Acey Veterinary Physiotherapy

26/06/2024

Is it true that if we use cold water on heat stroke pets they will go into shock?

One of the most common things we still hear is that we can only use tepid water on a pet with heat stroke, incase they get some complications like hypothermic overshoot, peripheral vasoconstriction hindering a cooling response, and cardiogenic shock...

We have heard not to use cold water in case it causes shock... this rarely happens!

But guess what? In a recent study over 26% of dogs presented with heat stroke died, with flat faced breeds making up nearly half of heat stroke cases seen in the study.

You should:

💧Get someone to call the local veterinary practice and tell them you're going to travel down with a heat stroke patient
💧Pour, hose or if possible immerse the pet in very cold water (this should obviously be done under constant supervision, ensuring the head is fully above water and immersion should not be attempted if the animal is too large, or you are unable to do so without hurting yourself)
💧NB: If using a hose pipe, make sure it has run through until cold, as they can often contain water that is extremely hot in the tubing initially
💧Do not drape in towels and leave them in situ. Keep the cold water flowing.
💧Move to a cool, shaded area
💧Prepare to transport to vets in a cold, air conditioned car

In studies they found that:

🌅International consensus from sports medicine organisations supports treating EHS with early rapid cooling by immersing the casualty in cold water.
🌅Ice-water immersion has been shown to be highly effective in exertional heat stroke, with a zero fatality rate in large case series of younger, fit patients.
🌅Hyperthermic individuals were cooled twice as fast by Cold Water Immersion as by passive recovery.
🌅No complications occurred during the treatment of three older patients with severe heat stroke were treated with cold‐water immersion.
🌅Cold water immersion (CWI) is the preferred cooling modality in EHS guidelines and the optimal method applicable to UK Service Personnel
🌅Studies suggest using either ice-water or cold-water immersion

The best intervention is PREVENTION, but if you find yourself with an animal with heat stroke, using cold water either by pouring, hosing or ideally (if safe) immersion then this may help reduce their temperature to safe levels while you transport to a veterinary practice.

Read more below:

https://www.vetvoices.co.uk/post/cool-icy-cold-or-tepid

15/05/2024

Compensation
The word compensation is used so often that we, perhaps, do not even think how the compensation can look and what it means.
Yes, horses are masters of compensation. They can compensate
– finding strategies or techniques that work around limitations for many reasons. Pain - trying to avoid it, restriction - trying to find other ways to move when for example the saddle is restricting their shoulder movement, imbalanced rider and many more....
The longer the horse compensates, deeply it is 'written' in his soft tissue. We can see overdeveloped muscles (those are sometimes easy to spot), but there are also changes in the fascia.

Those changes didn't happen overnight, so they will not go away overnight.
The body can do miracles but do not expect those to happen today....the body needs time and.....CHANGES!

I can say we can adopt and adapt the saying: “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them", to: "We cannot change the soft tissue with the same stimuli that created changes in the first place".

Can you spot the overdeveloped muscles (A) of the horse battling for three years with changed mobility in his carpus?

Also, notice that the deep fascia (on the shoulder) has a different pattern in all horses. That is the most challenging in the mapping of the soft tissue, as I am finding that each horse is adapted to different work, lifestyles or compensates for whatever reasons.

26/04/2024

Next time you're with your horse, take a closer look at how your horse's body has developed.

Remember, you can only do so much in that one hour of training a day.

What does your horse do in the remaining 23 hours?

How does he move his body? What patterns do you see?

If your horse moves in a way that negatively influences his body, make sure to pay attention to that when training your horse.

Give him the tools so he can manage himself in a better way when you're not around.

20/04/2024

Why fascial bodywork is so important...

26/03/2024

We are aware of quiet on social media we have been recently, but we have been focusing our time on expanding our knowledge base and qualifications... We are very excited to launch an expansion of our services, please like and share our new business venture...

