AniMotion Physiotherapy

AniMotion Physiotherapy Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from AniMotion Physiotherapy, Medical Center, Taunton.

Cally is a Chartered, ACPAT catA and insured Physiotherapist covering Somerset,E.Dorset and W.Devon providing individualised treatments for your animals specific physio needs

Little Winnieโ€™s been making great progress in her rehab after her surgery. Sheโ€™s so on board with her therapy (perhaps e...
19/07/2025

Little Winnieโ€™s been making great progress in her rehab after her surgery. Sheโ€™s so on board with her therapy (perhaps encouraged by the treats ๐Ÿ˜‹!). Sheโ€™s even supporting with a new PerfectFit harness in AniMotion team colours! Go Winnie! ๐Ÿพ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ‘ฃ

Very well put!
01/05/2025

Very well put!

๐‘บ๐’๐’Ž๐’†๐’•๐’‰๐’Š๐’๐’ˆ ๐‘ฐโ€™๐’—๐’† ๐’ƒ๐’†๐’†๐’ ๐’“๐’†๐’‡๐’๐’†๐’„๐’•๐’Š๐’๐’ˆ ๐’๐’ ๐’๐’‚๐’•๐’†๐’๐’šโ€ฆ

The equestrian world has seen a surge in gadgets and therapies promising quick fixes โ€ฆ vibrating pads, LED wraps, super-charged magnets, and devices that claim to โ€œreset fasciaโ€ or โ€œrealign energyโ€ in just one session. With sleek marketing and bold claims, itโ€™s easy to see why people are drawn in. But not all that glitters is gold. Many of these fads lack an evidence base, and theyโ€™re often presented as having no risks or contraindications - marketed as cure-alls that canโ€™t do any harm. In truth, even the most effective electrotherapies - those backed by science - come with guidelines, precautions, contraindications, and require professional knowledge. Anything powerful enough to create change should be used with care.

Among all this noise, itโ€™s easy to overlook the value of something less flashy but far more meaningful: clinical skill, experience, and true connection.

As a dual-qualified veterinary and human physiotherapist with a strong academic background, my approach is rooted in science, careful observation, and hands-on understanding. Iโ€™ve spent years learning how to spot the subtle things - a slight asymmetry, a change in tension, the shape of muscle development, how the horse moves through it all. These insights come from time, training, and a deep respect for each horse as an individual - not from a machine.

Thatโ€™s not to say thereโ€™s no place for technology. Used well, it can be a helpful part of a broader treatment plan. But when gadgets replace clinical reasoning instead of supporting it, we risk missing the bigger picture.

Whatโ€™s sometimes difficult is seeing how quickly people jump from one trend to the next - chasing results without always asking deeper questions. True rehabilitation isnโ€™t always instant, and it doesnโ€™t come with a single button press. It comes from really understanding the horse: its history, its workload, its environment, and its needs.

And sometimes the best course of action isnโ€™t what people expect. It might mean strengthening work, ground work, changes in handling/management/work routines, and hands on therapy. It might also mean pausing and referring to another professional - working alongside the vet, farrier, dentist, or saddle fitter to make sure the horse is truly pain-free before starting physiotherapy. Timing matters, and so does teamwork.

I donโ€™t offer miracles. I offer thoughtful, individualised care built on evidence, intuition, and experience. I want to help horses not just feel better in the short term, but move and live better in the long run.

In a world full of quick fixes and big promises, I stand by something slower, steadier, and more meaningful: the value of professional experience, integrity, and putting the horseโ€™s wellbeing above all else.

๐‘ญ๐’๐’“ ๐’•๐’‰๐’๐’”๐’† ๐’˜๐’‰๐’ ๐’„๐’‚๐’“๐’† ๐’‚๐’ƒ๐’๐’–๐’• ๐’๐’๐’๐’ˆ-๐’•๐’†๐’“๐’Ž ๐’‰๐’๐’“๐’”๐’† ๐’‰๐’†๐’‚๐’๐’•๐’‰ ๐’‚๐’” ๐’Ž๐’–๐’„๐’‰ ๐’‚๐’” ๐‘ฐ ๐’…๐’, ๐‘ฐ ๐’‰๐’๐’‘๐’† ๐’•๐’‰๐’Š๐’” ๐’“๐’†๐’”๐’๐’๐’‚๐’•๐’†๐’”.

