Julie Chuter Nicholas Equine Massage and Rehabilitation

22/10/2024

Never stop looking for a reason for your horse or pony to not be doing what you expect, very few are showing adverse behaviours because they are “nasty” or naughty…. Almost all the time they are in pain. I wish we all had x ray vision, sadly so often the reasons for the problems are found too late!!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/JepV3oCcLVHcgfkh/?mibextid=WC7FNe

15/06/2023

04/02/2023

This is so often something I see when massaging and it’s link to a range of hind end issues is so clearly seen when I’m massaging. I look at a lot of videos each week for people viewing horses for sale and this is one of the most common issues I see along with poor hind end movement!

02/12/2022

So much is coming to light about fascia in the equine body, it’s a bit of a ”buzz”word these days, but this is a fabulous example of why and what fascia really is !

01/12/2022

18/11/2022

I work with the whole horse and checking the tack for is part of my job. This is a good explanation of how we look at a saddle to determine the very basics of fit. We also then have to look at other factors such as the channel width and the width of the panels on an English or Spanish saddle. But this is the basics of width fitting.

24/10/2022

Even I have had massive issues with this. Story will follow later, please check your horses feet! If I’m doubt X ray!

13/10/2022

So often the issues we find in a horse are compensation for issues elsewhere- in my experience often the hocks and the front and or hind suspensories.

Is the source of pain distracting us from the actual cause!?

The horse is very good at making compensations for physiological issues. Initially these are good, relieving the structures in question. However, when these compensations become long term, secondary issues can ensue. Very often the secondary issues are more painful then the compensated for causation!

When investigating the discomforts that respond to palpation or indeed diagnostic analgesia, they become areas for primary treatment. However are they the actual cause!?

In the recent webinar with Dr Shultz she stated that "often pain is a lie" and agreed with my research and opinion, looking at the picture more holistically using and understanding the myofascial system can elucidate the timeline of causation.

Below is a relationship that has become the focus of my personal research, with the concurrent pathologies I found associated with negative plantar angles. Poor hind hoof conformation has been linked to pathology along the dorsal myofascial line, therefore research has questioned either the hoof balance or the pathologies along that line as primary. However, looking at the bigger picture, the posture associated with the links is a product of a contracted ventral line!!

Where do the ventral and dorsal lines connect? At the TMJ/upper cervical and the hind hoof. Two major proprioceptive input centres.
Beautifully linking to a previous webinar with Dr Gellman on proprioception and posture.

As we further apply the laws of biotensegrity, and study the myofascial connections we will start to really uncover the true causations of physiological issues in the horse. Holistic understanding means holistic treatment.

A couple (of many) articles for further reading here..

https://www.theequinedocumentalist.com/post/bio-tensegrity-and-farriery-the-foreword

https://www.theequinedocumentalist.com/post/the-unacceptable-norms-of-equine-management-and-the-inevitable-paradigm-shifts

These webinars can be seen at these links...

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

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

02/10/2022

I work a lot as a behavioural consultant, often it goes hand in hand with massage. This is a great film to watch. I also rehab suspensory issues more than any other cause of lameness. I assess so many videos of horses for sale for friends and clients and a huge proportion are lame. Some have even passed a 5 stage vetting!!! Every owner should watch this and every owner needs to look at how a normal sound horse moves and then look at how their horse moves once a month. Horses try to communicate all the time. I’ve had one in this year for work and he’s so obviously not happy, but his owners are still having to work to get to the bottom of it! Sometimes it really is hard to find the cause!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hrZgtrqbMVI&fbclid=IwAR0lUZret4MHgR0WOj4XoHndzI_2VYTswwseos5zJgIpA3e4U-vYMI3nwgk

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...

11/09/2022

A very interesting article on an unusual but not unseen issue worth remembering incase one is seen x

Reprinted with permission from the American Association of Equine Practitioners. Originally printed in the 2020 AAEP Convention Proceedings.

24/08/2022

Not unusual in the Forest but worth knowing about for Forest friends ###

Horse owners are warned after a foal is found with respiratory disease strangles in the New Forest.

03/07/2022

Most people wouldn’t think twice about booking the farrier. It is what most do on a regular basis and without thinking. Unfortunately this is not the case when it comes to saddle fitting.

