Perfect Strides Veterinary Physiotherapy

13/11/2025

⭐️ Client Spotlight ⭐️

How awesome does my wonderful client Maisie and her pony Norman look at Your Horse Live!!

Not only did they look impeccably turned out (both Norman and Maisie) they only went and won their class!! 🤩😁

Search for a Star 🌟 Your Horse Live In-Hand Amateur Veteran champions 2025
Whoop whoop!! 🙌🏻 🥳

I couldn’t be more proud of them and I am so privileged to be a part of the very large team behind Maisie and Norman - it makes my job even more special. Congrats guys!! 🥰

06/11/2025

Autumn Grass and its challenges for Horses 🌱🐴

As October comes to an end and we embark on November, it is still important to consider the impact that the current warm weather and shorter days are having on our Equine friends.

As the days grow shorter and the temperature fluctuates between warm days and cool nights, sugar spikes in the grass with starch constantly being converted to sugar and acting as a natural antifreeze… in other words our grass is still growing and rapidly too!

Photosynthesis occurs at its best when the days are warm and sunny, leading to an active production of sugar. However unlike summer when the weather tends to remain hot and the grass dies off, the cool nights in Autumn slow down the metabolism of the sugar causing it to accumulate, particularly in the mornings.

Impact on the Hindgut:

🟢 Microbial Imbalance - Rapid fermentation in the hindgut is caused my an influx of sugars. This can lead to an overgrowth in certain types of bacteria, and a decrease in the production of beneficial microbes.

🟢 pH Changes - Rapid fermentation of the sugar in the grass causes an increase in the acidity, which can lead to discomfort and more severely hindgut acidosis.

🟢 Endotoxin Release - A disruption in the microbial balance of the hindgut can lead to death of certain bacteria releasing endotoxins which can trigger inflammatory responses within the body.

🟢 Reduced nutrient absorption - An impaired hindgut environment can affect the horses ability to absorb essential nutrients from their feed.

CONSEQUENCES:

❌ Increased risk of colic - particularly spasmodic

❌ Development or exacerbation of laminitis

❌ Behavioural changes due to discomfort - girthiness, agitated, unhappy when being ridden

❌ Compromised immune function

❌ Reduced overall performance and wellbeing

What can we do?

✅ Grazing muzzles - particularly for those at risk of laminitis

✅ Alternative low-sugar forage or soaked hay

✅ Monitor body condition - body condition scoring is an effective way of managing weight gain.

✅ Gut supplements - particularly those that support the horse’s digestion of fructans (a type of sugar found in the grass) in the small intestine, potentially reducing the risk of hindgut complications.

Research taken from:

https://equinectar.com/2024/09/autumn-grass-challenges-for-horses-navigating-the-sugar-surge/

31/10/2025

Happy Halloween to all of my wonderful customers 🎃👻🦇

I hope your weekend is filled with sweets and spooky fun 🧙

10/10/2025

The Interplay Between the Thoracic Sling and the Fascial Sleeve of the Forelimb

The horse’s forehand is a marvel of suspension and flow — a dynamic system that relies on the thoracic sling and the fascial sleeve of the forelimb working together as one continuous, responsive unit. The efficiency, elasticity, and comfort of the horse’s entire front end depend on how these two systems share load, tension, and sensory feedback.

🩻 The Thoracic Sling: The Horse’s “Living Suspension System”

Unlike humans, horses do not have a bony joint connecting their forelimbs to the trunk. Instead, the thoracic sling — a network of muscles and fascia — suspends the ribcage between the shoulder blades. Key players include:
• Serratus ventralis cervicis and thoracis
• Pectoralis profundus and subclavius
• Trapezius and rhomboideus
• Latissimus dorsi
• Related myofascia

These structures stabilize and lift the trunk during movement, absorb impact, and allow for fine adjustments in balance and posture. A supple, strong sling lets the horse “float” the ribcage between the shoulders rather than brace against the ground.

🩹 The Fascial Sleeve of the Forelimb: A Continuum of Force and Flow

Each forelimb is encased in a fascial sleeve — a continuous, multilayered sheath of connective tissue that envelops every muscle, tendon, ligament, and neurovascular pathway from the scapula to the hoof.

Rather than separating structures, fascia integrates them, distributing tension and transmitting force both vertically (hoof to trunk) and laterally (across the chest and back). The fascial sleeve is both a stabilizer and a sensory network, richly innervated with mechanoreceptors that inform the central nervous system about position, pressure, and movement.