23/02/2025

Calling all Dachshund and French Bulldog Owners!

Do you currently, or have you previously, owned, a Dachshund or a French Bulldog?

We would love to hear from you about your dog!

A vet student in our team, Daniel Selimi, is conducting research on the spinal health in these popular, much-loved breeds.

We are interested in hearing from ALL current and previous Dachshund and French Bulldog owners, regardless of whether they have experienced spinal problems in their dog(s) or not.

If you would like to take part, please follow the link below or scan the QR code in the poster to take part in our short 10-minute survey; we really look forward to hearing from you!

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/spines

08/01/2025
What a full weekend attending the ACPAT Annual Seminar. All ACPAT Physiotherapists are required to conduct training to c...
21/10/2024

What a full weekend attending the ACPAT Annual Seminar. All ACPAT Physiotherapists are required to conduct training to continually progress our professional development. Lots of interesting topics from some terrific speakers. Thank you for organising ACPAT - The Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Animal Therapy

๐Ÿพ ๐ŸŽ ๐Ÿ‘ฃ

I couldnโ€™t agree more. Very well put Win Clinic The more we can raise awareness of the risks and potential injuries, the...
07/10/2024

I couldnโ€™t agree more. Very well put Win Clinic The more we can raise awareness of the risks and potential injuries, the better. Instead:
๐Ÿพ Try hiding treats or toys to then play a game of โ€œfind itโ€
๐Ÿพ Roll a ball along the floor to lower the risk of directional force changes
๐Ÿพ Or practice your โ€œwaitโ€ until the ball has stopped, then get them to retrieve it.
๐Ÿพ Most of all, AVOID the repetition. So mix it up. It keeps their mind more focussed on different activities and on you, and is physically better for them, reducing repetitive strain injuries

๐Ÿพ ๐ŸŽ ๐Ÿ‘ฃ

Balls and dogsโ€ฆ ๐ŸฅŽ

Recently at a wedding someone was asking me for some advice for their dog after his recent surgery. He had fractured a bone in his forelimb and they said โ€œit happened chasing a ball, if we had known it wasnโ€™t a good thing to do we wouldnโ€™t have done itโ€.

We hear this so often; everyone we see loves their dog and wants the best for them, but ball throwing and dogs have become synonymous in peopleโ€™s minds and there is a strong culture for it - it looks so fun, it tires them out quickly and we think it is keeping them fit.

But what is actually happening?

Repeatedly stimulating their prey drive keeps them wired and overstimulated.
Motivated to carry on chasing, they work way past muscle fatigue, and high adrenaline means they wonโ€™t be aware of pain at the time.

What is chasing?

Fast uncontrolled acceleration and deceleration; twisting and turning without thinking about their bodies.

What happens to humans who do this in sport in a much more controlled way?

ACL injuries, Achilles ruptures, fracturesโ€ฆ no surprise then that this is similar to what we see in our canine clinic.
Help us to help your dogs and spread the word.

We will be following this up with some ideas of fun ball related activities for your dog which arenโ€™t repetitive chasing ๐Ÿ™Œ

10/09/2024
Very well put Jo ๐Ÿพ
29/07/2024

Very well put Jo ๐Ÿพ

I am seeing more and more cases of dogs that struggle with frustration. This is often seen by dogs barking and lunging towards other dogs or people. This frustration response to due to the dog...

โ€œYou can not train away the painโ€ - a great post about the subtle signs dogs may show when theyโ€™re in pain ๐Ÿพ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ‘ฃ
25/03/2024

โ€œYou can not train away the painโ€ - a great post about the subtle signs dogs may show when theyโ€™re in pain ๐Ÿพ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ‘ฃ

โ€˜My dog is naughty/bad/untrainable/dominant/stupidโ€™

I hear this most weeks on intake forms. Usually I get pretty excited to see these cos I know Iโ€™m gonna get to change a dog and owners life!