Your saddle is a crucial part of your horses performance and should be maintained alongside everything else. Unfortunately in a lot of cases this is something that doesn’t come up as high on the priority list as it should. The Society of Master Saddlers (SMS) recommend having your saddle refitted every 3-4 months. Thus ensuring the correct fit of the saddle and contributing to optimal performance of your horse. The templates below show the changes for a 5 year old gelding with 4 weeks between fittings, highlighting the importance of regular fittings through seasonal changes, growth and maturation. This is something we see regularly, particularly for young horses or those coming back into work, which is why we see some customers every 4 weeks and others every 4 months, along with everything in between. We at Sue Carson Saddles know that slight changes in horses shape can alter an entire saddle fit and aim to help our customers by ensuring a regular saddle fitting service to our existing customers and new ones to come.

You wouldn’t wear shoes or a hat that didn’t fit properly, so think of it in the same way for your horses saddle fit. Look after your horse by looking after your saddle. It really is that simple.

02/07/2022

This is great news, IKEA potties make great
Raisers for poles!!

Are Ground Poles Really Effective?? 💈🐎

STUDY DEMONSTRATES EFFECTIVENESS OF GROUND & RAISED POLES IN TRAINING & REHAB

Walking over poles is a commonly employed training and rehabilitation tool- but how effective are they really? Researchers set out to understand the effect of ground poles on equine locomotion, particularly joint range of motion.

A recent study assessed the effect of ground poles and raised poles on limb kinematics and poll, wither, and pelvic range of motion at the walk. Researchers hypothesized that walking over poles would increase joint range of motion but have no effect on poll, wither and pelvic range of motion compared to no poles.

41 horses were walked in-hand over no poles, ground poles and raised poles in a crossover design. Limb kinematics were determined via motion capture (240Hz). Poll, wither, and other aspects of range of motion range of motion were determined by inertial motion units.

The study determined that walking over both ground poles and raised poles increased limb-joint range of motion and increased poll range of motion, through increased swing flexion, compared to no poles.

In summary, walking poles appear to be effective at increasing joint range of motion via an increase in mid swing flexion, without vertical excursion of the trunk, compared to normal locomotion.

Given that this is a key early rehabilitation and training goal for many horses it supports the use of poles for these purposes.

Reference: V.A. Walker, C.A. Tranquillle, R. MacKechnie-Guire, J Spear, R. Newton, R.C. Murray,
Effect of ground and raised poles on kinematics of the walk,
Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, 2022.

24/05/2022

A really interesting explanation of current grass growth!

Where has all the grass gone?...

“But there isn’t any grass on the field…” We hear these words a lot at this time of year, from the exasperated owners of fat horses fighting what sometimes seems like a losing battle with their horses’ weight.

Have you ever wondered why horses on a seemingly bare paddock can still gain weight?
It is worth keeping in mind, the picture of the un-grazed side of the field below. Of course, it can be very difficult for owners to monitor what a horse is taking in, but one thing is certain: when that side of the field is full of horses, it won’t look like this! That grass would be nipped off as soon as it poked up high enough to be nibbled!

Sarah Stoneham BVSc Cert ESM MRCVS gives this very good explanation of the problem which helps us to understand and monitor the amount of grass that the horse is consuming.

“UK grass growth figures (grass check GB) indicate that over the last week (ending 16.5.22), average grass growth in the north west has been high. At the moment a small well-managed paddock, the size of a 40x20m dressage arena will be producing an average of 22.5kg of grass per day. The dry matter content of grass is currently only 20% which means it is 80% water, so a 40x20m area produces 4.5 kg of grass on a dry matter basis each day.
This has a calorie content similar to 4.5 kg of a conditioning hard feed. The grass is also high in sugar, 17.1% on average last week. So, the 4.5 kg of grass on a dry matter basis will contain approximately 770g of sugar!
If your paddock is still looking as bare as it did earlier this year it is because your horse has eaten all the new grass each day.”

So, where has all the grass gone?... its inside the horse!

14/05/2022

05/05/2022

This boy absolutely loved having a
Massage.

