Osteopathy For Horse and Rider

31/03/2023

Every equestrian right now ☔️ it’s spring right 😬

20/05/2021

Why is your horse difficult to shoe?
Is it a sign of pain?

Similar to Dysons ethogram, Mannsman et al. (2011) suggested a pain ethogram for the shoeing process. The study expressed that the behaviours can be the result of bad training, improper handling, or the recall of past pain/punishment but its findings correlated with Dyson and concluded that pain must be considered first!

When shoeing horses we can be asking them to make unnatural body compensations to facilitate our work. The image below shows how shoeing the hinds can affect all the way along the dorsal myofascial line. Horses presenting with pathology along that line will struggle. A common "behaviour" can be hopping around, also snatching or slamming the leg down. Something I have experienced often in horses presenting with negative plantar angles. However, often these horses can have great feet and we are experiencing the effects of higher pain.

Very often the amount of difficulty can be proportionate to how poor the feet are, as they improve with remedial farriery the signs of pain reduce.
In the meantime simple considerations can be made. A horse with very thin soles or pr*****ed frogs, leave the opposite shoe on and do one foot at a time, for example.

As farriers we are well placed to note these "behaviours" as possible early signs of otherwise unrecognised discomfort, or even reactions to obvious poor hoof conformation. Not label the horse as "bad"!

In my experience, and supported by Mannsman et al. (2011) these behaviours desist with the improvement of the feet or higher issues.
Horses, in general, are genuine animals. Recognising pain in the horse is an obligation for anyone working with them and mentioning shoeing observations can be the first step in saving horses from unrecognised higher issues.

Further reading at this link..
https://www.theequinedocumentalist.com/post/recognising-pain-in-the-horse

16/05/2021

So important to look after ourselves. Amazing advice thank you x

Just be you

Having been quite ill recently life really is to short
As a therapist we can sometimes suffer with demons that engulf our mind and make us doubt ourselves

Stop looking over your shoulder at what others are doing, follow who you admire and inspire you to better your work

Don't look at things which you didn't spot as a failure see it as a learning curve for the next time you come across it

Grab every opportunity that comes your way because if you don't someone else will, don't be exclusive you want to surround yourself with as many other professionals with your same ethics, we need to keep spreading knowledge and empower owners

Being different in the way you approach your work can be lonely at the beginning but you will see others will follow, the most important part is only between you, the owner and the horse you are not there to impress you are there to help

Clients, horses will come and go that's just a fact of life we can't change that

Don't take your work home (honestly it's hard but in any job it's the best bit of advice)

Treat every client like it's the first horse you have seen, you may have done 30 that week but to the client their horse is the most important, listen to everything they say as they know their horse better than anyone else

And finally just be you the horse will know your true self they will let you know wether you are doing the right thing x

The wonderful Theo having a snooze after his session x

05/08/2019

On my days off i like to spend time with my horses but i also try to make time and fit in some Pilates. I feel this is essential for my own spinal health and prevents injury, especially after a busy working week and general yard duties. Pilates has definitively impacted my riding making me more balanced in the saddle and aware of my posture.

Recently Pippa Cossen's and i have been taking time to do some CPD Pilates training by Jeannie Di Bon. The Jeannie Di Bon Pilates program focuses on Pilates exercises to support people with Hypermobility, Ehlers-Danlos (EDS) and chronic pain.

I would be interested to hear from any horse riders out there who have been diagnosed with Hypermobility or EDS or anyone who would like support in managing their pain. Please send me a message hello@osteopathyforall.co.uk or call on 07715457840, 01825 840582.

01/08/2019