Jemma Marsh Vet Physio

05/10/2025

12/09/2025

Back in beautiful Devon for my annual pilgrimage to examine with Iain Thompson for my Vet Physio colleague Helen Cooper-Simpson and her company Animal Therapy Solutions Ltd. The course is
OFQUAL Regulated Open Awards L4 Diploma in Equine Sports Massage Practical Exam. This was a rigorous course and the candidates were competent and thorough.

26/08/2025

☎️☎️☎️I am currently having phone issues so if you have tried to contact me please can resend any messages using messenger for the next couple of days, thankyou 🙏

24/03/2025

When girthing up a horse, it’s important not to over-tighten the girth. An over-tightened girth may pinch or bruise the muscles, especially those in the chest (pectorals), the neck (trapezius), the side of the ribcage (serratus ventralis), and the lower back (latissimus dorsi), which are shown in red on the diagram bel. Similar to how a tight belt can cause discomfort or bruising in a human, an overly tight girth can cause soreness in these areas. It may also lead to bruising of the ribs and the intercostal muscles (the muscles between the ribs), restricting movement and causing pain. Additionally, the tightness will cause the saddle to put more pressure on the horse’s back muscles, leading to further discomfort.

Think of it like wearing a belt that’s too tight around your waist: it presses into your skin and muscles, causing discomfort, restricting movement, and potentially causing bruising. Just as you wouldn’t wear a belt so tight that it hurts, it’s crucial not to over-tighten the girth to avoid these issues for the horse. Always ensure the girth is snug, but not excessively tight, to keep the horse comfortable and prevent injury.

13/02/2025

No job too small 😎 !

Treated the cutest show Shetland🐴 today, so well behaved, perfect manners, just a shame I couldn't put him on a table 🙂

08/01/2025

⭐️ Round Bale Feeders and Hay Waste ⭐️

Time for a research recap! This one is an oldie but a goodie and was actually published shortly before I started grad school at the University of Minnesota by one of my advisors, Dr. Krishona Martinson. She has been a long time mentor and inspired me to focus on applied research and finding ways to communicate the results to horse owners! Now onto the research!

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate different round bale hay feeders to identify which ones were most effective at reducing hay waste for horses. We all know horses are expensive so it is a great way to determine cost savings opportunities associated with feeding hay.

Materials and Methods: Twenty-five mature, idle horses (Quarter horses and thoroughbreds) were used in the study and divided into 5 groups with 5 horses each. Each horse group was housed in a different paddock with a different hay feeder for four days. Hay was weighed prior to being placed in the feeder. Hay waste was collected daily and hay remaining was measured on day 4 to determine consumption. Horses then rotated paddocks with a new feeder and new hay bale. This process was repeated over 40 days until every horse group consumed hay from all 9 hay feeders as well as the no hay feeder control. To determine payback, 2010 prices were used for feeders and hay was valued at $110 per ton.

Results: All hay feeders significantly reduced hay waste when compared to the no feeder control (P

16/12/2024

Any tips on how to remove stage blood or I'm going to freak out my clients tomorrow 😆

Brilliant first aid CPD, great Instructor, would highly recommend

12/12/2024

🎅🌲🌲Christmas Vouchers 🌲🌲🎅

In response to many of you asking if I do Vouchers, I can now offer a voucher for both Horse 🐴 and rider treatments 🏇:Veterinary Physiotherapy Competition Care/Maintenace treatment and or an hour Sports/Deep tissue Massage treatment for Riders.

Please DM me for more info
🙂

08/12/2024

𝗪𝗘𝗟𝗙𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗗𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗗𝗔𝗬: 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱-𝗡𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘁 𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗗𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘀

A recent study by K. Kienapfel et all (2024) investigated the relationship between head-neck positions (HNPs), conflict behaviour (CB), and judging scores in elite dressage horses. The study examined how these factors align with the animal welfare principles and competition rules established by the International Equestrian Federation (FEI).

𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀:
• Conflict behaviour increases with lower nasal plane angles in elite dressage horses.
• Relationship found between head-neck positions and conflict behaviour.
• Surprising rule contradiction: tests with small poll angles received high scores.
• Urgent need to address animal welfare and enhance solutions in dressage sport.

𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆:
The study observed 49 horses participating in the Grand Prix Special (CDIO5*) at CHIO Aachen in 2018 and 2019. Researchers analysed video footage of warm-up and competition phases, measuring HNPs (angle at the vertical, poll angle, and shoulder angle) and recording instances of conflict behaviour. These were evaluated against judges' scores.

The results showed that:

▪️ The nasal plane was behind the vertical more frequently during warm-up than in competition (-11° vs. -5°).
▪️ Poll angles were larger in competition (28°) than in warm-up (24°).
▪️ No significant differences were found in shoulder angles between warm-up and competition phases.

Conflict behaviours, including unusual oral movements, occurred more often during warm-up than in competition. Tail swishing was not affected by the nasal plane’s angle.

𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀' 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀
The study authors concluded that the findings raise concerns about the welfare of elite dressage horses and the application of FEI rules. According to the authors, horses showing restrictive HNPs—such as nasal planes behind the vertical—exhibited more conflict behaviours, yet these positions were not penalised during scoring and, in some cases, correlated with higher scores.

The authors emphasised the importance of addressing these discrepancies to ensure that dressage practices align more closely with established rules and prioritise horse welfare.

06/11/2024

*Attention all horse owners*
Hoof boot fitting demo evening
Location : The Forge, Bath and West showground

The next event is slightly different as it will be held on a Thursday evening 6-9pm 5th December and is open to everyone including your customers😀
The evening is on hoof boot fitting and we have sally bell an equine podiatrist who qualified in 2010 and is now Lantra level 5 diploma qualified and she runs a boot fitting service, along with the hoof boot shop. Sally will be explaining the pros and cons of each boot and when to use or not use them along with all the different padding options, and then let you all have a go at fitting them on some feet.
This will be cheap CPD points as the night is only £20 and you get 1.5 points and mince pies and mulled wine 🍷
Please pass the word and we look forward to seeing you.

17/10/2024

Sponsorship isn't all about being there when you are in the ribbons doing well, its about supporting riders during the ups and downs that owning horses inevitably brings. After a lengthy search Fern Rees has found her new friend and is on a mission to find something that phases her 😆 which nothing has so far ! Looking forward to being part of their journey and what a beautuful gentle mare she is and with Ferns quiet, patient approach to starting young horses Im sure they will make a great partnership 🙂.

11/08/2024

⚠️ Hard ground warning ⚠️

At the start of the summer we didn’t think we’d be saying this this year, but with all the recent dry weather the ground is really starting to harden up! ☀️

🐎 Exercising your horse on hard ground can cause concussion-related lameness issues. When the horse’s hoof meets the ground, it’s subjected to a great deal of concussive force. When the ground is softer, it absorbs some of the impact and provides cushioning to the foot - but the harder the ground, the less force is absorbed and the more stress on the horse.

It’s not only ridden horses who are at risk of concussive injuries from hard ground - any retired oldies who like to show you they’ve still got it by galloping round their paddock can also do themselves some damage! If this sounds like your horse, consider bringing them in a little earlier than usual.

Shod horses are also at greater risk from hard ground than unshod horses, as unshod horses actually absorb some of the concussive forces through their frogs.

We’ll be sharing some of the conditions hard ground can cause in our next post.

With the farmers starting to cut their fields down to stubble and the eventing season finally in full swing, we know it can be really tempting to both you and your horses to go for a good blast, but make sure you take the surface into account before you do 🙏🐎

📸 Pictured are clients Hannah and Percy galloping their way to 5th place in the 90 at Solihull Riding Club. The ground had been well prepared with good grass cover to help provide some cushioning!