M-Pulse Therapy

26/03/2021

04/09/2020

Food for thought, which one does your horse need?

🐎Girths for thought🐎

As the dutiful humans that we are we spend an absolute fortune on expensive saddles and regular saddle checks to ensure that our saddles are perfectly fitted for our chosen disciplines and our horse’s conformation.

Most of us (including myself) don’t put half as much thought into the girths that we adorn our horses with. We absolutely should though! After all, the girth is arguably one of the most important parts of a saddle! Without a girth the lovely and expensive saddle is practically useless and if the girth doesn’t sit where it should then neither will the saddle. ❗️❗️

Here is a brief overview of different shaped girths and different shaped bodies! ⬇️⬇️

🐎 The Anatomical Girth

This girth is for the more ‘conformationally sound’ horses and ponies.
If you are lucky enough to have a horse where the saddle sits snuggly where it should and the girth naturally sits under it then this is the girth for you.
It has a cut back design to allow for freedom of the shoulder and elbow as well as equal dispersion of pressure along the girth line of the horse. This reduces any risk of wrinkling, bunching and rubbing.

🐎 The Athletic Girth

The key is in the name...this girth is ideal for the more ‘athletic’ horses and ponies out there...
Powerful shoulders, pecs to die for and a smooth and muscular top line.

Sadly, as a result of their envious physique, their saddles are prone to slipping a bit too far backwards which puts excess pressure exactly where it shouldn’t be.

The key to deciphering wether your horse requires an athletic shaped girth is to assess how easy it is to buckle the second girth strap in relation to the first. It will almost feel like the second strap needs to be one hole tighter than the first to stop it from slipping backwards.

🐎 The Crescent Girth

This shape is the shape to go for if you happen to have a short backed, wide rib-caged or rather ‘rotund’ horse or pony. 🙋🏼‍♀️🙋🏼‍♀️
I have my own very short backed and ‘rotund’ little tinker and have found that in any other girth than a crescent shaped one, the girth and saddle tend to ride forward.

If the girth rides forward then so inevitably does the saddle. The saddle then begins to interfere with the complex muscular attachments of the scapula affecting the ‘should be’ smooth forward and backward motion of the scapula and the forelimbs.
End result...choppy strides, unbalanced coordination and loss of power and performance throughout the body.

Noticed that this saddle is very similar to the athletico shape??
Look again and see that they curve in opposite directions to accommodate for the excess bulk.
If you have a horse or pony that requires a crescent shaped girth you’ll probably notice that it’s far easier to tighten the first strap when compared with the second strap and almost feel the need to tighten the first strap one hole tighter.

🐎 The Asymmetric Girth

This is definitely one of the more complicated shapes to understand.
These girths are ideal for horses with big and muscular shoulders but with a narrow girth groove/less defined girth area that sits closer to the olecranon or ‘elbow’.

It’s similar to the crescent although with a straight dorsal edge as it doesn’t have to conform to a larger rib cage.
Think Warmbloods and some thoroughbreds where the girth and saddle are prone to slipping too far forwards and end up interfering with the shoulders.

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🐎Definitely spare a thought next time you saddle up for what girth you use and what shape your lovely horse or pony happens to be 🐎
Girths are an essential bit of kit and are quintessential to the fit of our beloved equine’s fabulous saddle.
If the girth isn’t sitting where it should be then neither will your saddle.

*image obtained from a google search and accredited to Mattes Bespoke brand*

27/07/2020

https://m.facebook.com/354177414687623/photos/a.354389364666428/680763815362313/?type=3

GOING IN CIRCLES

When horses roamed the plains, they did exactly that: they roamed. They drifted along, grazing and mostly walking in straight lines. When horses worked for a living, they continued to walk those straight lines, pulling a plow from one end of the field to the other, pulling a milk wagon from one end of town to the other, or pushing cattle from one end of Texas to the other. As they transitioned from work animals to recreation vehicles, they generally continued walking, jogging, or cantering in reasonably straight lines, going from one end of a trail to the other.

Of course, not all work or recreation involved strict, straight line movement. They were asked to cut cattle, which often required them to work laterally, with sudden starts and stops and jolts and jerks. They were asked to perform military/dressage maneuvers, with significant lateral movement and transitions. They were asked to foxhunt, which required them to work over fences and around obstacles. They were asked to participate in sport, such as polo, which again required stops, starts, bursts of speed and lateral work. And, of course, they were asked to race, which required speed, but generally on straight line tracks or long ovals.

