Kate Akers - Veterinary Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation

04/03/2025

10/02/2025

Back pain - one of the biggest reasons people contact me, or other ‘back people’ I use that as a quote as that is what so many use as a blanket term for such an array of practitioners!

Back pain can be caused by a number of factors, and will present its self in so many ways! Some horses may buck or be reactive, whilst others may show you in more subtle ways, which is why it’s important to keep on top of your horses muscle health with routine physiotherapy. A sound horse with a well fitting saddle that is well muscled for the job it is being asked to do generally should not suffer from marked back pain. It is important we get to the route of reoccurring back pain and rule out if there is any of the following (and more!)

🐴 Kissing spine
🐴 Arthritis of the spine/facet joints/lumbar
🐴 Trauma/injury
🐴 Poor saddle fit
🐴 Lameness
🐴 Gastric ulcers
🐴 O***y issues
🐴 Incorrect work load/posture when worked

In this video it shows quite a reactive horse prior to its treatment, whose muscle tone changed significantly following a treatment of Hwave therapy, soft tissue mobilisation and spinal mobilisation.

04/01/2025

Tell me you’re a sad vet physio without telling me…very excited to get a nice new hands free belt bag for my H-wave! 🙌🏽🤣

30/12/2024

Happy new year! 🥳

I would like to say a huge thank you to those who I’ve had to reschedule of recent due to being poorly, I’m now just over a week post op and I’m starting to feel a lot more like me again! 🙏🏽 So with that I have been organising my diary for my return to work next week, of course I will be taking it all a bit slower than usual but I intend to get you all in! I think I’ve messaged and organised everyone who was waiting, if I haven’t please do give me a nudge as January is now starting to look rather full! 🐴

I have some exciting development in the pipeline for 2025. I feel it’s going to be a very positive year! Including a very exciting new software to add to my tool box, equine gait analysis. 👩🏼‍💻

This is going to be a huge step forward and will help monitor the horse from a physiotherapy point of view, but it will also help with vet referrals and farrier information.

Using technology and motion analysis to detect and quantify asymmetry in the horses movement pattern. Decoding subtle changes in gait through biomechanical analysis, tracking over 100 anatomical key points on the moving horse.

I’m very excited to get the ball rolling with this in the new year! 🤩 It is of course is by no means a replacement for veterinary intervention or lameness investigation but it will allow us to monitor horses throughout their rehab, tracking their progress, giving us feedback and also being able to create baselines so we can address problems earlier preventing larger issues occurring.

If you would like to learn more about this or book your horses gait to be analysed at their next appointment, drop me a message!

23/12/2024

Myself and a festive Peach and Jasper would like to wish all my clients, and colleagues new and old a very merry Christmas and happy new year! Another fabulous year helping your four legged friends and working along side many fantastic owners, vets, farriers, saddle fitters, trainers and other body workers the list goes on!!

My Christmas now looking slightly different to what I had planned as I ended up having an emergency surgery on Friday! 🥴 But I will be back to work in the new year, ready for another year of helping your horses…I’ve got a feeling it’s going to be a good one!🐴 🎄🤶🏼🐎🏇

01/12/2024

Muscle asymmetry in horses

Muscle asymmetry is a common problem amongst ridden and non ridden horses that physiotherapist regularly see that can occur for a number of reasons and that influences a number of things! Luckily with correct work and intervention, lots of muscle asymmetry can be helped! In the attached photo you can see in the first photo, the marked asymmetry around the shoulders, which has improved significantly in a mere 8 weeks (please excuse my less than desirebsle editing skills, I’m good at horses not art!!) 😂🙈

How has the horse become so asymmetrical?

🐴 Trauma to the area can cause asymmetric development

🐴 Lameness (which will need addressing by the vet in the first instance) lameness issues will result in over compensation thus creating muscle asymmetry

🐴 Hoof issues/in balances

🐴 Saddle fit - it’s vital that the horses saddle is regularly fitted and checked as if it is not fitting well, it can lead to muscle asymmetry

🐴 Poor training

Common signs to look out for:

🐴 Visual asymmetry around the muscles (when the horse is standing square, regularly assess their muscle development, in particular over their shoulders, thoracic, gluteals and pectorals!)

