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Merlin Veterinary Physiotherapy

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Merlin Veterinary Physiotherapy

Hi I'm Ciara, I'm here for leisure horse mums. East Grinstead & surrounds up to 45 mins. I am ACPAT, RAMP, CSP and HCPC registered. www.merlinvetphysio.co.uk
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Helping you get answers, relieve pain & move freer -both of you, so you can enjoy riding harmoniously.

🐎Hands-on Physio
🐎Online resources

⭐ Ride better EASIER: 3 Must-Dos
subscribepage.io/ridebetterEASIER Hi, I'm Ciara, I'm a Chartered Physiotherapist and Veterinary Physiotherapist. I help horses with signs of pain or discomfort to demystify what they're trying to tell us, and get the right treatment, so that you as their owner can worry less and feel confident with a clear plan. I make horses & ponies feel more comfortable with hands-on Physiotherapy and targeted exercises, so you can enjoy your relationship with them more. I want to create a world where every equine has good quality of life, even with painful conditions, because they have everything they need to keep them comfortable. I use a wide range of therapeutic techniques, including joint mobilisations & manipulations, myofascial release, trigger point therapy, LASER, therapeutic ultrasound, H-wave, NMES, pulsed electromagnetic therapy. Treatments are selected for the best results for the individual after thorough assessment. I also treat humans, so you can improve your riding with symmetry, strength and suppleness, putting less strain on your horse's back. I'm also a great believer in respecting horses' psychological health as well as physical health. I believe in Positive Reinforcement training and would love to see far fewer stress behaviours and 'pain faces' in the entire equestrian world.

26/08/2025

Is that plantar fasciitis actually plantar fasciitis??

My client said her feet had been really sore lately.
She said she had an Achilles tendon problem on one, and plantar fasciitis on the other.

Both were diagnosed years ago by the GP. The GP gave her the usual classic advice; rest it and roll on a ball or bottle of ice. Oh and get insoles.

Incredibly outdated advice with zero evidence and not effective!

So when that didn't help, she believed she was simply stuck with these pains n there was nothing she could do about it.

So I started assessing her and pretty much immediately knew she had a weakness in the Tibialis Posterior tendon, from the way her foot moved in a heel raise.

Sure enough, poking the plantar fascia was fine, and as soon as I poked the tib.post. it was shockingly painful.

That tendon runs under the arch of the foot. So yes it can give pain in the underneath of the foot.

But just because there's a pain in a certain part of the body, there's NOT just ONE diagnosis to jump to!

(*Cough-kissing spine-cough*)

My lovely client, who often has to go up & down stairs 1 at a time or sideways, now has a targeted strengthening programme.
Both for Tib.post.tendinopathy and Achilles tendinopathy.

There's a very good chance she'll make a full recovery.

Moral of the story: Don't accept 'there's nothing you can do about your pain'

-A GP isn't a musculoskeletal specialist, and they classically diagnose wrong

-If the advice you've been given (from whoever professional) hasn't helped, tell someone! Either go back to the person & ask for something else, or try a different professional

24/08/2025

Sorry for being quiet lately, I've been enjoying time without my phone!

On holiday in Cornwall (with no signal or WiFi or even 4G!), then Essex (bit random, but it was a cheap caravan with kids activities 😂)

Now we're back and I'm ready to rock n roll, helping all my lovely client horseys to feel & move better.

Starting today. Yep a Sunday. That's self-employment 😉
Good job I LOVE my job isn't it! 😁

23/08/2025

Can't believe our luck!
Just decided to spend a couple of hours at the local beach, on our last day of holiday yesterday...

And saw the amazing Red Arrows!!

It just so happened to be the air show 😄

Also got to experience part of history, with the Spitfire & Hurricane, that the wonderful Queen Victoria Hospital (near me and where I worked) has parts named after.

Even my business name, which is actually my road name, was the famous engine for these planes.

But to feel even more connected, there was also an RNLI event.

Seeing these incredible lifeboats always gets me a bit emotional, cos my grandad was in the Navy and was a huge supporter of the RNLI.

So I always feel I'm honouring him when I donate to them.

But it's the impressiveness of the huge boats, that you never want to have to see a certain side of, that just gets me.

I don't even know why. It just reminds me how powerful and deadly the sea is, and how fragile we are, even though I'm so happy & feel at home when on the ocean.

It's like a deep rooted love that comes from my blood, with a slight fear at the same time. Or is it just respect?

It's very similar to horses! We can absolutely love riding, but have respect for the dangers and natural prey instincts at the same time.

20/08/2025

What's one thing you've changed?
-What did you used to do, that you now do differently, in terms of horse care?

There's a lot of negativity about the horse world atm.
But I know so many of us have developed & learned, and make better choices because we know more now.

I'm on a mission to show that horses are being treated better than ever
(at least the lucky ones, with owners that listen).

Let's show the internet that humans can be good for horses!

16/08/2025

For years, this rider thought her old ankle injury was just the way it is now...

Full of scar tissue causing joint stiffness and pain.

Like so many riders, she had just accepted it was 'damaged'.

