Cheshire Equine Therapy - physical therapy, rehab, coaching, & training

31/01/2026

🩷

28/01/2026

🤔 Are they trained bit and bridle fitters? (Or saddle in the case of your saddle)

🤦‍♂️I get these so many times during every day. I get it you want to do the best for your horse and will listen to anyone with advice.

🙏But unless they are trained fitters I would always research, question it and seek professional advice.

🦶I wouldn't go to a podiatrist and expect help with my oral health.

🧏‍♀️ just because the last owner used that set up doesn't mean its suitable for you. You ride very differently to everyone else. Your hands will be different and your thoughts on 'control' will be different to everyone else.

🤼‍♀️ just because your last horse loved a certain thing doesn't mean this one will. They are all unique with unique confirmation so why would they want the same thing?

Always get the person for the job!
Equine Fitters Directory
Equigate

19/01/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BQRA33W45/

This can be quite a hard pill to swallow, but it is true…

Sometimes we aren’t what our horse needs during their rehab.

They could potentially need a more experienced rider, a lighter or better balanced rider, maybe a paid rider who has the time to ride consistently.

For whatever reason, accepting the fact that our horse may need a different rider is an act of putting their welfare above our own ego.

Double tap if you agree ♥️

14/01/2026

13/01/2026

My Top5️⃣“Wellbeing & Performance” Staples that are actually problematic from a physical therapy, biomechanics, training & welfare perspective.
Everywhere in the horse world being justified as “normal/necessary/helpful, but actually looking at the evidence, the horse’s body& learning theory… the picture isn’t so comfortable
1️⃣Horse Walkers-Marketed as safe, easy exercise but place horses in continuous circular movement, small diameters, on worn surfaces & away from their herd
➡️Mentally-can trigger stress responses
➡️Physically: circular exercise; asymmetrical limb loading, altered stride mechanics, restricted hoof rotation& repetitive strain
Convenience often replaces natural movement, variation & social comfort
2️⃣Training Aids (Pessoa, draw reins, bungees etc.)
Force a posture instead of teaching self-carriage.
Research shows limited evidence they improve topline or core engagement — despite the visual illusion of “roundness”
➡️Restrict natural head/neck movement (vital for balance & breathing)
➡️Alter stride mechanics without functional benefit
➡️Risk pain, confusion, reliance& masked discomfort
Good training should invite correct movement — not mechanically trap it
3️⃣Shoes (as a default, not a tool) -can be useful in specific situations — but as a blanket norm, they interfere with the hoof’s natural expansion, shock absorption & sensory feedback. Added weight alters limb mechanics & can increase distal limb stress
➡️Protection ≠ performance ≠ long-term soundness
The issue isn’t shoes existing — it’s shoes being automatic
4️⃣Round Pens / Lunging Pens
More circles. More asymmetry. More repetition.
Overuse — especially in small pens — increases musculoskeletal strain & can reinforce stress-based training that relies on controlling the flight response rather than learning theory
➡️Widely used ≠ evidence-based
Circles aren’t evil — living on them is
5️⃣Flash Nosebands, tight or “within guidelines”, flashs' restrict natural oral behaviours like chewing, yawning & licking — key signs of comfort & stress regulation. Can mask conflict behaviours, creating the illusion of submission. Equipment that hides discomfort is not improving training!

The Ones That Almost Made the List 👀
Haynets, arenas, stables — I don’t hate them… I hate how they’re used.
The issue is rarely the thing itself.
It’s one height, one position, one surface, one pattern, for hours every day.
• Single low haynets → neck strain, jaw asymmetry, frustration
• Small arenas + endless schooling → chronic asymmetrical loading
• Prolonged stabling → deconditioning, stiffness, stress, learned helplessness
These tools have valid uses — but they’re massively over-relied on.
The Bigger Picture 🧠🐴
Most of these practices became “normal” through tradition and convenience, not biomechanics or welfare science.
What the evidence keeps pointing to:
✔️ Natural, varied movement matters
✔️ Training should follow learning theory, not force posture
✔️ Equipment should support comfort, not mask discomfort
✔️ Welfare and sound biomechanics must come before aesthetics
If this made you uncomfortable — good.
That’s usually where better horsemanship starts.

01/01/2026

Chat CPT asked me if I wanted to review my year the chats and ideas that shaped my 2025; pretty accurate! 😊

🐴Integrated care comes together You deepened your multimodal approach -melding chiropractic, physiotherapy, biomechanics, and coaching into seamless, evidence-based care that put equine welfare first.
📚Science behind every choice You grounded your work in research-questioning popular therapies, exploring biomechanics, and translating clinical evidence into clear, trustworthy content for owners and peers.
💬Educating with empathy You refined how you communicate-creating posts, carousels, and lessons that challenge poor practice while staying kind, professional, and constructive toward others

📝Your year in poetry - You balanced the science and soul, Each horse as a whole was your goal.
With evidence clear, And ethics sincere,
You made healing an art, not a role.

🖼️Your year, painted in pixels "Still Life with Hoof Pick and Coffee Mug"
A hoof pick rests beside a half-drunk coffee, surrounded by a stethoscope, a biomechanical diagram, and a pixel horse mid-stretch- equal parts science and sass!

🌌Trust the rhythm between science and feel-it's your signature language.

🌌Keep building bridges between evidence and empathy; that's where your future lives.

🌌A quiet observation in the field will tell you more than a loud opinion ever could.

I think chat gpt gets me, scary 🫣

01/01/2026

❤️💯🙌🏼

01/01/2026

Happy New Year from me & mine to you & yours.
Looking forward to an excellent 2026 & seeing you all very soon hopefully!
🥳🥂🎆🎉

31/12/2025

❤️

27/12/2025