19/04/2022

I’ve had a busy week visiting some lovely Spanish horses out and about in Cornwall, one of whom loved her partial massage so much she called to me when we left. She will hopefully be joining us at stud soon. It was also lovely to visit a stallion my partner bred who we saw last year in need a bit of TLC which he has now had from a lovely new person in his life and he really has blossomed.
This afternoon I stumbled across this article which explains a very interesting syndrome that I learned about in my training, it’s yet another example of something that is becoming more prevalent, it’s worth reading up on and just keeping in mind when working with horses that present with issues. There are so many that present with such a range of symptoms…. It can be hard to know where to start! I’ve got a difficult case horse with me at the moment… his behaviour has become quite extreme in different situations. We have found the start of some answers in his spine…. But we are off for a bone scan to hopefully get a clearer view of actually what is going on…. All of these issues are worth learning about and consigning to memory! Not long ago kissing spines and ulcers and PSSM were barely heard about and now they are sadly one of the first places we start to look for issues!

https://www.equus-soma.com/ecvm/?fbclid=IwAR3GYnsqBFsoSIJw2FCj0H1VPUxodB49WOuuZoNw7OlSaiyQqllm6Lxh0Z4

ECVM is the acronym recently assigned to a developmental anomoly affecting the skeletal bones and musculature at the base of the horse's neck, specifically the sixth and seventh cervical vertebrae (C6 & C7), the 1st and 2nd sternal ribs and associated soft tissue structures. ....

15/04/2022

Interesting and thought provoking article about boots and bandages and lower leg issues.

Boots and bandages - are we harming our horses as we try to protect them?

Bandaging and booting our horses is becoming more and more popular, especially with the popularity of matchy matchy sets. But are we doing more harm than good? Most people will have come across the articles in magazines and comments from vets saying they are, and yet still they become more and more popular. Why is that? Why do riders still cover their horses in thick fleece bandages or fluffy boots despite the dangers? Tradition I suppose. Wanting to fit in. Or just habit, some will feel like they haven’t finished tacking up if they haven’t put the boots on.

I know this isn’t about dentistry (for which I apologise) but I am a vet first and foremost, and as a dressage rider I am asked why I don’t use bandages all the time. I’ve written about this several times now and no one pays attention, so rather than stating facts and quoting research, I’d like to take you through my journey of discovery, please bear with me. Facts and papers are at the end.

Rewind 12 years and I was in my final year at vet school. Prior to and during vet school I had a horse and we did dressage. I had planned to ODE but this horse pulled every tendon and ligament known to vet kind. He spent more time out of work than in. Each time I would up my game with the latest boots/bandages on the market. From fluffy boots to wraps to sports fetlock boots, fleece bandages to gamgee and cotton to the half fleece/half elastic bandages. I learnt new techniques for better support, figure of 8 bandaging to cradle the fetlock etc etc. I’d been there and done it. My collection was extensive.

Right at the end of vet school I had my rotations. I chose Equine lameness as one of my options. During in this I very vividly remember a wet lab with Dr Renate Weller where she had a skinned horses leg (showing all of the tendons and ligaments) in a machine that mimicked the pressures a horse applies to their limbs. She took us through walk, trot, canter and gallop, loading this leg so we could see the inside workings of the horses leg without the skin. It was fascinating I can tell you, and I very clearly remember thinking about my horse and wondering how on earth we are suppose to support this limb when it undergoes these incredible forces! Half a ton of animal pushing down a tiny spindle of a leg held by tendons barely thicker than my thumb. Craziness!

Fast forward just a few short months and I was a fully qualified vet in the big wide world. I attended my first BEVA Congress and during the break I wandered around the stalls looking at the latest inventions and technologies companies bring to these gatherings. Here I came across a company with the Equestride Boot which caught my eye. Now if you haven’t seen this boot, it’s wonderful and I’ve since used it a few times in rehabbing very severe tendon and ligament injuries with great success. The boot is a carbon fibre boot that stops the fetlock dropping, which stops the tendons and ligaments being fully loaded while they heal. This boot is super strong. You couldn’t ride a horse in it as it is limiting the range of motion so much, but they can move about easily enough at the lower settings to rehab etc. The guy on the stand (I’m afraid I can’t remember his name) showed me their research and in the straight talking Irish way explained the stupidity of expecting a thin piece of material to support a horse. And of course it can’t! Literally no bandage or boot (short of this very expensive carbon fibre rehab boot) is capable of reducing the amount the fetlock drops. Thinking back to Dr Weller’s demonstration, I could very clearly see how ridiculous I had been to ever believe a scrap of material could do anything to reduce or support that pressure.