22/03/2024

‘My dog is naughty/bad/untrainable/dominant/stupid’

I hear this most weeks on intake forms. Usually I get pretty excited to see these cos I know I’m gonna get to change a dog and owners life!

So often we write our dogs off as any adjective that fits the above and honestly, I’m yet to meet a dog who fits any of those adjectives (and I have worked with 10k plus dogs over the ten years I’ve been doing this!). I do however week in week out meet dogs with health issues that contribute to their slow progress in terms of training. Did you know dogs don’t show pain or discomfort how we do? We often think ‘oh he isn’t limping or yelping so he is fine’.

Please read the examples below ⬇️

🐾 A huntaway cross who I work with who bit his owner. Reluctant to have his feet cleaned, got spicy over any intense handling, had periods of seeming insanity and relentless barking and being unable to calm down. Huntaways are vocal dogs… but…

Turns out he had hip dysplasia. This dog didn’t limp. He wasn’t lame in any way. He chased his ball and sprinted and jumped and had no issues physically on the surface however under that behaviour was pain.

🐾 A French bulldog. Resource guarding to the extreme. Bit his owners while resource guarding the knot pattern in their wooden floor. Also bombed around without a worry in the world and had no outward signs of pain.

Turns out he had a severe spinal condition causing intermittent excruciating pain.

🐾 A young spaniel owned by a very good friend who was having confidence issues. She would ‘tap out’ of training on the regular and my friend went from ‘this is my ticket dog who will represent my country’ to ‘is this even possible?’

Dog had hormonal issues and likely spikes of hormones left right and centre. A carefully timed spay and she is now grade 6 in agility.

🐾 A friends Border Collie. Owned by a very experienced and talented agility handler and trainer. Regularly ‘checked out’ of training sessions, seemed to not be able to learn things that were moderately straightforward. Described by other trainers as ‘oh she is just a border collie it’s what they are like’.

Turns out she is mostly deaf.

🐾 A black Labrador. Always social and friendly and attended brilliant puppy classes and adolescent classes. Had the best start training wise you can imagine. He started showing some intermittent aggression to his owners in the home and aggression to other dogs out and about.

Turns out he had bilateral elbow dysplasia.

🐾 Young German Shepherd. Always energetic and silly in her behaviour but suddenly got worse. Excessive zoomies, inability to settle, increased reactivity to other dogs, reluctant to get in the car, obsessive destruction at home.

Turns out she had an infection in her va**na that was causing discomfort and exacerbating all those teenage behaviours to the point of being unmanageable.

🐾 My own dog! My NSDTR started missing his dog walk contact early last year. I was tearing my hair out trying to fix it.

Turns out he had a minor iliopsoas strain and some physio fixed the issue for us.

———————————

All these dogs have one thing in common. They are not stupid or untrainable or naughty or dominant. They are uncomfortable and that is triggering extreme behaviour fallout.

None of the above issues would be resolveable with training. All of the issues will be resolveable with training ONLY when the pain is resolved. Some of them will have drastic improvement from the moment the pain or discomfort is managed!

If your behaviourist or trainer doesn’t immediately advise a veterinary visit if any aggression, excessive ‘naughtiness’ or strange behaviour is present, walk away immediately. Even if you think your dog is fine, visit the vets. Ask for a thorough examination and push for a proper evaluation of your dog from nose to tail and potentially blood tests too. If you’re still not sure, get a second opinion.

You cannot train the pain or discomfort out of your dog. Address THIS first and foremost.

05/03/2024

Exciting things to come...watch this space!

A massive thank you to Debbie, who has been fountain of knowledge, and provided much support to train me over the last couple of years. Hears to the adventure ahead...

Great day at the office. Congratulations to Anna Choma, our trainee! I am delighted to announce that she has passed The Society of Master Saddlers saddle fitting exam. So now she is an SMS Qualifed Saddle Fitter.

Many of you have already met her, but we will begin to send her out on the road as an expansion of our business.

Anna has been working alongside us for the last couple of years and is a Qualified Veterinary Physiotherapist in her own right.