As they transitioned into show and competition arenas, however, they shifted away from straight line activity. We changed the game and asked them to become focused athletes and runway models. In doing so, we put them into smaller and smaller spaces and asked them to perform more and more patterned behaviors. Basically, we put them into patterned, repetitive movements—mostly in circles... little, tight circles. And they started to fall apart, experiencing more and more issues with joint problems, soft tissue injuries, and general lameness concerns.

We blamed their failures and breakdowns on bad breeding practices and poor genetics; we blamed their failures on bad farriers and inadequate veterinarians; we blamed their breakdowns on poor training and conditioning, poor horse keeping practices, bad nutritional practices, and any number of other things. And, while none of these should be disallowed, the fact remains that we changed the game and put them into those little, tiny circles and repetitive activities. So, let’s look at equine anatomy, and specifically, let’s look at that in relation to athletic maneuvers and activities.

First and foremost, the horse is designed to be heavy on the forehand. We fight against that concept, asking them to engage their hindquarters, to “collect,” and to give us impulsion. And they’re capable of doing so… but they’re not designed or “programmed” to sustain such activity for any length of time. When they do this in “natural” settings and situations, they’re playing, they’re being startled or frightened, or they’re showing off. None of these are sustained activities.

Likewise, when they do engage, they’re generally bolting forward, jumping sideways, or leaping upwards. And they're typically doing that with a burst of speed and energy, not in slow motion. Ultimately, their design is simply not conducive to circular work. Each joint, from the shoulder to the ground is designed for flexion and extension—for forward motion, not lateral motion. In fact, these joints are designed to minimize and restrict lateral or side-to-side movement.

13/05/2017

A good summary of what faradic impulse therapy can be used for

13/04/2017

I attended a local point to point last weekend as they had a Sidesaddle Dash in aid of the air ambulance, in memory of Sue Webb, a very influential figure in the world of side saddle. Everyone who knows me knows my own passion for the sideways art, but I was doubly pleased to see a client participating in the dash with her lovely pony
Congratulations to them both and many thanks to Sam Morris for the permission to use her photo

26/03/2017

Happy Mother's Day to all my clients, current and future, and a massive thank you to my amazingly tolerant and supportive Mum, Gill Heath

17/03/2017

It's been a while since I was here updating things, work is mad so stops me being here as much as I would like
But anyway, spring is threatening, so why not get an MOT for your horse before the season gets into full swing?

31/12/2016

So as we head to New Year I'd like to take the opportunity to say thank you to all my clients who gave us a try. The free first visit offer will be back in the new year so if you're thinking of an MOT for your horse before the season starts please get in touch for more info or to book an appointment

25/12/2016

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all

01/12/2016

Due to work and competition commitments, things have been rather quiet on here, it also hasn't helped that unfortunately the machine was broken by a less pleased client!! But pleased to report things are back up and running, and kicking off appointments again as of Saturday with a repeat customer

23/08/2016

Sorry things have been rather quiet, I have been away at Side Saddle Nationals and training for my HGV licence, appointments are now avaliable as normal

27/07/2016

Appointments available Mon and Tues evening and all day Wednesday next week if anyone needs anything, I am away at Side Saddle Nationals for 4 days after that so get in there quick if you need a visit

13/07/2016

Amazing day at Cowdray Polo Club watching the semi-finals for the Gold Cup on Sunday. Great day, not least because of its educational value in showing me how polo ponies perform on the pitch and how they subsequently show the injury patterns they do when treated with the machine

11/07/2016

Just cleaned the Discovery ready for our first hospitality event hosted by Petra of FIT4Polo

11/07/2016

Taken the plunge into the world of Twitter...so if you're interested come and follow me

27/06/2016

Did a session for this little mare this afternoon....another one that enjoyed it!

27/06/2016

Now we have the competition season in full swing it seems appropriate to raise the issue of travelling. No matter how well your horse travels it is a stressful experience for them, and requires physical exertion on top of anything you do once you reach your destination. Standing in a vehicle, whether that is a lorry or a trailer for any amount of time requires the horse to use various muscles just to remain standing, this can exacerbate any tightness or soreness in the muscles and compromise the horse's performance once they reach the competition, regular bodywork sessions are invaluable to help prevent poor peformance

14/06/2016

Got round to treating my own horses this week...usual sore spots for both of them, the machine is brilliant for this type of thing as I think I know where they will react, but if it's not a problem they won't, can't fake a reaction that isn't there. Photo attached just because my horses are gorgeous (yes, I'm biased!)