🔄 A Two-Way Relationship

The thoracic sling and the fascial sleeve of the forelimb form a mutually dependent system.

When one is tight, weak, or imbalanced, the other compensates — often at a cost.

1. Force Transmission

Each stride begins with ground contact. The impact and rebound forces from the limb travel up through the fascial sleeve, into the shoulder girdle, and directly into the thoracic sling.
If the fascial sleeve is supple and well-hydrated, the sling can absorb and redistribute force smoothly.
If restricted — for instance, by myofascial adhesions or muscular guarding — the load transmits as sharp, jarring impact into the sling, leading to fatigue and microstrain.

2. Postural Support

The sling lifts and stabilizes the thorax between the shoulders. But that lift depends on the integrity of the fascial tension in the forelimb.
If the limb fascia loses tone or the deep pectorals shorten, the ribcage can “drop” between the shoulders, leading to a downhill posture, shortened stride, and overload of the forehand.

3. Neuromuscular Coordination

Fascia houses thousands of sensory receptors that communicate constantly with the nervous system.
The thoracic sling relies on this feedback to coordinate timing and symmetry of movement.
When fascial tension becomes uneven — say, due to unilateral limb restriction — proprioceptive input becomes distorted, and the horse may appear crooked, heavy on one rein, or unable to maintain even rhythm.

4. Reciprocal Influence
• A tight thoracic sling can compress the fascial pathways through the shoulder and upper limb, restricting glide and muscle contraction below.
• Conversely, a restricted fascial sleeve can inhibit normal scapular rotation and ribcage lift, forcing the sling muscles to overwork.

💆‍♀️ Myofascial Release and Massage: Restoring the Dialogue

Manual therapies that target both regions — not just the limb or the trunk in isolation — are key to restoring the horse’s natural balance.

Effective bodywork can:
• Release adhesions within the fascial sleeve to restore elastic recoil.
• Improve scapular glide and thoracic lift.
• Normalize sensory input through mechanoreceptors, refining coordination.
• Encourage symmetrical movement and postural awareness through gentle, integrated mobilization.

When the thoracic sling and limb fascia move as one continuous system, the horse’s stride lengthens, the topline softens, and forehand heaviness diminishes.

🧘‍♀️ Training and Conditioning Support

Beyond manual therapy, proper conditioning maintains this balance:
• Hill work and gentle pole exercises enhance thoracic sling engagement.
• Lateral work improves scapular mobility and fascial elasticity.
• Regular checks of saddle fit and rider symmetry prevent recurring restriction.

🐎 The Takeaway

The thoracic sling doesn’t work in isolation — it’s an extension of the fascial sleeve of the forelimb, and together they form the foundation of forehand function.
Healthy fascia enables the sling to lift, absorb, and respond.
A supple, responsive sling protects the fascia from overload.

When they operate in harmony, the horse moves with effortless balance — powerful yet soft, grounded yet elevated — the way nature intended.

07/09/2025

ARE WE BLAMING HORSES FOR BEING HORSES?

If a horse is difficult to lead, bites someone, stops at a fence, bucks under saddle or refuses to load, the explanation you’ll hear most often is that they’re being naughty, stubborn or difficult. This culture of blame runs deep in the equestrian world. But why do riders and handlers so often blame the horse. Why is it the horse’s fault?

Human psychology gives us some clues. Humans are prone to the fundamental attribution error. That means we’re quick to assume a behaviour is caused by what the horse is like (‘he’s lazy,’ ‘she’s always moody’) instead of looking at what’s happening to the horse.

In practice, that means we often jump to the idea that a horse is being awkward on purpose, rather than considering external factors like pain, inappropriate management, unclear training, or fear. We assume intention when, in reality, the horse is usually just responding to their circumstances. We don’t consider what’s really driving the behaviour and motivating the horse to behave that way.

Add to this the traditions of equestrian culture, where riders are often told from an early age that horses ‘test you’ or ‘take advantage if you let them.’ This narrative becomes normalised — and so blaming the horse feels natural, even when the science tells us otherwise.

Research shows a very different story:

• Studies by Dyson and colleagues (2018–2020) demonstrate that many so-called 'naughty' behaviours are actually signs of pain under saddle

• Hausberger et al. (2008, 2020) found that poor housing and pain are strongly linked to so-called ’problem behaviours.'

• Cheung, Mills & Ventura (2025) show how riders often rationalise practices that compromise welfare in order to reduce their own cognitive dissonance.

