Francesca Fernside Elite Animal Therapy

Last week was a hectic one! Thursday saw me drive down to the Trailblazer dressage championships, treat a whole host of wonderful horses and drive back that night. 7 hours of driving and 7 hours of treating made for a great but long day! It was so lovely to see both returning clients from last year and new ones from this year and I can’t wait to do it all again at the next one ❤️

A different before and after today! 🐑 Reggie is a pet sheep who needed some help in his senior years. Much comfier, more stable and more mobile post treatment! Happy sheep happy owners happy therapist ❤️

Todays office view in between clients ❤️

One of my favourite sights to see - Rosie, paralysed and incontinent on my first visit now runs to greet me None of this would have been possible without the dedication from her owners! I promise a full write up on her will be coming soon

Back from Scotland, we were blessed with beautiful weather for the entire trip and the views were to die for! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Now sat down with my diary for June, give me a nudge if you need a slot

Back from Scotland, we were blessed with beautiful weather for the entire trip and the views were to die for! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Now sat down with my diary for June, give me a nudge if you need a slot

Never got the chance to post this earlier in the week Happy news - Rosie is now walking! For those who may not remember Rosie is the dachshund who had lost the use of her back legs and sadly wasn’t improving with rest and medication. She has been improving in between her weekly appointments with me and at our last one we were able to walk (although be it very wobbly) short distances. Both me and the owners are overjoyed. A more in depth case study will be written up about her for those interested but the improvements were too big to not share ❤️ The owners have been so invested in her rehabilitation and I’m so happy their hard work and dedication have paid off

Filming some canine exercises in the garden yesterday in between my morning and afternoon clients, Hamish took his chance when I nipped inside to try and help himself to the chicken - busted!

Yesterday I’m not ashamed to admit that I shed a tear with a client. Rosie - a miniature smooth haired dachshund who has suspected IVDD (intervertebral disc disease) had non ambulatory paraparesis (she was unable to stand with her back legs, walk or wag her tail and was incontinent but did have deep pain present when tested). With surgery sadly not an option the vets recommend 2 weeks of strict cage rest with pain management, dachshund she showed no improvement through this and the vets had recommended euthanasia as a suitable option. The owners wanted to give conservative treatment a try and so a family member contacted me. I treated Rosie for the first time last week with the vets consent and full history sent over to me, we discussed the potential long road to recovery ahead of us with sadly no guarantees of anything working. Yesterday I went back out to Rosie for the first time - her owners are happy to report she is back wagging her tail, is now able to stand (supported for balance as shown in the video) although can occasionally stand unsupported for a second or two, is no longer incontinent with her now letting them know when she needs to go outside and she has started to move her legs independently during their rehabilitation exercises. Even though we still have a long way to go with sadly still no guarantees things will continue to get better they thanked me for saving their dog. This is where I then tried to be professional but couldn’t help but shed a tear with them. Her progress is already a testament to them and their dedication to her aftercare post treatment, the lovely couple are in their 80’s and don’t use technology but have been so attentive to every thing we have discussed and have been extremely invested in both her and me. I’m thankful for the part I have played so far in this dog’s rehabilitation and hope we can continue this progress back to walking independently!

Differences in behaviour during treatment, what might they mean?

🇺🇸✈️🇬🇧 and it’s straight back to work!

So much to update social media with from my time in the states but for now It’s back to helping my lovely clients feel and move better. Not even some serious jet lag and wondering when my suitcase might make it back to the UK as it seems to have not wanted to come home with me has stopped me looking forward to my return to work. Lucky to love my job!

