Jayne Connors - Equine Osteopath & Sports Massage

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Jayne Connors - Equine Osteopath & Sports Massage

Sports Massage Therapist (human & equine), equine osteopath and WINBACK therapist covering Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire

28/07/2025

📅 Competing this summer? Out hacking more in the warmer weather? Or increasing your horse’s training?

Now’s a great time for a mid-season check-in with sports massage or osteopathy.

Regular bodywork helps to:
✔️ Keep movement fluid and balanced
✔️ Reduce the risk of injury or fatigue
✔️ Support recovery between training or events
✔️ Ensure small issues don’t turn into big ones

📍 Oxfordshire | Buckinghamshire | Berkshire
📩 Drop me a message to book or ask questions.

25/07/2025

Did you know… horses carry approximately 60% of their weight on the forehand at rest — and even more when unbalanced?

This is why so many horses struggle with:
🔸 Shoulder tension
🔸 Shortened front-end movement
🔸 Difficulty lifting through the back or engaging the hindquarters

Regular osteopathy and sports massage can help support better posture, release front-end tightness, and reduce overload through the forelimbs — helping your horse move more freely and efficiently.

23/07/2025

Your horse works hard — make sure their body can keep up.

Whether they’re a competition athlete or a happy hacker, every horse deserves to feel comfortable in their body.

Equine Osteopathy and Sports Massage can:
✅ Improve mobility and flexibility
✅ Relieve muscle tension and fascial restrictions
✅ Support postural alignment and balance
✅ Help prevent compensatory injuries

If your horse is showing subtle signs of discomfort — stiffness on one rein, dropping performance, or just not feeling quite right — it might be time for a check-in.

📍 Covering Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire & Berkshire
📩 Message to book or find out more.

21/07/2025

🔍 “Your Horse Is Hiding More Than You Think”

Understanding how horses compensate and why early intervention matters.

Horses are incredibly stoic animals. As prey animals, they’re biologically wired to hide signs of pain or weakness — it’s a survival instinct. This means they often continue to perform while quietly compensating for discomfort, until the issue becomes much more noticeable… and sometimes harder to treat.

That’s why as owners, riders, and therapists, we need to learn to listen to the whispers before they become shouts.

🧠 What Does “Compensation” Look Like in a Horse?
Discomfort rarely shows up where the actual issue began. For example:

🔹 A restriction in the pelvis might show up as a sore back.
🔹 Tension around the poll or jaw can affect balance, contact, and gait.
🔹 A subtle change in hoof balance may lead to tension up the entire limb chain.
🔹 Previous tack or saddle pressure can create fascia restrictions that linger long after the fit is corrected.

And all of these can lead to one-sidedness, stiffness, irregular stride length, tension under saddle, or behavioural changes like tail swishing or reluctance to move forward.

📚 Why This Matters
If we only focus on what’s obviously sore — the back, the shoulder, the girth area — we risk treating symptoms without ever addressing the cause.

That’s where equine osteopathy and sports massage come in. They help:

✔️ Identify compensatory patterns
✔️ Improve overall mobility and nervous system tone
✔️ Release fascial and muscular tension
✔️ Restore balance and coordination
✔️ Prevent future strain or injury

🔎 Key Takeaway
Just because your horse isn't "lame" doesn't mean everything is fine.
Minor, ongoing restrictions can quietly undermine performance, comfort, and longevity.

Early intervention is key. Catching and addressing subtle changes in movement or posture means your horse can stay healthier, more comfortable, and better able to perform their job — whatever that may be.

📩 If something feels "just a bit off" — you're probably right. Trust your instincts. I'm here to help.

18/07/2025

There’s nothing more rewarding than hearing how much horses and owners appreciate the work I do!

I’m so grateful for the kind words, trust, and continued support from clients like you. Every review helps others learn more about what I do and how osteopathy and sports massage can support equine wellbeing.

💬 Have I helped your horse feel better, move more freely, or perform with more ease? I’d love to hear about it!

If you’ve had a positive experience, please consider leaving a review — it really helps others find the care their horses need too. 🙏

16/07/2025

“Your Horse’s Body Changes — Even When You Don’t Notice”

You don’t have to wait for an issue to arise before booking a session.
Many horses benefit from regular bodywork to help:

✅ Prevent compensation
✅ Keep muscles soft and symmetrical
✅ Address subtle postural shifts
✅ Support consistency in training

Think of it like maintaining a well-tuned engine — small, regular adjustments keep everything running smoothly and can reduce the risk of injury long-term.

📅 Booking regular check-ins can save you time, worry, and even vet bills later.

