Physio clinic at Stourport Riding Centre, 24.5.16

Stourport is such a nice place to run a clinic at.  The staff are all friendly and welcoming, there's free tea and coffee (and sometimes chocolate - but don't tell anyone that, because I'm supposed to be on a sugar free diet!), and the facilities are ideal.

Each month I treat several horses, either belonging to the Riding Centre, or horses who have travelled to the clinic for me to treat.  This month included Arnie, Lincoln and Uno, amongst others.  Uno is a young horse, in ridden work for around a year now, and he's one of the nicest 'people' you could ever hope to meet.  He was also a model for us at the Horse Massage for Horse Owners course that we ran last weekend - I think Sara, who was working with him then, would have liked to move into his stable with him!  He's just started jumping, and Gemma, who runs Stourport, is great at making sure the horses are checked out regularly, so she wanted to make sure he wasn't struggling physically with the change in workload.  Lincoln is reportedly his usual self, showing off his huge talent - he knows he's the star of the yard!  And Arnie is coming on in leaps and bounds with rosettes every time he goes out.  It's a pleasure to work with such pleasant, relaxed, happy horses - all credit to Gemma, Dan and the team for creating an environment that both encourages and allows this.  I'm already looking forward to going back next month!

If you'd like to bring your horse along for assessment and treatment, drop me an email through my website, www.thehorsephysio.co.uk.

How you can tell if your horse is sore through his back

There are some really simple techniques that you can use with your own horse to assess for soreness, stiffness, or restriction in range of movement. 

Recently I posted on Facebook:
"Use this video to help you learn how to assess if your horse is sore through his back, and please share it with your friends so that they can do the same. This horse is not sore through his back. See how the muscle is soft, and you can see it ripple in front of my fingers like a gentle wave. I am pressing into the muscle, moving against the direction of the hair, as I am more likely to pick up subtle problems this way. If your horse reacts differently to this, then I recommend assessment from a Chartered Physiotherapist (www.acpat.co.uk in the UK), Osteopath, Chiropractor, or Vet. You can see a full assessment at www.thehorsephysio.co.uk, or on YouTube here: 
https://youtu.be/poJoJaMZD3I"

You can view the Facebook post and the video here

The response was huge - within 24hrs the video had been viewed nearly 5000 times, and shared by 45 people.  The subject is an emotive one - no one likes to think of their horse being uncomfortable, and discomfort can lead to behavioural problems or reduced performance.  It's always difficult to work out whether problems are due to pain, behaviour, or training - which is exactly why I've developed the methodology of Brain, Pain or Training?, supported by 27 guest authors, all top equestrian sports people or therapists.

To have a go at this technique to assess for soreness in the back, simply feel through your horse's back muscles by pressing in with your fingers about as hard as you would push to dent a football (i.e. fairly firmly), and sliding your hand along the back muscles from the withers to the tail, one side at a time.  Go first in the direction of the hair, and then, if there is no adverse reaction, slide back against the direction of the hair.  Your horse should remain relaxed throughout, there should be no sign of discomfort, and the muscles should feel soft like play dough throughout.  

If you feel or see your horse tense up or react uncomfortably, it may be worth asking someone more experienced to assess him - a qualified professional such as a Chartered Physiotherapist, Osteopath or Chiropractor.

This is a 'have a go' technique, and it would be worth getting together with a couple of friends so that you can each assess each others horses.  It's impossible to know what 'normal' feels like if you've only felt the back muscles of one horse!

Let me know how you get on - I look forward to hearing from you!