But the boots/bandages don’t actually cause any harm do they? Surely it’s ok to use them on the off chance they might help and if we look good in the meantime, great! Well, not long after this, research started appearing that got me very worried about my bandage collection. Heat. Anyone that uses bandages and boots will not be surprised to see sweat marks under their bandages/boots after they’ve been removed. They trap a lot of heat. The horses body and legs generate a lot of heat when working. The tendons/ligaments in the leg, along with an increased blood flow generate ALOT of heat. Fleece bandages/boots in particular, hold this heat in the horses leg. Very few boots and virtually no bandages (especially if you use a pad under) allow the legs to breath adequately. This heat is easily enough to kill tendon/ligament cells. Each tendon/ligament is made of thousands and thousands of cells all lined up end on end and side by side in long thin spindles. They stretch and return to their original shape and size like an elastic band, absorbing and redistributing the pressures applied from further up the leg and from the ground impact below. All of these cells must work together as one to do this effectively.

Just a little side step here to explain how tendons/ligaments heal. A tendon/ligament cell can not be replaced like for like. They always heal with scar tissue. This is why reinjury is so much more likely if a tendon/ligament is blown. The fibrous scar tissue doesn’t stretch, it isn’t capable of stretching or absorbing the impact of a horses movement. It will always be a weak spot. In a full blown sprain/strain the whole (or most) of the tendon has been damaged. But this heat injury might just kill a few cells at a time. Those few cells are replaced by fibrous scar tissue, then next time a few more etc etc. Like a rubber band degrading over time the tendon/ligament loses its elasticity and eventually goes snap. Then you’ve fully blown a tendon/ligament. The injury didn’t start to happen at that moment, but that was the final straw. The damage adds up over time, each time thermal necrosis (vet word for cell death) occurs.

So if using boots/bandages can not offer any sort of support, and using them generates heat that slowly damages the tendons/ligaments until they give way. Why use them? Protection. This is the only reason to use boots. To stop the horse brushing, injuring themselves catching a pole or over cross country. But for goodness sake make sure your boots are breathable! If the horse is sweaty under the boot but not above or below, the boot is not breathable enough. And don’t use fleece bandages just because you like the colour. These fleece bandages are the worst at holding heat in the leg, way above the threshold for thermal necrosis to the cells of the tendons and ligaments. If your horse doesn’t need protection, don’t use boots. I haven’t for the last 12 years and *touch wood* I haven’t had a single tendon/ligament injury in any of my horses. I will never go back to boots or especially bandages now. I don’t use them for schooling, lunging, jumping, travelling, turnout, stable, in fact I don’t use them at all. Ever. But I don’t hunt or XC.

I hope you have found my story useful and can make informed decisions on boots and bandaging going forward.

For more information on the Equestride boot and their research into support offered by boots and bandages, visit http://www.equestride.com/ and https://www.equinetendon.com/services/equestride/

The horses leg under the compression machine at the Irish Equine rehabilitation and fitness centre https://fb.watch/cmVMt6-iOJ/ (I highly recommend you watch this incredible video. It clearly shows the amount of force the leg goes through and demonstrates the real purpose of boots)

Other relevant papers-
https://equimanagement.com/.amp/articles/horse-skin-temperature-under-boots-after-exercise
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/8f15/0ea480edca142260d01f419f80d2e7e7fb29.pdf
http://www.asbweb.org/conferences/1990s/1998/59/index.html

Edit 1 - I am getting asked about stable wraps very frequently. This post is about riding, the tendons and blood flow create heat which is trapped by bandages/boots during exercise. This doesn’t occur in the stable stood still. If the horse has a strain/sprain resulting in inflammation, then there is an increase in blood flow and there is heat being created. In this situation you should not be bandaging. But if it’s cold and an old horse needs stable wraps to keep the joints warm and improve sluggish blood flow (filled legs) you can use the heat trapping to your advantage. But you need to be careful in summer.

Edit 2 - the other thing I’m being asked about is compression. Compression DOES NOT control inflammation. The inflammation still occurs, but the swelling can not escape the bandages and the increase in internal pressure reduces blood flow, causing ischemic damage. Like laminitis within the hoof. The hoof capsule prevents swelling so the inflammation expands inwards and cuts off the blood supply. This is why laminitis is so painful and difficult to treat. Compression is only useful in the case of leaky vessels, for example reduced blood pressure, reduced movement so the blood isn’t being pumped backup the legs, or osmotic imbalances eg low protein with diarrhoea. In these situations, compression of the legs can encourage blood to return to the vessels and continue circulating.