As you can see, we are lucky to have such a huge range of saddle brands to work with which makes the job easier.

20/08/2023

Nevermind the therapist, the rider is the physio.

My trainer and I once had a conversation about as a rider, we must take the responsibility to encourage the horse to go in the most efficacious way to be able to support the weight of the rider and perform their job with ease. In this sense the rider must also be the horses physio.

The majority of my riding is hacking, and it is here that I take the opportunity to test and improve the flexibility and mobility my horse. Of course hacking is also for the horse to stretch out and relax, so for the most part I encourgae the horse to be long and low in a carrying posture, unless of course their are hazards about such as traffic or spooky things to pass in the hedge.

But I will then begin to test and play with the suppleness in my horses body, starting at the poll with a little poll flexion, then through to the neck with varying degrees of flexion of the neck, both shallow and deep, playing with differnet heights of head carriage. I will then begin with some leg yielding, testing the lateral stability. Then on to shoulder in and quarters in, testing suppleness through her quarters and trunk. Through these steps not only can I mobilise each segement of the body and improve everyday suppleness, but I can also test for any restrictions, which I will make a note of to either target on the day or mention to my trainer, saddle fitter, farrier ect. As a physio I also have the luxury of investigating and addressing these myself, otherwise I would make a mental note of them for the next physio visit for my horse.

Of course different days have different purposes, and some days are focused more towards cardiovascular fittening work or skill training. But the principles remain the same; I ride the horse with a physio head on to ensure that their body is as supple and dynaimicaly stable as possible.

Lateral exercises help to improve the dynamic stability of my horse, as the "core" stabilising muscles (or postural muscles) are recruited to allow for the body and the limbs to be stable while the horse changes its shape and posture. When we ask the horse to leg yield or for quarters in, the deep postural muscles of the spine must contract to stabilise the spine so that the limbs can move away from the body. Meanwhile the muscles of the limbs (movement muscles) are recruited to action the movement . Although this in itself can be further split into the agonistic limb muscles actioning the movement while the antagonistic limb muscles stabilise and control the degree of movement.

Transitions, changes of pace within each gait; collecting and lengthening the stride, are also exercises from the school which can be performed on a hack.

Whenever we ride the horse we have a constant input into their way of going, whether consciously or not.

In fact over the years, I have had conversations with numerous horsemen/women with the general consensus being that as the rider we have the responsibility to encourage the horse to go in the way that best enables the horse to both perform the task that is being asked of them and maintain their long term comfort and soundness.

This responsibility does not end when we leave the arena, or schooling area, everytime we ride we should be feeling our horses and feeling for what their bodies are saying they need that day 🏇

06/06/2023

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=766695038789292&id=100063464085012&sfnsn=scwspmo

Over the next few weeks, I'll be traveling around coaching clients. Each day I will be available in the following areas;

Thursday 8th - Grantham/Newark
Friday 9th - Fourwinds, Spalding
Saturday 10th - Sleaford
Monday 12th - Boston
Tuesday 13th - Truesdale EC, £55 all in
Wednesday 14th - Horncastle
Thursday 15th - Grantham/Newark
Friday 16th - Fourwinds, Spalding

Please message to book in. £50 per lesson + arena hire (where applicable) + shared travel

Experienced qualified, insured coach. Classical dressage, competition dressage, grassroots through to FEI levels, groundwork, polework, confidence building. Gentle but effective, horse friendly approach.

Trained in Germany, UK and Canada. Currently FEI 5th World Rankings. Two time Paralympic Games, 3 times World Championships team. Two time British Dressage National Champion.

Nothing forced can ever be beautiful

14/05/2023

Veterinary Physiotherapy as a training aid…

Recently, during a maintenance visit to a client, we reviewed footage together from the team training they had attended the weekend before, to assess and discuss the training difficulties they had come across on the day. Upon assessment of their horse, a number of areas were identified on palpation which may have contributed to these difficulties. Then with both the input from the owner and the feedback from the horse, we were able to put together a proactive action plan going forwards to assist with their training, which will be reviewed in the coming weeks.