But like I've said before, there is virtually NO permanent 'damage' in biology.

There's healing.

Sometimes that healing process doesn't do us many favours.

But you don't know there isn't potential to improve until you try.

At the start of her appointment, one of my favourite outcome measures; the knee-wall test was a maximum of 9cm from the big toe to the wall.
The other foot was 13cm.

So it just shows the difference in the amount of ankle bend.

Some ankle & mid-foot joint mobilisations later, we had gained 2.5cm;
Taking it to 11.5

That's a LOT closer to the other ankle's flexibility!

Plus it felt a whole lot better, the pain didn't bother her in day-to-day life, and she could get a better riding position.

And that's just one session!

13/08/2025

This lovely, sensitive mare is an ex-racer that was essentially saved by her wonderful human.

Her behaviour can be challenging, but she's now never treated negatively, helping her trust people again.

Her gait assessment basically looked like her back end wasn't really connected to the front end.

She has recently developed headshaking, so has again been checked by the vets.

Her lameness assessment didn't come up with anything, her dental showed no reason for headshaking, and she has a really good ergonomic bridle.

I found a few things, with some weakness and lumbopelvic joint stiffness.

But also this scar over her back, which was quite tethered.

Where the supraspinous ligament should glide freely up & down, over the DSPs, you can see how it just doesn't.

It has stuck down the tissues from the skin, underneath, through to the top of the spine.

This is one factor that would prevent her spine moving freely, allowing her to tuck the back end (or lift the back, showing 'hindlimb engagement').

I taught her mum scar massage, to untether it.

She's done really well, and on her second appointment a few weeks later the supraspinous ligament can glide up and down the spine, without being stuck in the middle.

11/08/2025

Following on from my scar tissue post, it's also the reason I got lead down a particular path for helping riders.

I could never stand yoga, partly the thought of sitting still humming. And partly cos I tried a class once...

Not only did the class try to get us to stretch outside of my comfort zone (being hypermobile there are things that I really shouldn't do in terms of joint strain),

But also the bit at the end was unbearable!

They got us doing the whole silence thing. Which, when you're with mates at uni trying not to laugh, builds up by just opening an eye.

Then they actually started humming.

Have you ever tried forcing your mouth closed, when your belly is uncontrollably laughing?!

It comes out in short fart sounds...

It was a vicious cycle of hilarious embarrassment.

So I swore I'd never do it again. Yoga was just not my thing.

Fast forward 10 years.

I got pregnant.

But the pregnancy exploded. It turned out it was in the fallopian tube instead of travelling down to the womb.

So I had massive internal bleeding, emergency life-saving surgery, and healed with a scar.

6 months later we were allowed to try again.

Lucky enough to pregnant again, but the early scan showed it was ectopic again.

Not in the one fallopian tube I had left, but actually encased in the wall of the womb.

Having been told it was too early to have the surgery to remove it, but the injection wouldn't work because it had a heartbeat, I was left with something inside me that

a) could possibly keep growing and become a viable baby, that we really wanted

Or b) could kill me at any moment

(It was a highly vascular area, so the bleeding out would be quicker than the first one)

Long story short, it exploded before the next appointment.

The emergency surgery was a bigger incision, left more extensive scar tissue, and saved my life.

After that, most people thought I wouldn't want to try again.

And it was scary. Petrifying. But I was so desperate to give my little girl a sibling.

So I knew I had to do everything possible to reduce the risk of another pregnancy getting stuck in scar tissue on it's way to the womb.

And I had to make sure my mental health was taken care of.

I didn't want a baby to be grown flooded by stress hormones.

So... Along with learning abdominal scar massage, womb releases, etc.,

I learned fertility yoga.

It opened my eyes to how beneficial TARGETED yoga can be.

It was all about getting freedom of movement in the pelvic/abdominal area, circulation, and using the diaphragm to breathe properly (which creates movement of abdominal contents in itself).

That turned into pregnancy yoga, which starts with gentle womb nurturing and progresses to become all about opening up the hips, giving the pelvis freedom to widen, and teaching the body to breathe deep into abdominal relaxation while working at the same time.

Sound familiar?

Yep, I realised it's all EXACTLY what we need for riding!

So after that miracle baby was born -the calmest baby I'd ever known btw- I had it in my head I needed to get it out there.

Yoga for riders that is.

Targeted movement, that loosens up the hips, pelvis and back.

Breathing properly, to let our bodies flow.

And some positive visualisation thrown in.

But definitely no humming!

And so, that's how Symmetry & Synergy, the mini library of helpful movements for riders, started.

07/08/2025

What's a POSI splint?
-said no horsey client ever to me 😂

The thing is, I've made loads of them. But nobody has ever asked what they are or how they work.

Because why would you, when you don't even know something exists or why?!

Ya don't know what you don't know.

So, it's the Position Of Safe Immobilty. We make these splints for people with hand burns.

And why on earth is that relevant to horses?

Because in my time as an NHS physio, I learned SO much, in all different areas, that is helpful for horses...