📩 DM to ask when your horse might be due a session!

14/07/2025

“Let’s Talk Ribs: Why Rib Mobility Matters in Your Horse”

Did you know your horse’s ribs play a key role in posture, breathing, and saddle comfort?

Each rib connects to the spine and should have a small but important range of motion. When that movement is restricted — due to poor posture, saddle fit, or tension — it can lead to:

🔸 Shortened stride
🔸 Reduced ribcage expansion (affecting breath and performance)
🔸 Discomfort under the saddle
🔸 Bracing through the back

In osteopathy and sports massage, we assess rib mobility as part of the whole picture — because discomfort here can show up as resistance elsewhere (like tension through the shoulders or hindlimbs).

💡 If your horse is tight behind the girth, reactive to grooming, or struggles with collection, the ribcage might be part of the story.

11/07/2025

🐴 Is Your Horse Still Sore — Even After Getting a New Saddle?
An ill-fitting saddle doesn’t just cause discomfort in the moment — it can leave a lasting impact on your horse’s muscles, posture, and movement patterns.

🔹 Muscle tension builds up as the horse braces against pressure.
🔹 Fascia can become restricted, limiting flexibility and comfort.
🔹 Compensation sets in — your horse might start moving differently to avoid discomfort.
🔹 Even after getting a properly fitted saddle, that tension can remain.

💆‍♀️ That’s where Sports Massage can help.

Once a new saddle is in place, it’s the perfect time to release built-up tightness and retrain the body to move freely again.

✅ Relieves areas that were previously under pressure
✅ Supports better symmetry and posture
✅ Enhances comfort and performance under the new saddle
✅ Helps prevent ongoing compensatory issues

💡 Think of it as hitting the “reset” button for your horse’s back.

If you’ve recently had your saddle refitted or replaced, now is the ideal time to support your horse’s recovery with a targeted Sports massage session.

📍Covering Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire & Berkshire
📩 Message me to book or ask questions — I’m happy to help.

09/07/2025

Did You Know?

I studied at the London College of Animal Osteopathy – one of the few institutions dedicated solely to advancing osteopathic care for animals. 🐴✨

This training gave me an in-depth understanding of anatomy, biomechanics, and how to support your horse's health through gentle, effective techniques that work with the body — not against it.

From subtle performance changes to long-standing tension or discomfort, equine osteopathy offers a holistic approach to improving mobility, posture, and comfort.

📍 Based in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire & Berkshire
📩 Have questions about how osteopathy could help your horse? I’d love to chat.

07/07/2025

Ever come home from a show thinking:
- “That round felt off…”
- Wrong canter lead?
- Stiffer than usual on one rein?
- Horse just not quite themselves?

It might not be a training issue. It could be compensations from tight muscles or restricted movement.

Remember:
Pain or stiffness isn't always obvious — sometimes, it whispers through subtle changes in performance.

✅ Sports massage and Osteopathy can help identify and resolve those minor imbalances before they become bigger problems.

Let’s get ahead of it.
If something didn’t feel right this weekend, get them booked in for a sports massage or osteopathy session.

04/07/2025

🐴 Is Your Horse Trying to Tell You Something?

Subtle changes in how your horse moves or behaves can be signs that something’s not quite right beneath the surface.

Here are some common indicators that your horse may benefit from Equine Osteopathy:

🔹 One-sidedness — always stiffer on one rein?
🔹 Trouble with bend, collection, or transitions
🔹 Bucking, rearing, or resistance under saddle
🔹 Gait abnormalities — something just feels “off”
🔹 Discomfort during grooming or tacking up

These may point to underlying restrictions or compensations in the body — even if your horse isn’t lame.

🧠 Osteopathy looks beyond the symptoms to restore mobility, balance, and comfort across the whole horse.

Not sure if your horse needs it?
📩 I’m happy to chat — just drop me a message.

02/07/2025

Having always had a passion for, and worked with horses, I saw many that were unable to perform at their best, and wanted to improve their well being.

So I trained in Equine Sports Massage but soon realised that I couldn't help them as much as I wanted to, so I continued my studies and I am now an Equine Osteopath.

Now I can make horses as comfortable as I can, whatever level they are in at work, rest or play.

I love that I can assess and treat the respiratory, circulatory, neurological, metabolic, energy and behavioural systems through my musculoskeletal work.

I cover Oxfordshire and most of Bucks and Berks so please give me a shout if I can help you and/or your four-legged variety...

Fully qualified and insured.

Member of IAAT & AOW

Address

Oxford

Telephone

+447970270204

Website

http://www.jayneconnors.co.uk/

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