During the session we discussed how they could utilise the feedback from my clinical assessment to help direct their training over the following weeks, and in turn that their feedback would help to guide my assessment. In fact, the phrase “training aid” was used in this context.

Although this term can come with some negative connotations, training aids should be tools used to increase the effectiveness of training, through ethical means. Used in a positive way, training aids can be used to make the training process easier for the horse. In the context of veterinary physiotherapy, if there is a restriction in the body which is preventing the horse from performing a particular movement with ease, then this restriction may be targeted with the aim to help the horse move with greater freedom.

While my sessions are primarily for the welfare of the horse, ensuring that they are feeling comfortable and improving their well being, helping the horse overcome training issues is how veterinary physiotherapy also helps to enhance performance; perhaps making it easier for the horse to perform the job which is being asked of them.

However, without feedback from the owners, I am limited to what I can observe and palpate on the day. I consider it to be very valuable to be able to watch how horses are going when they are training. Albeit this is not always possible during the appointment, so I often ask for video footage of the horse moving and working. It may also be useful to watch footage from a schooling session with a trainer, so that other members of the team may be involved in the discussion.

Nonetheless, there is only so much that can be seen from the ground; rider feedback is invaluable. Especially from the rider (or driver) who most regularly works the horse, who knows their feel, asymmetries and normal patterns from day to day.

One of your best tools is communication. Talk to your veterinary physiotherapist, or other body worker, about how your horse is going. How they have been feeling, are they on fire or a little stuck? Any bad days, or days which have not particularly felt great or gone to plan. Whether there are any difficulties you are currently having with training, or whether you have noticed a behavioral change with your horse. Has there been a big change to their environment?

The more information you can give the better. As all of this information provides your veterinary physiotherapist with a more comprehensive idea over what is going on with your horse, to better direct their assessment and clinical reasoning to develop the best plan going forwards.

If your horse is struggling with a particular aspect of training, your veterinary physiotherapist will probably be able to do something to help. Whether this is something which they can work towards on the day, or otherwise they may be able to guide you in the direction of someone who can better help with this particular aspect, whether this may be your vet, dentist, saddler or other members of the multidisciplinary team.

If you have regular/maintenance visits for your horse, be proactive. Before the session, think about how your horse has been going, how they are feeling. Come prepared with training videos. Then speak to your veterinary physiotherapist/bodyworker about your goals, and anything that you are having trouble with, so that together you can develop a plan together going forwards for how to make training easier for your horse. Use your veterinary physiotherapist as a training aid.

It may be that it is time to take a step back with the training, and give the horse a breather from more challenging work. As a veterinary physiotherapist the welfare of the horses under my care is my utmost priority. Each horse is an individual and should be treated as such. However, I will always do whatever I can to help my horses and owners to perform to the best of their ability 🐎

09/05/2023

Fantastic results for our riders at the weekend! 🇸🇬 🇨🇦
Congratulations to all riders, trainers, horses...it is a pleasure to work with you all 😁

23/04/2023

This weekend I have been furthering my knowledge of the equine body and developing my treatment techniques, attending the Level 4 Equine Touch course with (co-founder) Ivana Ruddock-Lange. Ivana is also a leading equine anatomist, running the Equine Anatomy in Layers page. I took the opportunity to benefit from her wealth of knowledge and ask several burning anatomy questions, which I have developed over the years of working with my equine cases.

I qualified as an Equine Touch practitioner around the same time as I completed my training as a Veterinary Physiotherapist, and have been using a combination of the two therapies on a case by case basis, depending on the needs of the individual horse. I find that Equine Touch compliments my work as a Veterinary Physiotherapist and provides a gentle approach to the body.

“The Equine Touch is a non-diagnostic, non-invasive Equine Bodywork system which is an holistic soft tissue address, effecting mostly connective tissue – muscles and tendons, joint capsules and ligaments using a very specific move.”