02/06/2016

Two more groups of muscles to consider now, the triceps and the common digital extensor and lateral carpal flexor muscles:

The triceps are, as the name implies, a group of 3 muscles extending from the back of the shoulder blade to the point of the elbow and they are responsible for moving the shoulder joint and extending the elbow enabling the foreleg to lift and move forwards

The common digital extensor and lateral carpal flexor muscles help keep the leg in sync with the other tendons and ligaments in the lower leg, they become tendons lower down in the leg and form part of the stay apparatus that allows horses to sleep standing up. Their main job is to work together to move the leg forwards and back again. They prevent the legs being overextended and reduce concussion.

25/05/2016

From ex-polo ponies to ex-racehorses, met Ash this evening, lovely boy, another one who enjoyed his session

23/05/2016

Met these lovely ladies at Polo Pastures today, wonderful charity dedicated to rehoming Polo ponies when their playing days are over

19/05/2016

Went to see Charlie, a rather tall, gorgeous boy this evening to see if we could help with his arthritis issues....safe to say he enjoyed his session, looking forward to hearing about his progress

16/05/2016

Met a lovely Dales mare this morning for a treatment session, owner reported she has sacroliaic issues and the session found sore spots over the back just behind the saddle, lots of licking and chewing from little mare during the session so a happier pony

10/05/2016

This is my lad, Jeeves, he fractured his shoulder a few years ago and damaged the ligaments around the shoulder and elbow, here we are working on the pectoral muscles which get tight when the shoulder muscles are compromised

09/05/2016

So, things have been busy this end so apologies for the lack of updates on this page
Other muscles of importance to consider in the horse are the triceps, common digital extensor muscles and the lateral carpal flexor muscles.
The triceps is a group of 3 muscles that extend from the rear of the shoulder blade to the point of the elbow and are responsible for lifting the foreleg and allowing it to move forwards
The common digital extensor and lateral carpal flexor muscles are located in the top of the leg and they become tendons below the knee and form part of the stay apparatus that allow horses to sleep standing up. Aside from this their function is to prevent over extension of the limbs and reduce concussive effects on the legs

30/04/2016

If anyone is interested in knowing more about how Faradic Impulse Therapy works then why not get together with the other owners in your yard and contact me to arrange a demonstration? For a limited time only the organiser will receive a treatment for their horse for free

26/04/2016

Continuing our tour of the equine muscles let's now consider the pectoral muscles. These are located in the chest, covering the breastbone, between the front legs and they work in conjunction with the brachiocephalic muscle to help pull the front legs forwards. When felt they should be well-rounded and firm. Damage to these muscles can cause a short stride, reluctance to extend, it can affect jumping ability and also result in the horse being unable to strike off correctly in canter

23/04/2016

Following on from the previous post regarding whether we consider the muscles individually, let's now take the time to do just that:
So firstly let's consider the sternocephalic and brachiocephalic muscles, both large muscles of the neck
The sternocephalic muscle starts at the back of the head, behind the jaw and follows the neck down to the sternum and can be found on both sides of the neck. This muscle is designed to help the horse move the head and neck, it should be well-toned but not overly noticeable. It can often be seen bulging to one side in horses that set themselves against the riders hand when ridden
The brachiocephalic muscle is located above the sternocephalic muscle again in the neck. It begins behind the ear, runs down the side of the neck and joins the humerus bone (located in the shoulder)
It has many roles in helping the horse move, it helps the horse move the head and neck from side to side and brings the foreleg forwards. If this muscle is restricted, either by pain or by a tight contact then the ability to move the forelegs will be compromised and this can cause the horse to look like they are working in a correct outline when really they are on the forehand and travelling with a short stride. Keeping a tight hold on the horse in front when jumping can also restrict this muscle and compromise the horse's ability to clear a fence and can also be the cause of refusals and an unsteady contact

20/04/2016

Don't forget to look at all the conditions that can be aided by Faradic Impulse Therapy:

General muscle soreness/injury
Tendons/ligaments
Joints
Sprains/strains
Nerve injuries
Haematoma
Hamstring strains/tightness
Poor performance/short stride
Inflammation
Scar tissue
Improved post-exercise recovery
Muscle spasm
Loss of movement

19/04/2016

How many of us stop to think about how the individual muscles of the horse affect performance? And I don't mean looking at the horse as a whole in terms of its fitness level or quantity of muscle, I mean actually considering the affect of tension or damage to a particular muscle will have on the surrounding areas and how it may affect our horses' ability to perform the work we are asking them to undertake?
This isn't isolated to the equine species, how many of us have had a sore muscle in one place only to find that somewhere else starts hurting to? This happens as the body has to compensate for the lack of movement and power in the affected area.
There is a fantastic diagram in the book Equine Injury, Therapy and Rehabilitation by Mary Bromiley showing how important it is not to allow the 'vicious circle of injury' to perpetuate itself.