High Peak Equine Physio

14/08/2023

POLEWORK
As well as making flatwork more exciting, polework develops your horse’s core stability. It also works their top line and improves their suppleness by encouraging him to step under with the hindleg more, and polework lets you influence your horse’s stride length. It’s a great exercise if your horse tends to rush, as the poles make their rhythm and stride length more regular. For horses with naturally shorter stride lengths, you can set the poles wider apart so they have to stretch and open their frame. On the flipside, if you’re trying to develop more collection, you can shorten the distance between poles so your horse has to collect their stride.

Working over poles can also encourage your horse to be more agile, as they have to pick their legs up higher to step over the poles. This can be especially helpful if your horse is coming back from injury or needs to build strength and fitness.

Polework is good for improving balance, control and steering. It also requires precision, so it can help to refine your aids (and your horse’s reaction to those aids), which benefits everyday riding. Your horse will have to focus on where they are going and what they are doing, and you’ll have to look up and ahead so you can plan your route. It’s great for riders who tend to look down at their hands.’

For horses with a tendency to be crooked in their body, polework can help to promote straightness. As, even if you’re riding your horse on a circle, you’ll have to stop the horse from falling in or out through his shoulders or over-bending.

The great thing about polework is that you can ride as many different shapes and lines as your imagination will allow. Not just over but also around the poles, so you can be quite creative.’

04/07/2023

Tommy enjoying a Treadmill session before his next race. The dry treadmill when used in the correct way can help build up muscles, in the top line and hind quarters.

26/06/2023

Riding a horse can be an enjoyable and fulfilling experience for both the rider and the horse. However, a poorly fitting saddle can cause discomfort, pain, and even health problems.
Why is saddle fit important?
Your horse's comfort and well-being should be a top priority, and a poorly fitting saddle can negatively impact both. The right saddle fit is crucial because it distributes the rider's weight evenly across the horse's back. This helps to prevent pressure points, rubbing, and other types of discomfort for the horse. A saddle that's too tight can put pressure on the horse's spine, leading to pain and discomfort. A saddle that's too loose can move around too much, causing the horse to be unbalanced and putting additional strain on the horse's muscles. In extreme cases, a poorly fitting saddle can even cause permanent damage to the horse's spine.
Additionally, a saddle that doesn't fit properly can also impact the rider’s experience. A saddle that's too small for the rider can make it difficult for them to maintain proper balance, while a saddle that's too big can make it hard to feel secure.

11/06/2023

07/06/2023

Blueberry enjoying some long reining using the hills and poles on the ground. This is to help build up muscle in his hind end

02/06/2023

All the muscles in the Horses body are connected in a chain. There are 2 main chains that connect the top and the bottom of the body. If one or more of the muscles is sore, it can affect the rest of the muscles in the chain.
The Extensor Chain
These muscles, which make up the top line, are situated above the spine and behind the hip. They are sometimes called the extensor chain as they extend the hip and spine, hollow the back and raise the head. This chain is largely responsible for forward propulsion. The better conditioned these muscles are, the more powerful the movement. For example the horse can only perform a really powerful extended trot or execute a perfect piaffe when these muscles are strong enough to do so.

The Flexor chain

These muscles make up the bottom line and lie underneath the spine, in front of the hip and include the abdominal muscles. They are also known as the flexor chain as they help to flex the hip and vertebral joints, raising the back and withers and lowering the head. As part of the ‘core’ muscles they have an important role to play in supporting and maintaining the correct posture of the back. They are also important in all movements requiring collection.

25/05/2023

Even the cutest little ponies need attention sometimes. Meet Travis he’s getting into his twilight years and showing a few signs of arthritis and stiffness. HIs owner has been left with an exercise plan to get him a bit fitter, and develop a bit more muscle.

17/05/2023

Fascia is sometimes missed in diagnosing a problem, but is gaining more attention as it is a highly important structure in the body.

Fascia is the connective tissue that runs throughout the horse's body. It is a web like band that keeps all the tissues and bones supported, protected and in an ideal position. Fascia must be flexible and elastic so that horses can move their bodies properly and so that their organs can function freely without compression. However, due to poor posture, overwork, insufficient fitness, poor form, etc., and the constant pull of gravity, the fascia becomes stiff and "stuck", limiting movement and causing pain, fatigue and illness. Like bones, the Fascia bands are composed mainly of collagen, which gives them a hard but flexible structure. The fascial system maintains a balance of tension and elasticity, allowing smooth and unrestricted movement of each muscle group while holding everything in place. When the fascia is restricted, muscle contraction is restricted. Because this tight, web-like substance is a single piece that wraps around muscles and organs from head to toe like a shrink wrap, stress in one area can affect movement and cause symptoms elsewhere. And like a glove, a bundle has enough material to hold its shape, but not enough to support weight. This illustrates how movement and structural conditions such as poor posture affect the fascia, causing pain and unstable movement.

11/05/2023

This is Blueberry he is a 14 year old OTTR and has done multiple disciplines. He has just come back into work after being in the paddock for a year.
I have been called out to assess him and come up with a plan to get him moving better, and help build up his topline and fitness.
After treatment with massage and PEMF, I found that he was sore in his nearside shoulder., slightly sore in his back.
I have left the owner with stretches, lunging and long reining over poles to try and help build up his condition.

29/04/2023

It was a pleasure being able to treat Nicola Smith’s horses from Manor Farm Equestrian yesterday.
Polly who has just been brought back into work has been lame in trot working in the round yard. I have been treating Polly for a couple of weeks, with a mixture of Electro therapy devices the Equipod micro current and the Magnetopulse PEMF machine. I have prescribed a rehab plan of stretching and pole work to help build up her core muscles and top line.
Santa has presented sore shoulders and muscle wastage in the back end. I used the PEMF and massage to help loosen his shoulders. To help him I left a plan of hind limb stretches and pole work to help build up his muscles in the hind quarters.

20/04/2023

This is Gypsy she is a lovely filly. Unfortunately she was picked on by her paddock companion and received some kicks to her back end resulting in a couple of Hematomas. I used the Therapeutic Ultrasound to treat these Hematoma’s, which helps them absorb quicker back into the body. Ultrasound generates heat deep into the tissues, increases circulation and metabolism. This helps to encourage tissue repair.

18/04/2023

I like to leave owners with Stretches after I have treated a Horse because I believe it is important.

Stretching helps to improve the Horses circulation, range of motion, and overall health of your horse's muscles, while also decreasing muscle soreness and fatigue. As an added benefit, spending a few minutes stretching your horse can help create a stronger bond.