The Equine Touch move has a notable influence on the superficial layers of fascia, with a further influence on deeper fascial layers, down to the muscle belly and its attachments. Fascia is the connective tissue which spans the whole body, wrapping it totally from head to tail, covering each organ, vessel and muscle. The release of the fascial adhesions and residual contractures, improves the pliability and suppleness of the myofascial system, helps with local blood

and lymphatic circulation, as well as nerve supply. This facilitates the ease of movement throughout the body as muscles, soft tissues and all components of the body must be able to glide over each other in synergy in order for the body to be able to function correctly.

More can be found out about the Equine Touch from https://www.theequinetouch.com/

I am always looking to better improve my understanding of the anatomy and function of the equine body, and develop the toolbox with which I can help my equine cases. Next year I hope to continue my training and further my knowledge, and attend a whole horse dissection with Ivana when she is next in the UK.

16/11/2022

30/10/2022

Highly recommend, professional conduct and high standard of work. Good with horses young and old.

Has been looking after my horses for a few years now 🐎

Professional Farrier new to Lincolnshire!

All aspects of hoofcare undertaken.

Taking bookings from early November, drop me a message on my page to enquire.

21/08/2022

Have you ever wondered why your veterinary physiotherapist suggests that you give your horse a day or two off after a treatment?

Recently I treated a horse who experienced "muscle hangover" - as it is referred to in Germany. Loosely meaning muscle soreness experienced the day following a workout.

I should clarify that I was not there to resolve a muscle hangover, but in this instance it was the physiotherapy treatment which induced the hangover.

Often, bodyworkers recommend some time off following a treatment, as the body needs time to process and respond to the energy which was delivered during the session.

Massage involves compressing, stretching and twisting muscles to achieve a therapeutic effect. These actions are performed to increase circulation, reduce pain and breaking down adhesions between the muscle fibres (to name a few). And that last part is key - muscles are worked. They are pulled apart and stretched beyond their resting length to improve the elasticity and tone, as often, due to trauma, muscles will become contracted or of abnormal tone.

While massage is associated with relaxation and pain relief, due to the reduction of stress hormones within the blood and release of endorphins, the muscles are still exposed to some measure of "work".

And so it is reasonable to assume that in some instances, in response to the "work" of the previous day the muscles may be a little sore instead. They may feel a bit tired or hungover...

There are always "reactions" in response to any form of bodywork performed. Usually we expect the animal to feel energised and more supple. However, stiffness, soreness and lethargy may also be experienced as "reactions" to manual treatment.

In these cases, it is kind to allow time for the body to process the treatment and allow the animal to recover.

Even in cases where your horses feels much better the next day...when you wonder just how quickly they will undo all of the beneficial effects of the treatment you have just paid for, as they tear off bucking and farting across the field...

That extra day off from training will allow the beneficial effects of the manual therapy to continue to work on the body.

Training is a stressor to the horse; by inducing exercise, we cause a pattern of damage and repair within the muscles, as they remodel in response to exercise induced microtrauma to the muscle fibres. This is the process by which muscles become stronger and our horses fitter.

Allowing your horse time off from training, especially following a treatment when we are aiming to resolve muscle dysfunction, is a key component of keeping our horses happy and healthy 🐴

15/08/2022

Fantastic results for Laurentia and Coco too! Incredible for such a short partnership of 4 months 🐎

11/08/2022

Great result for Bert and Wonky for their first day!

21/07/2022

We have had the hot weather... ☀️
We now have the rain... 🌦

While this will go some way to begin to improve the hard conditions we have suffered from this summer. These episodes of rain will also be followed by a grass flush.

So please, please, please be extra careful with your horses and ponies over the next coming weeks. They will be at high risk of gaining weight and of laminitis.

Laminitis is a painful condition for horses, and can be prevented with management and restrictions to diet.