🐴 Difficulty working under saddle (turning etc) on a particular rein

🐴 Leaning on one rein

🐴 Saddle slip

🐴 Uneven wear on hooves/shoes

How can we resolve this?

🐴 Assessing that there is no marked pain/lameness issues and if so referring to the vet in order for those to be addressed first

🐴 Reeducating movements patterns particularly after any muscular pain has been addressed

🐴 Engaging muscles that have become atrophied

🐴 Improving horses way of going

17/10/2024

Physical and postural development -

It’s so important that the horse is feeling comfortable and is adequately developed and muscled to do the job at hand…I often see horses who are some what depleted…be it from soundness issues, saddle fit issues, being worked in an incorrect or damaging way, often with the owner being totally unaware!

When was the last time you stopped and really looked at your horse? Assessed their muscle development, tone and their posture? How they stand, is their back dropped, is their core engaged/developed? Are they actually strong enough in their bodies to do what we are asking them?

As a physiotherapist, it’s our job to help correct issues within the body and promote bettter physical health moving forward! Looking at these two photos, it’s hard to believe there is only 4 weeks different between the top and bottom.

Within that four weeks, this horse has had extensive physio as she was tight and sore, some gentle work, the saddle fitter, farrier and vet! (It really does take an army!!)

In the top photo, there is visible tension throughout the body, particularly in the base of the neck and the thoracic epaxials. There is poor muscle development throughout and she stands in a camped under, uncomfortable stance.

Fast forward 4 weeks and you can see she has developed a significant amount of muscle, across the top line and hind quarters, the thoracic and core have both lifted significantly, there is a better angle to the pelvis and she is softer through the neck.

It is still early days for the changes but they are certainly steps in the right direction and I think the photos speak for themselves!

If you’d like to think about how to get your horse feeling the best they possibly can, by all means drop me a message and I would be happy to help! 🐴

14/09/2024

I have been so busy recently I haven’t posted on here in ages but I would really like to say a massive good luck and also congratulations to those clients of mine competing at the sunshine tour at Hickstead this week! ☀️🏆🎖️

So many of you up there chasing your dreams and it’s so lovely to see you all enjoying your horses and doing so well, especially when some of you have had far from the easiest journeys to get there! Which makes me feel like a proud auntie 🤣🤦🏼‍♀️

A particular pairing making me feel some what emotional 🥲 seeing their updates this morning well done Ali Woodhouse and Bono! An amazing achievement for a partnership that has had every obstacle in their path thrown at them in terms of soundness etc! 💪🏽❤️🥹

Hope everyone enjoys the rest of their weekend!!

09/07/2024

2 very relaxed patients today, the lovely Barney during some poll release and then young Peter having a snooze post treatment whilst I did his buddy! Love seeing how relaxed the horses become and watching them release off during treatment 🙏🏽 hopefully both ponies continue to feel relaxed and comfortable 🐴

01/07/2024

I just love this little mare, one of my regulars who I’ve got to know quite well and become very fond of over the years 🧡

I think she enjoyed her treatment today, lots of big yawns and releases, after a busy few weeks jumping at Hickstead and Bolesworth. 🐎🐎🐎

27/06/2024

These are common clinical signs of Equine Cushing's disease (also known as PPID*) and 20% of horses over the age of 15 have Equine Cushing’s disease.

If you have any suspicion that your horse may have this disease, then please give us a call 01303 768530 to book an appointment and free** test for Equine Cushing’s disease provided by ’s

*Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction
**Laboratory test fees only. T&C’s apply.

27/06/2024

Finally feels like summer is here! 🤩☀️🐎
You can tell the first photo is from a few weeks back hence the jacket! It’s been more beach weather the last few days! 😅

Now the warmer weather is here, we can FINALLY start to enjoy our horses a bit more 🙏🏽

But everyone just be mindful of the heat, and of course the harder ground…upping our horses work/competition schedule in the summer can unfortunately highlight any niggles which may have previously been missed when riding less!

I’ve had a morning of sorting my diary, getting back to messages, reports and invoicing…if anyone is still waiting to hear from me or wants to book in please let me know, July and August are filling up quickly! Although my wrist is 99%better…still having to be very careful (practicing what I preach for tendon injuries!)