Professional Veterinary Physiotherapy services, Remedial Groundwork, In-hand and Ridden Coaching.
Putting your horses physical and emotional wellbeing first, while empowering the horse-human relationship. Emma provides Veterinary Physiotherapy, Biomechanical and Rehabilitation training to Equine patients in the Midlands and surrounding areas. As an experienced horsewoman Emma has worked professionally in the equine industry for more than 20years, initially as a freelance groom and qualified riding instructor, going on to qualify as a McTimoney Animal Manipulation therapist and Veterinary Physiotherapist. Emma combines her academic knowledge and practical experience to provide owners with a highly tailored service. Giving owners the skills and knowledge to help their own horses stay in the best possible health. Emma is passionate about improving the well being of all horses, from happy hackers to top competition horses and all those in between.
21/12/2025
Happy winter solstice to everyone!
Today marks the winter solstice and brings the shortest amount of daylight. But from tomorrow forwards the days slowly begin to get lighter!
While we will undoubtedly still have dark, wet and wintery days to come, (especially over January), we are heading towards the brighter days of spring and summer.
But for now, may your head torches stay well charged and your gloves and wellies be dry!
Happy winter solstice to everyone ❄️
19/12/2025
This did make me chuckle 🤭
18/12/2025
The use of good groundwork is a far more effective tool than the application of a fixed “training aid”.
Personally I would not recommend the use of the Pessoa, and this great post specifies why! 👇🏼
Effective groundwork and in-hand work improves the horses way of going, improves the horses understanding of the movements and the aids and develops the body in a compassionate way. It also has the massive benefit of developing the horse human relationship, and develops our understanding of the aids, feel and refinement.
18/12/2025
Ponies say NO!
14/12/2025
05/12/2025
Eve had a dental checkup today with Danielle Annable equine dentist 🦷
Though she has had her teeth checked today before under sedation, this was her first time learning about the procedure while she was still awake!
Dani was fab and popped the gag on and had a quick feel round her mouth. No rasping today as the caps from her baby teeth will be falling off in the next few months and she is not going to be expected to do any work any time soon, so she’s booked in for another check up in a year.
Ellin was as always good girl to have her teeth checked too 🦄💜
04/12/2025
Well done Radge ⭐️🏆👏🏼
A remarkable win for Royal Return and Julie Cooney, showcasing how any breed—and even senior horses—can thrive in endurance riding.
02/12/2025
Some environmental and nutrition enrichment for the girls today!
I managed to collect some silver birch branches today and popped them in some haynets to have a munch at.
We often hear about feeding from the ground to improve posture and to mimic normal eating patterns. However, the horse is not only a grazing animal! It is also a browsing animal that will select nutrition from hedges and trees.
Putting optional forage in a higher placed net will mimic this behaviour, encouraging the engagement of the thoracic sling, the shifting of the weight back towards the hind quarters and engaging the abdominals! All the rings we look for in riding 🦄
01/12/2025
A bit of water training over the weekend for Eve 💜
30/11/2025
I spent Saturday at the Horsemanship Showcase watching demos, listening to talks and meeting fellow practitioners and clients.
The showcase is an event to bring the horsemanship community together to share education, inspiration and training techniques, that many would consider as alternative to the methods often seen at horse events.
If you are looking for something away from mainstream equestrianism, this is the place for you and worth a visit.
27/11/2025
I’ve met some lovely horses recently but one or two were initially a little bit unsure about stepping on to the weigh bridge and who can blame them, a random stranger turning up to their homes and asking them to stand on some strange black thing.
They key for me is taking it slowly to give them confidence and letting them take their time to have a good sniff, touch it, stand by it, put one foot on or off and if need be move it to somewhere else for them plus we always have some healthy treats and owners with carrots. The weighbridge is fully mobile so we can move it anywhere that we need to. You will never be put under time pressure and we will take as long as it takes to help the horses build their confidence and be brave enough to stand on the scales. Ironically one of my own, henry, is the trickiest one I’ve ever had but can be bribed with sweeties and is improving every time!
The photo is of a beautiful Chap whose owner had been clicker training him to practice before we arrived. He was a model student 💙
If you are interested in getting your horses weighed and would like us to come to you or you want to know more and have any questions please drop me a message 07779 005554 thanks Rach x
26/11/2025
The relationship with my horses deepened so much more when I wasn’t able to ride them!
Horses don’t wake up with a diary full of performance goals. They’re not standing at the gate thinking, “I hope she schools me in a perfect 20-metre circle today.”
Their world is simpler and more honest. Safety. Predictability. Comfort. Herd. Food. Space. Rhythm. That’s the entire ecosystem of their wellbeing.
When we choose not to ride, we are not depriving them of something vital.
We are actually honouring their natural priorities.
Most days, what your horse wants is for you to show up with steady energy and a soft nervous system. They read the tension in your jaw, the rush in your footsteps, the way you hold your breath when you’re stressed. They know. And they respond.
A horse would rather stand with you quietly than carry you while you’re wound tight.
A horse would rather have a peaceful grooming session than be pushed through 45 minutes of schooling with winter wind rattling the arena boards.
A horse would rather feel you regulate beside them than feel you compensate on their back.
We often forget that riding is a human invention, not a horse requirement. What horses seek is harmony. A safe companion. Someone predictable enough that their bodies can settle next to ours.
When you decide not to ride because you’re tired, or the ground is frozen, or your brain is doing that loud static thing, you’re not failing. You’re speaking the horse’s language.
A regulated human is more valuable to them than a mounted one.
They don’t judge you for walking them to the field instead of tacking up. They don’t measure your worth by hours ridden. They care that you’re safe company. That you don’t bring storms into their space. That when you do ask something of them, it comes from clarity rather than pressure.
Some horses genuinely thrive when riding takes a step back for a little while. Their bodies get a breather. Their minds get space. Their relationship with you gets to be about connection rather than task.
If you’re showing up kindly, you’re doing enough.
If your horse is eating well, moving freely, living in a routine that makes sense to them, you’re doing enough.
And in the quiet seasons, the bond often grows deeper. Because horses remember who sits with them in the stillness.
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Contact The Practice
Send a message to Emma Barber Veterinary Physiotherapy:
Emma is a highly qualified and fully insured Veterinary Physiotherapist working in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Staffordshire and Warwickshire boarders.
A Veterinary Physiotherapist and McTimoney Animal Practitioner, Emma offers a combination of manual therapies, electrotherapies and remedial exercise to address musculoskeletal issues in your horse, giving the best chance for your horse to achieve and maintain peak health and well being.
Having worked in the equestrian industry for over 20 years, Emma is uniquely qualified to offer a vast experience of horses and equine management to back up her academic training and knowledge. Not only trained to the level of BHSAI, she also trained with Kelly Marks and the Intelligent Horsemanship Association utilising the methods of Monty Roberts to increase her understanding of horse psychology and behaviour, allowing Emma to work skilfully with even the most nervous or sensitive horse.
As a member of the National Association of Veterinary Physiotherapists (NAVP) and the Register of Animal Musculoskeletal Practitioners (RAMP), Emma works to a strict code of conduct and is required to undertake Continued Professional Development (CPD) meaning you can be confident of receiving the best level of care for your horse.
Emma is a horse owner herself, owing two thoroughbred ex-racehorses. Solid Silver (Sollie) and Ellin’s Tower (Ellin). Both horses have had their own physical issues, with their rehabilitation often discussed on the page! Sollie (18) is now mainly used for hacking, and Ellin (10) has recently had surgery for overriding dorsal spinous processes (ODSP) or Kissing Spines. You can follow her progress on the page.
