AB Physiotherapy Services

30/09/2025

What Can Hindleg Crossover Tell You?

Asking a horse to cross the hindlegs—for example, during a turn on the forehand—tests lateral suppleness and proprioception.

Key things to look for:
• Willingness & fluidity – does the horse step under or resist crossing?
• Range of motion – do the joints flex and abduct evenly?
• Engagement & control – is the inside hind stepping under the body, or does the horse evade by swinging the quarters?

This movement can expose motor control or pelvic issues that might remain hidden in straight lines.
👉 Want to add structured lateral movement assessment to your toolkit? Join the EQoMS program: https://www.abphysio4horseandrider.com/eqoms

27/09/2025

Subjective or Objective Movement Diagnostics: Without the Tool between your Ears, its just Gossip. I might be a geek making a living on leveraging data. But in equine diagnostics, nothing replaces the eye, the feel, and the clinician’s inner algorithm. Every horse is a complex structure — not ju...

22/09/2025

Step Back: The Overlooked Movement Test

When you ask a horse to step back, you’re not just testing obedience. You’re revealing how well it can shift weight, co-ordinate diagonal pairs, and engage its core and hindquarters.

Watch for:
• Smoothness & willingness – does the horse resist or hollow the back?
• Diagonal co-ordination – are the pairs stepping back in sync?
• Control & stability – is there balance, or does the horse sway or brace?
Step back is simple but powerful—it can highlight spinal restrictions, core weakness, or pain that doesn’t always show at trot.

👉 Curious how step back fits into a standardised movement battery? Explore the EQoMS online training program: https://www.abphysio4horseandrider.com/eqoms

18/09/2025

What Determines the Quality of Trot?

The trot is often the “go-to” gait for lameness evaluation—but when assessing quality of movement, it reveals so much more than just asymmetry.

When you watch a horse trot, some of the features you’re looking for are:
• Clear two-beat – is the rhythm consistent?
• Spinal movement – does the horse move with ease and swing through the back?
• Straightness – are the limbs tracking evenly from the front and behind?
• Hoof clearance & placement – do the limbs lift cleanly, without dragging or stabbing?

And remember, the same horse may trot differently on a firm surface versus a soft one—or in a straight line versus a circle.

By refining your eye to these features, you can detect subtle dysfunction earlier and track improvements more reliably.

👉 Want to learn the key directives for trot and other movement tests? Join the EQoMS training program: https://www.abphysio4horseandrider.com/eqoms

14/09/2025

Sharpening Your Eye for Equine Quality of Movement

As a coach, your riders rely on you to help them improve their horse’s way of going—whether that’s for dressage scores, jumping performance, or simply achieving better balance and harmony.

The Equine Quality of Movement Score (EQoMS) is a structured, research-based tool designed to help you assess a horse’s movement more clearly and consistently. It goes beyond basic lameness grading, providing 30 in-hand movement tests—from walk and trot to circles, transitions, and backing up—each with clear criteria for what good quality movement should look like.

For coaches, this means:
✅ Sharpening your eye for movement mechanics
✅ Tracking progress in your riders’ horses over time
✅ Detecting issues earlier, before they become major training problems
✅ Communicating more effectively with veterinarians, therapists, and owners

Using the EQoMS supports you to progress training in line with rehabilitation milestones discussed with equine clinicians, or spot subtle changes in movement quality before welfare or performance declines. The EQoMS helps reduce subjective guesswork and provides a common language for movement quality, making your coaching more impactful.

The online training course walks you through the scoring system step by step, with videos of three horses, expert assessors' scores and comments, and practical exercises to strengthen your observation skills.

Help your riders achieve peak performance—and advocate for their horses’ wellbeing—by upskilling today.
👉 Sign up for the EQoMS training course here: https://www.abphysio4horseandrider.com/eqoms

10/09/2025

Advocate for Your Horse’s Comfort with a Clear Understanding of Movement Quality

Sometimes, you just know your horse isn’t moving quite right—but can’t explain why. It’s frustrating when you can’t put your finger on the problem, and even harder to communicate your concerns to a vet, therapist, or trainer.