For example, having treated Burns patients, from first admission to hospital to the outpatient scar clinic 2 years later, I've seen the whole range of scars.

The reason we make POSI splints as soon as someone comes into ITU with burns, is because scar tissue contracts as it heals.

If burnt hands are left to their own devices, the fingers contract up into a claw, the thumb pulls into the hand, and the person ends up with a completely unusable hand.

And before anyone thinks 'they could just cut the contracted scar to release the fingers & thumb', nope.

You see, once this contracture has happened, it's not just the skin.

It affects ALL the tissues within it; tendons, ligaments, joint capsule.

And ya can't just cut through everything.

Because scar tissue also acts like super glue.

Scars can get 'stuck down' (tethered), sticking any structures underneath it and preventing them from moving.

That means if a scar is over or within a muscle, that muscle can be prevented from contracting properly.

If a scar is over or within a tendon, or ligament that needs to glide (like the supraspinous ligament on a horse's back), adhesed scar tissue can stop it gliding.

Same for suspensories, SDFT, DDFT, etc.

So actually, what starts off sounding completely irrelevant to horses, becomes hugely important!

My experience with scar management has helped loads of horses move better and feel better.

Ok the splinting (I've made all sorts of weird n wonderful splints) doesn't get used much for horses. It's only if a foal has a leg deformity really.

But I have splinted a fair few doggies; including a custom thermoplastic one for a huge dog with an Achilles tendon rupture, and a few carpal (wrist) splints for instability.

Anyway. The point is
1. Don't underestimate the effect scarring has on your horse's freedom to move.

2. We all have different experience within our qualifications, so can often bring different things to the table. Don't rule out an entire profession from being able to help your horse, if you've tried one person.

06/08/2025

Well it's been a very busy week (no I don't know what day it is -it's school holidays so everything's blurred!)
I always find it weird how I get a run of similar problems.

There was a week or 2 of shoulders (actual shoulder pains) & withers (joint stiffness in the front part of thoracic spine)...

Then there was a week of one-sided rib joint stiffness and thoracic spinal joint pains.

Now this week I've had a bunch of lumbar spine pain with very stiff pelvises.

Each horse is very different, in what they need, their sensitivity and personality.

But I'm really pleased with how they've all responded, with much improved mobility and no pain reactions by the end of treatment. 🥰

04/08/2025

One of the coolest things about what I offer now, is when I need to prescribe certain exercises or movements.

It used to be that I could only spend half the treatment time doing hands-on releases & mobilisations.

Then I'd have to spend a good chunk of the appointment demonstrating, explaining & getting my patients to practise the exercises they need.

I'd give them up to 3 targeted exercises, then recommend a really vague 'general movement to get your whole body using the ranges we're meant to have'

NOW though, it's so simple!

I can literally say 'you need to do Yoga Flow no 3' for your upper back.
Or 'the glut.s activation one'.
Or rotator cuff strengthening.
Or whichever the person needs most.

So we can spend the WHOLE time doing manual treatments that really help your body move better, straighten up, and feel better.

And because you have access to the video library all the time, you don't even need to remember the exercises I teach you!

It's such a relief to be able to point people towards the exact right 'general whole body movement' that I mean. Cos I know exactly what's in it. Cos. I made it 😂

Symmetry & Synergy has everything that busy horsey-people need. Especially those that don't have time to go to the gym.

You get your body moving through all the joint ranges you're meant to use, so you feel looser, so you can go with the flow when you're riding.

And if you want/need hands-on treatment for a pain, it's complemented perfectly 😊

If anyone else is interested, just message me for the link 👍

02/08/2025

Why is it so cheap to get a human treatment? Well, it's Win-Win-Win!..

Most physio appointments cost £70, up to about £120 for someone with my experience.

But the reason I have a reduced rate when you book with your horse, is because it benefits all 3;

1. It helps my small business, as there's less time spent travelling between clients if I see you both at the same time

2. You get the benefit of having targeted treatment, that's not only specialised to know exactly what your body needs for riding, but also how your horse's issues are affecting you.

And for anyone that has pain, you get answers and help to get out of pain, so you can function as a person in normal life too.

Plus it's convenient -you don't need to make time to get to a clinic somewhere. I'm literally there where you are on the yard!

3. MOST IMPORTANTLY: It helps your horse!

I've explained before how often I find problems with stiffness, tightness and/or pain in horses' bodies, that end up being directly related to their riders' stiffness/tightness/pain.

You can go round & round in circles with getting your horse treated and keep having the same problems come back.

Cos if it's actually your body causing the problem, it'll never be fixed unless you sort your own out.

And all I want is for horses to be comfortable & happy.
It upsets me to see or feel a sore bit in a horse, that could be sorted by taking away the extra strain or pressure on it.

So, booking your human treatment combined with your horse's is a triple win, but mostly to help your horse feel better 😄

Address

East Grinstead

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 8pm
Wednesday	8am - 8pm
Friday	8am - 8pm
Saturday	8am - 8pm
Sunday	9am - 5pm

Telephone

+447939840305

Website

http://www.merlinvetphysio.co.uk/

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