Paula Drury Veterinary Physiotherapy

17/01/2024

In human back pain research there is consistent evidence that whilst posture and pain can be linked there is not strong causation between these factors - it is way more complex!

For riding horses there are some postures we want to avoid long durations in, which are linked with back pain and pathology. However, the horse should have access to all the ranges of joint position and soft tissue length (mobility and flexibility) during movement to prepare and support their bodies for all activities. In these postures they can then develop stability and strength during training.

This is the pathway to optimum function.

23/01/2023

A great article explaining the importance of training forwards in ridden work and how to tell when the aid is deficient/lost in translation and reasons as to why this would be.

Napping horses are those which stop and refuse to go forward, but it is possible to change this behaviour with some clear and simple techniques

30/09/2022

Great video showing thorough vet work up following the pain behaviours of a horse. Sometimes it’s the behavioural changes that can be made by eliminating pain that stand out more than the lameness improvements.

The 24 Behaviors of the Ridden Horse in Pain is a film that dares to challenge the way we look at "badly behaving" horses, and promotes the notion that lamen...

27/09/2022

Had a fantastic day on Rikke Schultz’s Equine Myofascial Kinetic Lines course before the IAVRPT conference. Now just have some more reading to do.

27/09/2022

Interesting read about finding a link between genetics and kissing spine predisposition.

Researchers discovered a connection between Chromosome 25 and the presence of kissing spines in horses.

18/08/2022

Great morning at IAVRPT 2022 conference so far 😀

31/05/2022

Well it was a fab day for our MOT clinic last week. Great to be working closely with a multidisciplinary team.
Thanks






KR Equestrian
IUVO - Bit Fitter
Sarah Rymer - Saddle fitter
Paula Drury - Physiotherapist
Katie Brickman - Ridings Equine Vets

25/04/2022

22/04/2022

Why not come along and join us on Sat 28th May at KR Equestrian, Flaxton, York for a full horse MOT day.

Along with myself (Chartered Physiotherapist and ACPAT Physiotherapist) there will be;

Master Saddle fitter - Sarah Rymer
Bit Fitting Specialist - IUVO, Sarah Robinson
Ridings Equine Vet - Katie Brickman

in attendance to help you sort all your horses needs or issues.

Contact Kimberly Ann Richards or drop me a message if you wish to book your horse in for one or more of the services below.

01/04/2022

// Friday Fact - Ruling Out Pain //

Before any analysis of problem horse behaviour, it’s important to investigate other possible causes such as pain. The science of recognising facial signs of pain is still in its infancy, despite the claims of many authors. Much of the problem arises because of the huge variation between horses in the facial characteristics as well as differences in behavioural traits and temperaments.

The image below shows the generalised understanding of how pain might present itself. However, it’s important to recognise that pain and stress have similar characteristics in animals. The characteristics of pain in the image may alternatively suggest stress resulting from conflict behaviour, or any other stress induced by human interactions.

Therefore, when assessing problem behaviour you should also rely on first principles and pattern recognition, including the signs and symptoms of the problematic behaviour.

For example, in the case of a horse that doesn’t stand still when being saddled, as well as facial signs of pain/stress, you should also consider:

▪️ Dysfunctions in in-hand training
▪️ Prior negative associations with saddling
▪️ Sensitivity levels and preferences
▪️ Predictability of the actions being done
▪️ Familiarity of the human
▪️ Confidence to separate from social partners etc.

This is an excerpt of our course 10872NAT Diploma of Equitation Science. To find out more, please follow this link: https://esi-education.com/courses/diploma/

26/01/2021