HVP - Helen Vaughan PhysioVet

12/11/2024

My little superstar swimmer 🥰

18/09/2024

In my latest certificate I learned that the week before a competition it is actually more beneficial to rest your horse than to keep “practising” for the event ahead

“GIVE YOUR HARD WORKING HORSE TIME TO RECOVER!

Horses replenish their muscle fuel (glycogen) stores more slowly than humans, and working them hard on consecutive days will gradually result in impaired performance due to a lack of muscle fuel.

Fit horses should not be worked hard 5 or 6 days a week, and an easy day should always follow a hard day.

These rest (nil or easy work) days aren’t just key for muscle fuel stores, but also for muscle strength and stamina. Muscles break down during work, then build up in the rest period after work!

Performance horses should have their work tapered back in the run up to an event, to ensure optimal muscle glycogen levels and to ensure full recovery from the last bout of hard exercise.

Good hydration including adequate electrolyte intake is also important in optimal muscle glycogen replenishment.” - Clare MacLeod MSc RNutr Independent Equine Nutritionist

Something to think about…

(Give Clare’s page a like and follow. She puts out great stuff!)

11/09/2024

I couldn’t agree more

The “problem horse” 🐴

There is such a recurring theme in the clients I’m seeing that I really feel the need to talk about this more. Time and time again I am seeing horses displaying significant signs of pain, who have been to the vet to have some diagnostics and been told there is nothing wrong, the horse definitely isn’t in pain and they need to send the horse to a trainer. It is incredibly frustrating and upsetting as an owner when you really feel something isn’t right but are being told by professionals that the issue is you and you’re overthinking it or being soft.

The idea that a problem is purely behavioural is a fallacy in and of itself. Behaviour is a manifestation of how the horse is experiencing life, whether that be pain/discomfort in the body, the environment, the people, the training, the diet, trauma, past experiences etc. It is unfortunately not packed into two neat little boxes of either pain or behaviour and, even if it was, the idea that we could easily rule out pain with the limited diagnostics available is unrealistic.

When we have a horse that is displaying concerning behaviour, beyond the usual joint, back x-rays and scoping for ulcers, we need to consider hind gut issues, liver issues, hormonal issues, muscle myopathies, congenital defects, old injuries, compensatory patterns, the list goes on. Often we do find pathology, medicate it and declare the horse pain-free and ready to crack on without considering the other factors at play.

I cannot emphasise enough the role of environmental factors. Sometimes we are chasing pathology, buying expensive supplements, paying every professional under the sun to fit our horse’s tack, train them, give them bodywork and hoof care while entirely missing the fact the horse’s basic needs are not being met. If your horse is stressed in his living environment you are setting yourselves up to fail. Horses that are living in a chronic state of stress and have very little ability to down-regulate their nervous system are unable to thrive and develop healthy bodies.

So many horses have poor posture which is causing tension and soreness in their bodies, it is so normalised that it seems to be rarely recognised as an issue as horses can still perform at high levels even when their bodies are compromised, we’re used to seeing horses with poor muscle development. Winning trophies does not necessarily mean the horse is comfortable, it means the horse is compliant. A lot of training views compliance as the main measure of success without really seeing how the horse is feeling both emotionally and physically, with the training itself often contributing to more tension, stress and strain on the body.

All of these things together create the “problem horse”.

I feel really strongly that we need to start looking at things differently if we want to train ethically and also increase longevity for our horses. What if instead of just medicating the horse then sending the horse to the trainer to be “fixed”, we took a step back and really looked at the whole horse and maybe why this happened in the first place.

I genuinely think we’d have much more long term success if we took the pressure off, made sure their living environment was the best we could get it, learned to help our horses down-regulate their nervous system and train at the horse’s pace in an environment they’re comfortable in. In doing so we can really help their bodies and support them as best we can with their issues.

Watching horses find relaxation in their bodies, find peace around people and start to find joy in movement through slow, low-pressure training doesn’t make very exciting videos but it does transform horse’s (and people’s) lives.

If you take anything away from this just know that you absolutely CAN train pain, people are doing it every day and getting 100k views on their reels, so don’t disregard your horse’s voice just because he is somewhat compliant or someone told you to. Behaviour is communication, not something to be fixed. There are people out here who will help you and your horse and not dismiss your concerns. 🐴

www.lshorsemanship.co.uk

15/07/2024

These boys are flying at the moment 💪

23/05/2024

Really good conference with so many incredibly knowledgeable lecturers and a fabulous team running it. I’ve learnt so much to help keep your arthritic pets happy and healthy. Can’t wait to help out again next year.

I’ve been away for a few days helping out at VOACON 2024. 😊

Run by the Veterinary Osteoarthritis Alliance, it’s a huge networking and CPD event where we share the latest research and ideas in OA management.

I have had an absolute blast with some good Bet Physio friends Tace Allen Sports Injury & Veterinary Physiotherapy, HVP - Helen Vaughan PhysioVet, Becca Vet Physio, MB Veterinary Physiotherapy ~ thanks for making it such fun! 🍸💃👩‍🎓🐾👌🤣

Normal clinic days and service (replying to messages being top of the list 🙈) will resume tomorrow!

19/04/2024

If anyone, anywhere tells you to pull the horses head down (or uses leverage and gadgets to do so) they have no knowledge of healthy horse biomechanics or of correct training.
The horse's nose must always lead, with the poll highest and the gullet open. The base of the ears mustn't be lower than the withers. The jaw must be mobile. If the horse cannot chew and swallow, the hindlegs cannot operate correctly. If the hindlegs cannot operate correctly, the horse will not be able to jump, or stay off the forehand, or stay sound.
"Don’t be obsessed with the head and neck, learn to feel what the hindquarters are doing." ~ Glenys Shandley