Blaming the horse is easier than admitting our tack doesn’t fit, our training wasn’t clear, our horse may be in pain or that we did the wrong thing. It protects us from uncomfortable truths. But it also prevents us from seeing behaviour for what it really is: communication.

Horses don’t plan or plot to punish us. They respond. And they can suffer.

So next time something goes wrong, rather than asking ‘Why is he being naughty?’ consider asking “what is my horse trying to tell me?’ instead.

21/08/2025

Very interesting read!! 📖
Something I think that we are all guilty of. However, after reading this I definitely won’t be doing it anymore, unless completely necessary on a hack for safety if I need a pocket 😅

𝗥𝗜𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗣𝗛𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗦 𝗜𝗡 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗥 𝗣𝗢𝗖𝗞𝗘𝗧

While on a clinic some time ago, and again at a competition yesterday, I noticed a rider carrying their phone in their rear (right) pocket while riding.

This should be avoided at all levels.

Placing a phone in the rear pocket is likely too:

1) Significantly affect the function of the rider’s seat
2) Compromise the effectiveness of the rider’s seat aid
3) Induce/create rider asymmetry
4) Lead to uneven loading of the saddle and horse
5) Compromise rider-horse interaction

Although carrying a phone while riding can be useful for safety and other purposes (apps), alternative locations should be considered.

Image of a rider sitting on a pressure mat with their phone in their right back pocket.

Note: sharing as an observation. We have not shown this experimentally (yet).

16/08/2025

🚩Horse with Sacroiliac SI joint pain? What if the real problem is in the HEAD? 🐴🧠

So my last post about horses and headaches went viral.
That brought about some great conversations and questions.
This post will hopefully start to answer some of those ❓️:

“Could my horse’s headache actually becoming from the hind end? Does he have a headache?, he's only ever been diagnosed with back pain and sacroiliac dysfunction. I am told his behaviour is just him."

Could this involve the sacroiliac joints?⁉️
Could it all be interlinked 🤔

⤵️ The Craniosacral Reciprocal System:

From an osteopathic perspective, your horse’s skull and sacrum work together in a finely tuned rhythm — known as the Primary Respiratory Mechanism (PRM).

This is a rhythmic, involuntary motion that is present throughout the entire body, but most noticeable in the skull and sacrum.
It moves in alternating phases of flexion and extension, with the skull and sacrum shifting in a coordinated way.
When that rhythm is disrupted, it can create tension, restriction, and compensation patterns far from the original problem.

📖 The dura mater — a strong connective tissue sheath — surrounds the brain and spinal cord. It’s not just a protective layer; it’s part of this living, moving system anchored at both ends of the body. When one end is restricted, the other end feels it.

Key Structures and Attachments:

Sacrum: The dura has a solid anchor at the second sacral segment S2, linking pelvic stability to the spinal system.

The filum terminale anchors the spinal cord and meninges to the coccyx (tailbone), providing stability. the filum terminale is a continuation of the pia mater, with contributions from the dura mater.

Foramen Magnum: At the opposite end, the dura grips firmly inside the skull at the foramen magnum — the gateway where the spinal cord exits the cranium.
Remember those headaches?!

Cervical Attachments: Just below, there’s a lighter connection at the second cervical vertebra (C2), before the dura “free-floats” along most of the spine.

Vertebral Periosteum: At each vertebral exit point, the dura merges with the vertebral periosteum.

The dura mater of the skull, does attach to the inner lining of the temporal, frontal, occipital, and sphenoid bones. The dura mater is a tough, fibrous membrane that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, and it has several layers, one of which is firmly attached to the bones of the skull.

Think those hind end joints are the whole problem?

Sometimes, those sore SI joints are just the symptom, not the cause. Here are a few tell-tale signs the real trouble could be coming from further away in the body and of course one end affects the other, in both directions:

🚩 Ongoing headshyness or poll sensitivity
🚩 Back pain that keeps coming back, even after local treatment
🚩 Uneven muscle development along the topline or hindquarters
🚩 Pelvic restrictions that simply won’t release or keep returning after bodywork
🚩 Unexplained changes in ridden behaviour — especially during transitions or when engaging the hind end

The message :

🐎🐎🐎 WHOLE horse assessment!🐎🐎🐎

Let's not segregate areas of the body.

📌 Would you like me to follow this up with a post showing you exactly how to spot craniosacral imbalance in your horse — from the ground, before you even touch them? Comment below.

