Sam Churchill - Equine and Human Sports Therapy

24/06/2025

Sports therapy is beneficial for several reasons—especially for athletes or those physically active. Its primary aim is to optimise performance, prevent injury, and support recovery. Here are some of the key benefits:

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1. Improved Circulation
• Increases blood flow, helping deliver more oxygen and nutrients to muscles.
• Helps remove metabolic waste (like lactic acid), which can build up after intense activity.

2. Enhanced Recovery
• Reduces muscle soreness and stiffness (especially DOMS—Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness).
• Promotes faster healing of muscle and connective tissue injuries.

3. Injury Prevention
• Identifies and treats tight or imbalanced muscles before they lead to injury.
• Maintains or improves muscle flexibility and joint mobility.

4. Pain Relief
• Alleviates chronic or acute pain, especially in overused or strained muscles.
• Triggers the release of endorphins and other natural painkillers.

5. Mental Benefits
• Reduces stress and anxiety, especially pre-competition.
• Enhances mental clarity and focus through relaxation and body awareness.

6. Performance Enhancement
• Prepares the body for peak performance by warming up muscles and increasing range of motion.
• Can be used post-event to promote quicker physical and mental recovery.

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Types of Sports Massage (Depending on Timing):
• Pre-event: Stimulating and fast-paced to prepare the body.
• Post-event: Slower and calming to reduce soreness and aid recovery.
• Maintenance: Regular sessions to keep muscles healthy and injury-free.
• Rehabilitation: For treating injuries and supporting recovery.

For equine treatments, message to book

For human treatments, contact alignchirocornwall

26/03/2025

The season is upon us; are you ready?

Sports therapy is an integral part of any athletic diary for optimum performance, peak mobility, injury prevention or rehabilitation.

For equine appointments please message 😊

For rider appointment please follow the link:

https://alignchirocornwall.co.uk/

17/01/2025

So excited to say I am now based at Align Chiropractic in Truro for all human bodywork.
With me on the soft tissue, the amazing Sarah is there for all the adjustments and chiropractic work to keep everyone mobile and injury free!

Horses are not forgotten, they are a very important feature in the diary too; Get yourself booked in for the pre season MOT.

Outstanding Chiropractic and Massage.
Relief. Recover. Reform.
Empowering you to improve your over

04/12/2024

5th Dec

25/07/2024

Treat the neck with me - in 30 seconds!

“The neck of the horse is like the tail is to the fish, it must be able to move to keep him buoyant.
Block a fish’s tail and it sinks.
Block a horse’s head and neck and his balance, movement and body suffers.”

Ft Banksy and Cybil

18/04/2024

This 💕

25/01/2024

When people say Sports Therapy hurts - this lady disagrees!

Work in the poll region is delicate work, a lot of pressure can be placed on these muscles when the poll is hyperflexed (overbent) or with ill-fitting tack. Gentle and considerate releases get the best results - as shown by this gorgeous girl.

28/11/2023

I am so proud to have so many wonderful combinations heading to London International Horse Show
I have a few spaces available to make sure those muscles are in tiptop shape before you head off ✨

21/11/2023

*now filled*

Last minute availability for tomorrow afternoon in the Liskeard area - 1 / 2 horses.

26/10/2023

Multiple services are offered on our (myself and Cybil) arrival; as the horses receive their bodywork treatments, a full and thorough rodent inspection takes place! Dream team 🥰😂

09/10/2023

A great picture of what movements can offer to the horse and what we can include when on exercise.

AND, all can be integrated into hacking too 🙌🏼👏🏼

14/09/2023

This is a fascinating post, put it’s not an attack on owners/training/racing of whom I have a great respect for. It highlights the importance of going at the horses physical pace - not ours. A slowly developed horse is a long horse.

Another day Another bloody 3 year old off the flat with kissing spine....

I am so sick of seeing these beautiful horses ruined before they have had a chance in life.

This lad is a big 3 year old who ran at 2 and was clearly weak and backwards.

Is it hereditary? Possibly.

Do we cause it training young horses too hard before they're mature, with bad fitting saddles and poor riding? Undoubtedly.

Something needs to be done. However there is so much money in running horses at 2 and 3 why would they stop it?

EDIT

Wow I am amazed at the response this post has received. I thought I would just add a few thoughts to share with you.

On the whole trainers love their horses, but some are misguided in their approach.

Racing has become cut throat and disposable. We start training on the whole, because we love these beautiful animals, however love doesn't pay the rent.

The pressure to get results has increased exponentially over the past 10 years, with prize money decreasing, which leads to trainers behaving somewhat immorally in certain situations.

There is no excuse where the welfare of the horse is concerned. However as someone pointed out to me, quite viciously a couple of weeks ago, I don't understand how hard it is as I have it so easy...Seriously he actually said that...

Desperate men take desperate measures and whilst there is a thriving gambling industry and owners who want results quickly, who don't want to pay vast training fees and get no return mean horse welfare will always suffer. The sick, lame and the sorry will be discarded, the lucky ones will find their way to people like me and some of you.

What can we do? Well we can bloody well start to educate owners to understand that pushing horses too early causes these issues.

We can stop breeding from lines that have the genetic predisposition.

We can educate trainers about the damage half tree exercise saddles do.

We can help teach staff and trainers how to ride their horses to give them the best chance to stay sound, how to go in a way they engage the topline, strengthen the lumbar and stop them being crooked.

To learn to change their diagonal, to learn to not ride off their hands, to help the horses who are weak and struggling, to make sure horses can canter on both legs equally...(sounds simple doesn't it??).

Stop the staff hoiking their stirrups up by their ears, putting all the weight on one small area on young backs.

To stop tying heads down with ridiculously tight bungees because this builds "top line"...

Sorry I shouldn't rant but in the end I train horses because I love them, obviously I want winners but I want them more for the horse than I do me...

Racing will be around a lot longer than I will so all I can hope is we can evolve as an industry for the better.