Early signs of laminitis include
🔸️ Heat in hooves
🔸️ Increased digital pulse
🔸️ Change in behavior
🔸️ Shortened stride of forelimbs and/or hindlimbs
🔸️ Reluctance to turn on a tight circle
🔸️ Struggling with uneven/stoney ground

If you suspect that your horse is suffering from laminitis, please bring them in off the grass immediately and contact your veterinary surgeon.

For more information please visit
https://www.worldhorsewelfare.org/blog/laminitis-what-is-it-why-do-horses-get-it-and-how-is-it-treated?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=blog&utm_content=laminitis

Please also consider the body condition of your horses... Are they looking a little too well?

Obesity is increasingly prevalent withing the equine population, and as with humans it comes with a great number of associated health risks.

Alongside the associated increased risk of developing laminitis and other metabolic disorders, increased body weight increases the loading forces on joints and strain subjected to tendons and ligaments. Degeneration of these structures leads to reduced athleticsim and a higher risk of developing orthopaedic diseases at an earlier age.

Equine Anatomy in Layers wrote a great piece on this last year...
https://www.facebook.com/294886844488557/posts/813948895915680/

For more information about how to assess your horses body conditom
https://www.bluecross.org.uk/advice/horse/how-to-body-score-your-horse

Please take the time to enjoy the rest of the summer months, and ensure that your horses and ponies enjoy it as much as you do 🐎

16/07/2022

29/06/2022

Is he slowing down a bit?
Is she stiff in the mornings?
Not enjoying walks as much?
Prefer not to go up stairs anymore?
Seems a bit down, or become a bit cranky?

Chances are your pet has .

This is an extremely common, painful, and debilitating disease in dogs and cats. Often the onset can be slow, but it can happen at any age, affect multiple joints, and nearly always impacts on your pet’s ability to enjoy life. According to some studies 20% of dogs will be affected in their lifetimes, and 90% of cats over the age of 10.

The reasons for arthritis are many and over the next few weeks we will be talking about various issues around arthritic animals.

Unfortunately, arthritis is lifelong and incurable. The good news is there are lots of options that can make a huge difference to an animal’s pain and improve its quality of life. At one end of the spectrum of treatments is medication to try and damp down the inflammation in affected joints and improve joint health.

At the other are the surgical options, not applicable in every case, but aiming to alter how diseased joints work.

Somewhere in the middle are joint injections that specifically target the inflammatory pathways, reduce pain, and increase mobility.

Successful treatment of arthritis uses something called multimodal management, using different things at different times for the best outcome.

Keep watching for more information, and feel free to contact the Nupsala Musculoskeletal Clinic to discuss your pet.

13/02/2022

There are an extensive selection of gadgets on the market which claim to have a number of functions; helping with pain relief and promoting healing. Some products even claim to cure many common conditions and ailments…

As an owner, it can be a minefield to navigate these products and select a therapy which may benefit your horse. Some therapists will also utilise gadgets as part of their tool kit when they come to treat your horse.

Electrotherapies (or electrophysical agents) are a key component of physiotherapy practice both in the human and veterinary fields, and are essentially machines/gadgets which deliver a form of energy to tissue to promote a number of functions within the body. Common modalities include laser therapy (light energy), ultrasound therapy (sound energy) TENS and NMES (electrical energy).

Recently, I came across a section within a book, written by Mary Bromiley, which discussed the efficacy of electrotherapies in aiding physiotherapists to promote good quality healing and recovery of their patients, but also the importance of having the knowledge of how each electrotherapy works and when to use them. As not only can you have minimal to no effect with the incorrect selection of an electrotherapy, but you can also risk impinging healing and causing cell damage.

Consequently, it was suggested that these machines should be restricted to professionals who have received appropriate training in the understanding and application of these modalities, and that they are not for the lay person.