And… if you’d like to be first in the queue for practical ways you can help your own horse, drop your email using the contact form in the comments or DM it to me — you’ll be the very first to know when my new short video courses are released. 🐴✨

07/08/2025

The OG’s that inspired me to create Perfect Strides Veterinary Physiotherapy 💙
10 years Frank and Oz have been in my life, both have been a constant, kept me grounded and got me through many a hard time…and many happy ones 😁
Since then Ernie has recently joined the clan (see next slide), a bundle of joy, laughter and naughtiness…animals really are the best friends you could ever wish for 🥹♥️

06/08/2025

Even our equine friends get headaches just like us!! 🥹♥️
Please look out for these signs and if you’re concerned contact your Veterinary Physiotherapist or Veterinarian and they can advise you on the next steps to take!

Q🐎 I’ve said it many times — 𝙃𝙊𝙍𝙎𝙀𝙎 𝘿𝙊 𝙂𝙀𝙏 𝙃𝙀𝘼𝘿𝘼𝘾𝙃𝙀𝙎!!

And I’ll keep saying it, because too many still ignore the signs.

𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗼𝗿 𝗕𝗢𝗧𝗛 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱 🚩
𝗟𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗪𝗛𝗬 ⬇️

The general term head shyness refers to a horse that moves its head away when touched in certain areas — especially the ears, poll, face, or upper neck.

Yes, rough handling can create this behaviour. But I’m talking about the horses that give a clear pain response — and we MUST pay attention to the 🚩 red flags 🚩

Let’s break it down with some anatomy — including cranial nerves — and real-life examples:

🔺 If you have to take your bridle apart to get it on — this is NOT normal.
🚩 It’s a pain response! Likely involving the poll, the occipital bone, or surrounding soft tissues like the nuchal ligament and suboccipital muscles.

🔺 Soreness around C1 and the upper neck? 🚩
The atlas (C1) supports the skull and sits in close proximity to the brainstem — where cranial nerves originate. If there’s tension, compression, or trauma in this area, horses can experience headaches, vision changes, coordination issues, and hypersensitivity.

🔺 Ear shyness – Behind the ears lies a complex neural and muscular region. Structures here include:

CN VII (Facial Nerve) – controls facial expression; dysfunction can lead to twitching or hypersensitivity.

CN V (Trigeminal Nerve) – especially its mandibular and ophthalmic branches, which are often involved in facial pain and head-shyness.

CN VIII (Vestibulocochlear Nerve) – important for balance; tension near the inner ear can affect proprioception and make head movement uncomfortable.

🔺 Horse is poor to catch?
Many are not trying to be 'difficult’ — they’re avoiding the discomfort of the halter going on, which may stimulate the trigeminal nerve or cause tension in the TMJ area. 🚩

🔺 Can be brushed on one side but not the other? 🚩
Could be unilateral cranial nerve irritation, often stemming from fascial pulls, past trauma, or misalignment.

🔺 Foaming at the mouth under bit pressure? 🚩
This isn’t always “submission.” Bit pressure can impact:

the mandibular branch of CN V (trigeminal nerve)

the hypoglossal nerve (CN XII) — which controls tongue movement

the glossopharyngeal nerve (CN IX) — associated with the throat and swallowing
All of these nerves can be compromised by poor dental balance, bitting, or cranial dysfunction.

Summary

Refusal to touch the ears, poll, or head is NOT just “bad behaviour.”
It’s communication.

Horses with myofascial pain, C1 restrictions, cranial nerve irritation, or TMJ dysfunction will naturally protect themselves — pulling away, raising the head, tensing the jaw, or shutting down altogether.

💡 Signs of stress you may see when touching the head area:

Elevated heart rate or subtle sweating

Holding the head unnaturally high

Tight nostrils or pinched expression

Squinting or avoiding eye contact

Rushing to the back of the stable when a rug is taken from the door almost in a panic

Don’t ignore these changes. Don’t write them off as “just being difficult.”
Think about pull-back injuries, rope accidents, or even long-standing bridle or bit pressure. These can have lasting effects on the cranial nerves, cervical vertebrae, fascia, and overall comfort.

Not to forget the cranial sacral connections, got a a horse with SI joint issues ? Could be related all the way to the skull!

🧠 Pain is real.
🐴 Headaches are real.
🎯 And your horse is telling you — are you listening?

Reposting because it’s THAT important.
Let’s do better for them.