The Equine Quality of Movement Score (EQoMS) helps you clearly see and describe what’s happening with your horse. It’s a simple, structured way to assess movement quality across 30 in-hand tests, each with clear directives for what correct movement looks like.

Using the EQoMS, you can:
✅ Better understand subtle signs of discomfort or dysfunction
✅ Track changes over time and detect issues early
✅ Work more effectively with your vet or physiotherapist
✅ Ensure your horse’s welfare by identifying when they need extra help

The EQoMS online training program gives you the tools to confidently observe and understand your horse’s movement, with explanations of the terminology and example videos of three horses and expert assessors scores and comments.

Be your horse’s best advocate. Learn to see what matters most in their movement.
👉 Sign up for the EQoMS online training course today.
https://www.abphysio4horseandrider.com/eqoms

06/09/2025

Rehabilitation Takes a Team: How You Can Help Monitor Your Horse’s Recovery

Rehabilitation doesn’t stop when the vet, physio or bodyworker drives away. Whether your horse is returning from injury or managing a long-term condition, as a horse owner, you play a vital role in tracking subtle changes in your horse’s mobility and comfort between professional visits.Support your equine healthcare team and spot subtle changes with the EQoMS.

The Equine Quality of Movement Score (EQoMS) is a structured approach to help you to:
• Clearly and consistently monitor changes in movement quality over time
• Track responses to changes in turnout, or groundwork exercises
• Record what you’re seeing during your horse’s rehab journey and
• Communicate better with therapists, clinicians, and rehab providers about what you are seeing.

The EQoMS works by assessing 30 in-hand movement tests—from walk and trot in straight lines to circles, transitions, and even canter. Each movement has specific directives that guide what good quality looks like, making it easier to pinpoint improvements, setbacks or concerns.

Learn how to use the EQoMS in a 2-hour online training program with:
🎥 Practice videos of three horses, scored and commented on by expert assessors
📄 Clear guidance on how to apply the scoring system
🧠 Tools you can download and use immediately

Whether you’re looking to advocate for your horse, sharpen your eye for movement mechanics, or improve your decision-making in rehabilitation and training, the EQoMS will help you move beyond guesswork.

👉 Sign up for the EQoMS online training and become an informed partner in your horse’s journey back to full health.
https://www.abphysio4horseandrider.com/eqoms

02/09/2025

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/lottekraus_equinecare-equinetherapy-equinewelfare-activity-7368160733399887873-_D2Q?utm_source=social_share_send&utm_medium=member_desktop_web&rcm=ACoAACrq62MB8vfaYCZEFsYx1vIa4WUbB-utoHA

Subjective or Objective Movement Diagnostics: Without the Tool between your Ears, its just Gossip. I might be a geek making a living on leveraging data. But in equine diagnostics, nothing replaces the eye, the feel, and the clinician’s inner algorithm. Every horse is a complex structure — not ju...

02/09/2025

Tracking What Matters: Start Seeing What Really Improves Your Horse’s Performance

How do you know if that new saddle, change in shoeing, or tweak to your horse’s training program is truly improving their movement? As a rider or owner focused on peak performance, you need a way to track subtle changes before they become obvious problems—or lost potential.

The Equine Quality of Movement Score (EQoMS) helps you go beyond the vague feeling that your horse is “better” or “not quite right.” It’s a structured way to assess quality of movement, using 30 specific in-hand movement tests that reveal where your horse is moving well and where improvement is needed.

With the EQoMS, you can:
✅ Monitor how training, tack, or conditioning programs impact movement
✅ Detect small changes in movement quality before they affect performance
✅ Better understand what your vet or physio is seeing
✅ Sharpen your own eye for biomechanics and make more informed decisions

The EQoMS online training program explains the scoring system, shows you video examples of three horses, and helps you confidently assess your horse’s movement with more clarity.