However over recent years, production companies have made their machines more widely accessible on the market and easier for an owner to purchase. Which for certain conditions, when under the direction of a professional, can lead to effective management of a number of conditions to complement a supervised treatment programme. But, in order to make these products more affordable to the owner, often this has led to a reduction in power output of the machines, and to increase the ease of application, there may be a decrease in the number of treatment settings available on the device.

This means that the scientific studies which have been undertaken over the years which support the efficacy of these therapies, are difficult to apply to some of the products on the market as the treatment parameters are so different. Consequently, this brings into question whether these devices are able to make significant difference if we have no means by which to compare them.

Each electrotherapy has a specific setting for different conditions and stages of healing, and they are also best suited to certain tissue types and regions of the body. It is down to a professional to use their clinical reasoning to determine the most appropriate modality and the correct treatment setting with regard to the condition of the tissue; its stage of healing; composition; and degree of pain.

But for many of the gadgets marketed to owners, it is very much one setting treats all. Albeit, if a massage device is bought with the intention of relaxing a horse and there is not the expectation that it will heal a tendon, then there is no problem with this - the machine will perform adequately. But it is wise to be wary of any device which claims to treat (or even cure) a large list of ailments.

Arguably, the TENS machine has only two treatment settings which we use for horses; the pain gate mechanism and the option mechanism. Both of which aim to provide pain relief. But that is the function of the TENS machine; for pain relief. We do not expect the TENS to heal a wound.

Over recent years there have been an increasing number of adverts for a number of “Massage Gun” devices which have appeared on the market. While massage is usually beneficial to horses, and may well be prescribed by a veterinary physiotherapist as owner homework, caution should be observed when applying these devices.

These devices are likely to feel nice when applied to some areas of the body; you may well discover this yourself if you apply the device to your own aches and pains. Your horse may also appear to respond to them in a similar way to a massage performed by your therapist, and look relaxed.

But, with a horse you do not get the feedback loop which you get as a person. If you hit a sore or sensitive area a person will tell you, or you will naturally avoid putting the device over that area of your body. A horse only has a limited number of ways to say “Ow”, and some horses may not be at all vocal about experiencing discomfort.

Furthermore, there are a number of circumstances when massage should not be applied to the body, such as over regions of the body where there are underlying boney prominences - as this can cause discomfort. I have seen a number of videos of owners applying the device over the wither region, which as many therapists will know can be very sore. But this depends on the condition of the muscles in this region of your horse's back, which can only be determined with experienced palpation. As you travel further back to the front of the saddle region, application of these devices can risk damaging the delicate cartilage of the scapula which lies under this region.

It is often palpation of the tissues which directs the decision of which electrotherapy will be most appropriate to use. To be effective, we must ensure that we select an electrotherapy appropriate to the tissue type, stage of healing and location of the body, and that the correct treatment setting is applied. Apart from avoiding contraindications associated with each therapy, we also risk withholding the appropriate treatment for a condition which risks delaying healing and making the problem worse.

Furthermore we must also bear in mind the incredible ability of the body to heal itself. So while it may look like a certain machine is helping to promote healing, it may just be the body undergoing the natural healing process. In the example of wound healing, if the wound is in ideal circumstances (on the body with a good blood supply and kept clean) the wound will naturally heal quicker than a leg wound which has a limited blood supply, and may be difficult to keep clean and which increases the risk of infection. Regardless of any machine applied, it is likely that a wound on the body will always heal better than a leg wound.

So while these machines can be very effective in improving healing (but not speeding up the process of healing), they must only be applied under the guidance of an individual who understands their mechanism of action and has the knowledge to apply them in a safe and effective manner.

Trust your therapist to appropriately select and apply these gadgets to your horse, to promote healing and help with your horse’s rehabilitation. Every therapist should be able to explain how each machine works and influences the body, and why they have selected this particular modality for your horse. By all means also ask them about any devices which you may have found online, or have seen advertised, before you make a purchase. They will either support the device or recommend a better device for you to use. At the end of the day it will save you from wasting your money, and most importantly potentially save your horse from discomfort or delayed healing.