment:

https://equineeducationhub.thinkific.com/courses/myofascial-tissue

08/04/2024

👇🏻 Very interesting article on equine hydrotherapy 👇🏻

💦 Don’t just take our word for it, have a read

“In summary, equine water treadmill therapy is a well-founded approach rooted in principles of hydrodynamics and equine physiology. Whether used for recovery from injury, general fitness, or performance enhancement, equine water treadmill therapy stands as an innovative and valuable tool in the comprehensive care of horses.”

“it's crucial to have qualified and trained professionals oversee equine rehabilitation programmes to ensure the best possible outcomes for the horse. This includes veterinarians, musculoskeletal therapists, and other professionals with expertise in equine rehabilitation that form the multi-disciplinary team (MDT).”

ESP Equine professional qualifications ✅

YHC's HOT TOPICEQUINE HYDROTHERAPY advocating for your equine friendThe equine therapy industry can be overwhelming to any owner, but it can be further complicated when you have the stress and worry of rehabilitating or safely enhancing your own horses’ performance. There is not only a myriad of t...

06/04/2024

Well at least this wind *might* help dry the fields a bit.

Until Monday, anyway 😞

Just keep swimming 🥴

Or water treadmilling, that’s just as good 💦😂

Lovely afternoon for a spot of gardening!! 😑🤦‍♀️

Still, at least it's Friday....gin night!!

Much love
Nay