Physio for performance

Juniper narrowly missed qualifying for the Scope show jumping qualifying championships last week, but will have another go this weekend. A long 3 strides in the combination caught rider Helen out, and she's quick to say that he probably could have managed it just fine if she hadn't been trying to help him! His Physio this morning released some tightness through his back, which should make it that little bit easier for him to shorten and lengthen as necessary this weekend :-) You can see a short video of Juniper enjoying his Physio here: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=493399104197691&id=297037173833886

A lot of the physiotherapy work I do at The Horse Physio (http://www.thehorsephysio.co.uk/index.html) is about improving performance, tweaking here and there to increase range of movement, release muscle spasm, or relieve discomfort, to make the horses job just a little bit easier. Reduced range of movement due to joint stiffness or tight muscles will affect his ability to perform at his best, just as it would in the human field. No serious human athlete would expect to perform at their best without the support of physical therapy of some kind, and it is well recognised that physiotherapy helps improve performance at the top level in equestrian sport as well, amongst all disciplines.

To find out more about how Chartered Physiotherapy could improve your horses performance, visit http://www.acpat.org/.

Daneswood Physio clinic, 23.5.16

Sponsored rider Leonie Smith is as busy as ever at Daneswood Dressage, I discovered at my Physio clinic there yesterday. Exciting news is that client Ashleigh Jones, para rider on the World Class program, is looking at teaming up with a new horse, 11yr old Fresian gelding Prince,  on loan from Mandy Wright and pictured here ridden by Leonie. Ashleigh, Prince and Leonie went to the World Class weekend training session a couple of weeks ago where they wowed everyone, and Prince took it all in his stride.

Leonie's own Fresian, Bert, is coming on in leaps and bounds (not literally!), and their training sessions with David Pincus are paying dividends. Bert is still struggling slightly with consistency in the changes, more so one way than the other, but is improving as he strengthens. My role is to release any restrictions that might cause skeletal asymmetry (like many horses, he is restricted in his movement in the upper cervical spine, initially more to one side than the other, and after a few treatments is much more even) so that Leonie can use the ridden work to strengthen him within this more symmetrical frame. His piaffe and passage are progressing exceptionally well, and we're looking guessed to capturing that on film this weekend when we film the companion DVD to my new book 'Understanding Horse Performance: Brain, Pain or Training?' (weather permitting!). 

At the horse Physio clinic yesterday I treated regulars Amor (great to know that he's back competing after some time off, and I captured a lovely video clip of part of his treatment, which you can see on The Horss Physio FB page for 23.5.16), Rufus (handsome and much loved young horse just beginning his ridden cater), Princess's (whose core stability muscles have really developed over the past month, and who showed some very positive improvements in her Physio assessment this time), the lovely coloured cob Bobby, who is aiming to qualify for the cob dressage championship later this year, and Blue Cross pony Trinity, amongst others. A busy day, with great rewards from the horses who give me the energy to keep going!

Many thanks to Leonie (www.daneswooddressage.co.uk) for fantastic facilities and friendly service as always!

Bringing a smile to Charlie's face

The Horse Physio is excited to announce that disabled rider Charlie, who rides with the High Riders RDA group, will be able to ride for the next year, thanks to those who attended the Horse Massage for the Horse Owners course today. Massive thank you to Stourport Riding Centre for providing fantastic facilities, and to all who took part for their enthusiasm and energy. I know that your horses will appreciate it! 

Charlie is a 5-year-old boy with cerebral palsy, unable to walk unaided for more than a few steps. He lights up during his riding lessons, and brings smiles to everyone around him.

The Horse Physio has been running Horse Massage for Horse Owners courses for several years now, taught by chartered physiotherapist superman. Sue says "I love teaching this course. I love the knowledge that so many horses will benefit in so many ways. Most of all I think, I love watching and listening to the group participants getting so much from each other as they share their knowledge and experiences". For anyone who is not sure that they could remember all the information, it's available as a book and a DVD as well through www.thehorsephysio.co.uk.

Massage is a gentle therapeutic technique, that anyone can use to help that own horse. Aiming to relieve soreness and release tight muscles, it can help to improve performance and reduce the risk of injury. There are courses throughout the UK where you can learn hands on with your horse, similar to those run through The Horse Physio. Some teach you how to help your own horse, others are full-blown qualifications to enable you to massage horses as a career.