Cheyenne Equine Sports Rehabilitation Therapist

08/09/2022

Rest in peace your Majesty

The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.

The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.

22/05/2022

It bears repeating...

Saddle length is a hugely important component when assessing saddle fit and a saddle that is too long can have so many detrimental effects that can manifest as lameness, bad behavior and more.

Some of the issues caused by a saddle that is too long are:
- Bucking
- Lateral walk
- 4 Beat canter
- Saddle slip
- Muscle Atrophy
- Inability to pick up canter/get certain leads
- Hollow back
- Kissing spine
- Broken spinous processes
- Broken transverse processes of the lumbar vertebrae

When a saddle is too long it sits on the lumbar vertebrae. The biggest difference between the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae is that the thoracic vertebrae are connected to the ribs and have an additional support structure whereas the lumbar do not. The transverse processes of the lumbar vertebrae come straight outwards and are extremely delicate - easily injured by the concussion of saddle and rider when the saddle is not fitted properly.

Additionally, a saddle that is too long also blocks the movement of the back which is why many horses will be unable to pick up certain canter leads, or the canter all together. They will also buck to try and relieve the pressure off the lumbar - where many think bucking is simply bad behavior, it is, more often than not, a reaction to pain.

With longer saddles, riders typically sit further back, especially if they are not in a gender appropriate saddle. This only exacerbates the issue as there is now excess pressure behind the last thoracic vertebrae, to which the horse will react by dropping and tensing their back. They can no longer move softly or utilize their body appropriately to carry the rider and thus causes additional stress on not just the back, but now also the legs and other parts of the body.

Unfortunately, a huge majority of the saddles we see are far too long for the horse and the consequences of the incorrect fit are obvious.

25/01/2022

25/12/2021

Merry Christmas, I hope everyone has enjoyed their day. 🎄

18/07/2021

Please stay safe everyone and take extra precautions to stay cool

04/04/2021

Happy Easter 🐰🐣🍫

05/10/2020

15/02/2020

Storm Dennis hasn't stopped me from going out and massaging horses today, just a bit wind swepped 🍃☔
I hope everyone is being careful in this weather

11/01/2020

**JANUARY DISCOUNT**
Let's beat those January blues with a 50% discount on all massages. Why not treat your horse to a relaxing massage, any booking made during January (can be used at a later date) will receive a 50% discount.

That's only:
👉 £20 routine massage
👉£15 pre/post event massage

Why not book now to avoid disappointment

09/01/2020

Very Interesting Read

GOING IN CIRCLES

When horses roamed the plains, they did exactly that: they roamed. They drifted along, grazing and mostly walking in straight lines. When horses worked for a living, they continued to walk those straight lines, pulling a plow from one end of the field to the other, pulling a milk wagon from one end of town to the other, or pushing cattle from one end of Texas to the other. As they transitioned from work animals to recreation vehicles, they generally continued walking, jogging, or cantering in reasonably straight lines, going from one end of a trail to the other.

Of course, not all work or recreation involved strict, straight line movement. They were asked to cut cattle, which often required them to work laterally, with sudden starts and stops and jolts and jerks. They were asked to perform military/dressage maneuvers, with significant lateral movement and transitions. They were asked to foxhunt, which required them to work over fences and around obstacles. They were asked to participate in sport, such as polo, which again required stops, starts, bursts of speed and lateral work. And, of course, they were asked to race, which required speed, but generally on straight line tracks or long ovals.

As they transitioned into show and competition arenas, however, they shifted away from straight line activity. We changed the game and asked them to become focused athletes and runway models. In doing so, we put them into smaller and smaller spaces and asked them to perform more and more patterned behaviors. Basically, we put them into patterned, repetitive movements—mostly in circles... little, tight circles. And they started to fall apart, experiencing more and more issues with joint problems, soft tissue injuries, and general lameness concerns.

We blamed their failures and breakdowns on bad breeding practices and poor genetics; we blamed their failures on bad farriers and inadequate veterinarians; we blamed their breakdowns on poor training and conditioning, poor horse keeping practices, bad nutritional practices, and any number of other things. And, while none of these should be disallowed, the fact remains that we changed the game and put them into those little, tiny circles and repetitive activities. So, let’s look at equine anatomy, and specifically, let’s look at that in relation to athletic maneuvers and activities.

First and foremost, the horse is designed to be heavy on the forehand. We fight against that concept, asking them to engage their hindquarters, to “collect,” and to give us impulsion. And they’re capable of doing so… but they’re not designed or “programmed” to sustain such activity for any length of time. When they do this in “natural” settings and situations, they’re playing, they’re being startled or frightened, or they’re showing off. None of these are sustained activities.

Likewise, when they do engage, they’re generally bolting forward, jumping sideways, or leaping upwards. And they're typically doing that with a burst of speed and energy, not in slow motion. Ultimately, their design is simply not conducive to circular work. Each joint, from the shoulder to the ground is designed for flexion and extension—for forward motion, not lateral motion. In fact, these joints are designed to minimize and restrict lateral or side-to-side movement.

01/01/2020

I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year and Decade!!
I hope it is a good one!!

25/12/2019

As Christmas Day is drawing to an end, I just want to wish everyone a very merry Christmas 🎄

21/12/2019

Congratulations guys, it's the shortest day.
Summer evenings are starting, the days will start getting longer and the evenings shorter.
Summer is on its way!!

18/10/2019

Hi guys, hope everyone is well.

Competition Results:
Thank you to everyone who shared and liked the competition. I have drawn out a winner and a runner up.

Congratulations:
🎉Winner (free massage) - Sophie Arson🎉
🎊Runner up (50% discount) - J J Smith🎊

If you both could message me and we can discuss booking an appointment. Thank you to everyone else for entering. However anyone who would like to book an appointment please feel free to message me.

Thank you

04/10/2019

🎉 Competition Time🎉

To celebrate 2 years of business, I am running a competition for 1 week finishing at 9pm on the 11th October.

The winner will receive a free sports massage for their horse, with runner up receiving 50% of a sports massage for their horse. 🐴

All you have to do is follow three simple steps:
👉Like the page Cheyenne Equine Sports Rehabilitation Therapist
👉👉 Share this post
👉👉👉 Comment done

I will reveal the the winner and runner up on Saturday the 12th October.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me

Good Luck Everyone 😀

03/10/2019

02/10/2019

Interesting read...

02/10/2019

As the eventing and showing season come to end. Either you had a successful season and achieved your goals or simpy had fun.
Why not treat your horse to a massage to relieve any tension they may have and get them ready for the winter. ❄❄