I love when I get the chance to watch an animal for a longer time after treatment. Here is Mojo who is having a very relaxed evening after his treatment which we we could watch whilst I treated his older brother Mojo is a typical young warm blood who is very switched on and likes to create his own entertainment if there isn’t any for him to watch 🫣 that makes reactions like this even more special when you can see horse who is typically so engaged completely switch off, relax and process ❤️

The working day is never done when you’re self employed! Finding time to treat my own horses can be difficult as I have to schedule a set amount of time out for them whilst I’m at the yard. However the dogs love having a late night nap on the couch in between my legs whilst I work on any areas that need some attention Here is Hamish enjoying a snooze during his session ❤️

Healthy Horse Weight Tracker

PRODUCT LAUNCH 🐴🥳 Introducing the Healthy Horse Weight Tracker - A fully magnetic whiteboard style accessory that lets you easily monitor and maintain your horse's weight. Take the guesswork out of whether your horse is losing, gaining or staying the same weight! Ideal for putting on tack lockers, cabinets and feed bins - yes even your muck heap if you wanted to! Sadly orders are currently not being processed through the website. To place an order please shoot us a message, email [email protected] or phone 07394739585 during sociable hours! £8.50 with £1.50 next working day first class postage. Order now in time for Christmas, this gift makes a perfect stocking stuffer for those owners who are conscious of their horses weight! For more information head to: https://www.francescafernside.com/product-page/healthy-horse-weight-tracker

Did someone say product launch?! Lots has been going on behind the scenes at Elite Animal Therapy with the first project coming to light tomorrow. Stay tuned!

To all horse owners out there - who is on a countdown to summer? ☔️

Just as a reminder for this time of year ❄️☔️ For me to effectively work on your horse they need to be dry and mud free - if they have been turned out and have muddy legs if you can hose them off that’s great, damp legs aren’t a problem but if the hair on their body / neck is wet it makes my job much harder so please pop a rug on them to keep them dry if they are being turned out before I get to you! This also saves my hands and clothes from being wet and frozen all day which is muchly appreciated 😅

Whilst I might not have come home with the award, I think the smile on my face shows just how happy I was to be there celebrating with my team! ❤️ Coming into this I felt like a serious underdog with my very small 400 Facebook followers, compared to the combined 10k of the other three therapist finalists, but it’s left me proud, happy and humbled to be able to have reached this stage so early on in my career A big congratulations to Laura Mundy Certified Equine Therapist and Saddle Fitter for winning, and for the other two in my category for making the final 4! It was a great night filled with lots of networking and celebrating the equestrian community. Very happy to see various north west businesses take home the title with Cumbrian Heavy Horses, Shy Lowen Horse & Pony Sanctuary, Vikki Fowler - Veterinary Equine Dental Technician, Kelsall Hill Equestrian Centre winning their respective categories Wonderful meeting some of Thompson House Equine Vets, EquineShow247, Calton Saddlery Services Ltd. and most importantly Gawsworth Track Livery over the cooked breakfast this morning! Who knows, maybe I’ll make it back for the Equestrian Business Awards therapist of the year 2024…

Another busy week with lots of variety - the key to life! As someone who preaches a lot to mix things up as part of your rehab / prehab I must admit I have fallen into a bad habit of largely only riding in the school recently! (I’m only human and this is why I understand so much when you say you’ve fallen off the wagon with your stretches or rehab plan - it happens to us all!) After a wonderful leg dissection with a fantastic vet who again talked about the benefits of variety in the type of work (approapriate to the horse) it’s time I started listening to my advice and take my education back out of the school sometimes! Here is the lovely Hugo who has a wonderfully varied lifestyle that helps keep him on top form showing me his beautiful teeth during his treatment earlier this week - have a lovely weekend everyone! ❤️

Enjoy a blooper moment on me nearly ended up on my ass, thankfully behind the camera 🫣 Filming a couple of polework exercises for a client didn’t quite realise I was walking backwards towards a jump wing - not sure why I go so northern when I ultimately fall over it 🤣 You only get the best type of guidance and information with Elite Animal Therapy!!

Busy week treating everything from riding school horses and happy hackers all the way to dressage horses aspiring for Grand Prix! When this lovely mare was first seen I couldn’t palpate around her hindquarters without her trying to kick me, and when I performed any adjustments or soft tissue work she would bronc on the spot or try to bite. They think she had an argument with a gate in the field and lost. She had her follow up session on Wednesday this week and wow what a difference! We had two much smaller areas where she still showed some tension and resistance through her lumbar region and stifle but the difference from one treatment and the owners following their aftercare advice and exercises is fantastic! Enjoy your weekend ❤️