So often we write our dogs off as any adjective that fits the above and honestly, Iโ€™m yet to meet a dog who fits any of those adjectives (and I have worked with 10k plus dogs over the ten years Iโ€™ve been doing this!). I do however week in week out meet dogs with health issues that contribute to their slow progress in terms of training. Did you know dogs donโ€™t show pain or discomfort how we do? We often think โ€˜oh he isnโ€™t limping or yelping so he is fineโ€™.

Please read the examples below โฌ‡๏ธ

๐Ÿพ A huntaway cross who I work with who bit his owner. Reluctant to have his feet cleaned, got spicy over any intense handling, had periods of seeming insanity and relentless barking and being unable to calm down. Huntaways are vocal dogsโ€ฆ butโ€ฆ

Turns out he had hip dysplasia. This dog didnโ€™t limp. He wasnโ€™t lame in any way. He chased his ball and sprinted and jumped and had no issues physically on the surface however under that behaviour was pain.

๐Ÿพ A French bulldog. Resource guarding to the extreme. Bit his owners while resource guarding the knot pattern in their wooden floor. Also bombed around without a worry in the world and had no outward signs of pain.

Turns out he had a severe spinal condition causing intermittent excruciating pain.

๐Ÿพ A young spaniel owned by a very good friend who was having confidence issues. She would โ€˜tap outโ€™ of training on the regular and my friend went from โ€˜this is my ticket dog who will represent my countryโ€™ to โ€˜is this even possible?โ€™

Dog had hormonal issues and likely spikes of hormones left right and centre. A carefully timed spay and she is now grade 6 in agility.

๐Ÿพ A friends Border Collie. Owned by a very experienced and talented agility handler and trainer. Regularly โ€˜checked outโ€™ of training sessions, seemed to not be able to learn things that were moderately straightforward. Described by other trainers as โ€˜oh she is just a border collie itโ€™s what they are likeโ€™.

Turns out she is mostly deaf.

๐Ÿพ A black Labrador. Always social and friendly and attended brilliant puppy classes and adolescent classes. Had the best start training wise you can imagine. He started showing some intermittent aggression to his owners in the home and aggression to other dogs out and about.

Turns out he had bilateral elbow dysplasia.

๐Ÿพ Young German Shepherd. Always energetic and silly in her behaviour but suddenly got worse. Excessive zoomies, inability to settle, increased reactivity to other dogs, reluctant to get in the car, obsessive destruction at home.

Turns out she had an infection in her va**na that was causing discomfort and exacerbating all those teenage behaviours to the point of being unmanageable.

๐Ÿพ My own dog! My NSDTR started missing his dog walk contact early last year. I was tearing my hair out trying to fix it.

Turns out he had a minor iliopsoas strain and some physio fixed the issue for us.

โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”

All these dogs have one thing in common. They are not stupid or untrainable or naughty or dominant. They are uncomfortable and that is triggering extreme behaviour fallout.

None of the above issues would be resolveable with training. All of the issues will be resolveable with training ONLY when the pain is resolved. Some of them will have drastic improvement from the moment the pain or discomfort is managed!

If your behaviourist or trainer doesnโ€™t immediately advise a veterinary visit if any aggression, excessive โ€˜naughtinessโ€™ or strange behaviour is present, walk away immediately. Even if you think your dog is fine, visit the vets. Ask for a thorough examination and push for a proper evaluation of your dog from nose to tail and potentially blood tests too. If youโ€™re still not sure, get a second opinion.

You cannot train the pain or discomfort out of your dog. Address THIS first and foremost.

Good luck to all those competing at Crufts. Itโ€™s certainly a pleasure working with Seb and Buddy. Theyโ€™ve both done incr...
06/03/2024

Good luck to all those competing at Crufts. Itโ€™s certainly a pleasure working with Seb and Buddy. Theyโ€™ve both done incredibly well, and itโ€™s been so rewarding helping them get competition ready for Crufts. Teamwork makes the dream work! All the best tomorrow and most importantlyโ€ฆhave fun and keep safe. Big kisses Bud ๐Ÿพ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ‘ฃ

Go Seb and Buddy!
05/03/2024

Go Seb and Buddy!

Buddy wouldn't even sit in the same room as his owner when he was first rescued, but he'll now be competing at the UK's most prestigious dog show event. | ITV News West Country

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