Don’t wait until performance drops—start tracking quality of movement now.
👉 Sign up for the EQoMS online training course today.
https://www.abphysio4horseandrider.com/eqoms

29/08/2025

Move From Your Horse Not Feeling Quite Right to Seeing What Matters in Equine Movement

As a horse owner, rider, coach, or official, you know how frustrating it can be when a horse just doesn’t feel “quite right.” Is it the new saddle? A change in training or turnout routine? Or an early sign of discomfort that needs attention? Without a clear way to assess movement quality, it’s hard to know what’s really changing—or why.

Coaches and judges face similar challenges: sharpening the eye for movement mechanics takes time, and even experienced professionals can benefit from a more structured approach. Whether you’re aiming for peak performance or early detection of subtle issues, understanding how a horse moves—and why—is key.

A Clear, Research-Based Way to See the Difference
The Equine Quality of Movement Score (EQoMS) is a structured, research-based tool that helps you:
✅ Clearly and consistently monitor changes in movement quality over time
✅ Understand and track responses to tack, shoeing, fitness, or training adjustments
✅ Enhance your eye for movement mechanics—whether for judging, coaching, or everyday riding
✅ Better communicate with therapists, clinicians, and rehab providers about what you’re seeing

The EQoMS works by assessing 30 in-hand movement tests—from walk and trot straight lines to circles, transitions, and even canter. Each movement has specific directives that guide what good quality looks like, making it easier to pinpoint where the horse is strong and where there’s room for improvement.

Learn How to Use the EQoMS in a 2-hour online training program with:
🎥 Practice videos of three horses, scored and commented on by expert assessors
📄 Clear guidance on how to apply the scoring system
🧠 Tools you can download and use immediately

Whether you’re looking to advocate for your horse, sharpen your eye for movement mechanics, or improve your decision-making in training and management, the EQoMS will help you move beyond guesswork.
👉 Sign up today and start seeing what really matters in equine movement
https://www.abphysio4horseandrider.com/eqoms

25/08/2025

🐎The Equine Quality of Movement Score (EQoMS) is an outcome measure developed through my PhD research to help assess how well horses move in a variety of different movement tests.
📈If you are interested in using structured observation to guide decision-making, track progress, and ultimately improve equine care, then sign up for the short training course.
👉https://www.abphysio4horseandrider.com/eqoms

21/08/2025

Stop Guessing: A Reliable Way to Track Equine Movement Quality

As equine clinicians, we pride ourselves on our “eye” for movement. Yet in the field, consistently assessing subtle changes in a horse’s quality of movement remains one of our greatest challenges.

You’re expected to evaluate progress pre- and post-treatment, track rehabilitation milestones, or monitor the effect of interventions such as shoeing, saddle fit, or changes in exercise routines—all without expensive motion analysis equipment.
But let’s face it:
• Our subjective observations can vary day to day, even for the same horse.
• Subtle dysfunction often only appears in certain conditions, making it easy to miss.
• And like all humans, we’re vulnerable to expectation bias (seeing improvement simply because we expect it after an intervention) and confirmation bias (interpreting changes in a way that supports our belief that treatment helped).

This is where the Equine Quality of Movement Score (EQoMS) helps bridge the gap.
Developed through research, the EQoMS is a structured, standardised, field-friendly assessment tool for evaluating movement quality in horses. Unlike traditional lameness scoring, it breaks movement down into 30 specific in-hand movement tests—from walk, trot, and canter to circles, transitions, and more.

Each movement test is scored separately with clear directives for what “good quality movement” should look like. This allows you to pinpoint where the horse is moving well and where there’s room for improvement. It also makes it easier to:
✅ Monitor how a horse changes over time
✅ Track the impact of specific interventions
✅ Document your findings to communicate clearly with other professionals
✅ Reduce the influence of expectation and confirmation bias by using a repeatable framework.

The EQoMS is designed to complement your current clinical routine—not replace it—so you can sharpen your eye while improving consistency.

The online training program explains the terminology, guides you through the scoring system, and provides video examples of three horses with expert scores and comments, so you can practise and build confidence.

Stop guessing. Start seeing what matters in equine movement.
👉 Sign up for the EQoMS online training course today and take your clinical assessments to the next level. https://www.abphysio4horseandrider.com/eqoms