Stella Zhang - Chartered Physiotherapist

15/10/2025

I have such a soft spot for OTTBs 🥹

Sid and Orla are loving their post-racing careers and having some maintenance treatment 🏇

11/10/2025

Truth 🙌

02/10/2025

Out of office 🏁

I will be at the Singapore GP until Monday 🏎️

I have only a couple of October appointments left so please leave me a message if you would like to book in and I will get back to you as soon as possible!

30/09/2025

NO HOOF, NO HORSE 👠

One thing I will always assess in my clients is their feet. Biomechanically, if the feet are not balanced then there will be secondary consequences higher up the chain with muscular imbalance, asymmetrical joint loading and pain.

The simple way I do this is to measure the hoof-pastern axis (HPA) with my trusty iPhone. I look for an axis that falls within a normal range, as well as symmetry between right and left limbs.

When I first met Arthur I noticed that he was unable to stand square, and had an left hind pelvic asymmetry. This was ultimately caused by an asymmetrical HPA where the left hind was broken back significantly and causing him to overload his right hindlimb. Imagine wearing a stiletto on one of your feet for the day and tell me how uncomfortable and unbalanced you would feel!!

By working with his farriers we have been able to balance his feet and as a result ensure there is equal hindlimb loading - just look at the difference in muscle development in the second photo 💪

For more information about how we can help you and your horse please get in touch!

29/09/2025

Congrats to all the winners 👏

Our 2025 dressage champions and reserve champions!
Well done to everyone who took part in our summer dressage series and of course to our prize winners. It was lovely to see competitors and members at our social and awards night last night.
A huge thank you must go to Equistitched and Personalised by who kindly sponsored our championships by providing lovely rosettes, stunning high quality rugs and beautiful soft saddle pads!
Huge thank you also to Benson Tack and Feed, Flexars and Stella Zhang - Chartered Physiotherapist for proving prizes to our lucky champions.
Also thanks to Marlake Rosettes for the lovely sashes and special rosettes!
More photos to follow!!

30/08/2025

Raven 👏🥈

28/08/2025

It’s race week! 🏎️

I will be out of office for the rest of the week at the Dutch GP 🏁

I have a limited number of appointments left for September so if you would like to book please contact me and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can!

19/08/2025

TECARTHERAPY FOR WOUND HEALING AND SWELLING MANAGEMENT

Poor Bill was in the wars last week having got his leg caught in the field 🤕 Luckily we had our routine 6-week appointment booked for the next day (great timing from Bill!) which meant we could treat the wound and swelling which had developed overnight.

Bill was very reluctant to weightbear on his leg, which was significantly swollen from his stifle all the way down to his foot. His owner had done a great job of keeping the wound clean so we were able to treat around it using Winback Tecartherapy. This allowed opening of his lymphatic system to drain the swelling away from his leg, as well as contributing to pain relief and physiological wound healing.

In just 24 hours post-treatment there was a significant improvement - the swelling had reduced to almost normal along the whole length of the leg and Bill was comfortable weightbearing and walking.

Accidents and horses go hand in hand 😅 so if your horse has a wound or swelling from injury then Tecartherapy can significantly accelerate healing timeframes. For more information please contact us!

16/08/2025

That top lip 🥹

Of course it happens to be that the physio’s horse doesn’t like to be treated 🙃

But once in a while Babe will tolerate (and secretly enjoy) a groom with her massage brush

08/08/2025

Amazing to see Raven jumping brilliantly at her first time out and double clear 👏🏅

05/08/2025

🌟 Take your time with your youngsters 🌟

Meet Buddy, a 5 year old towering at over 17hh. Buddy is the perfect example of young horse’s having their own individual timeline when it comes to athletic development and maturation, despite the fact that most would think he is fully grown at 5. Every time I see him he challenges me with a new puzzle to solve as he is constantly changing as he matures into his body and mind.

When we first met, he had a natural asymmetry where he was stronger on the left hind. His owner has carefully worked him at his pace and brought him on beautifully, allowing time to strengthen and correct the asymmetry.

In recent weeks he has had another growth spurt behind and as a result has had some secondary dysfunctions with his shoulders and thoracic spine due to the overload. As you can see in the left hand side photo he has dipped through his right shoulder and wither and is compressed through the whole of the right side of the spine, and therefore has poor spinal muscle engagement.

Our physio sessions have been focused on decompressing the overloaded tissues and restoring full range of motion to allow correct muscle engagement and therefore development.

It is so important for us as owners and professionals to understand that the process of maturation is not linear, and we need to adapt to their ever changing needs so that we can set them up for future success.

If you need guidance bringing on your youngster then please get in touch!

22/07/2025

Ponies need TLC too 💖

Meet Caramel, a lovely little 11hh Welsh Section A - isn’t she gorgeous?!

Caramel is everything you want in a kids pony - experienced, easy to handle and bombproof. As a result, she has had many loan homes over the past few years as she teaches the next generation of children to ride.

Whilst Caramel loves her job, it is easy sometimes for the pony to be overlooked, particularly when it comes to their musculoskeletal wellbeing. Caramel’s new owners recognised this straight away and contacted me to try and get her as comfortable as possible, so that the new little riders could get the best out of her.

When I first met Caramel, she had a lot of guarding and compensatory hypertrophy of her spinal muscles - you can see this in her posture and muscle development particularly in her lower back. She was also quite guarded and nervous, and took a while to allow both body and mind to accept treatment.

Fast forward only a month and I am super pleased to see how far Caramel has come. She was very happy to see me and is moving much more freely. As a result her posture has improved dramatically - she is now able to engage her core muscles and stretch through the back, and the compensatory guarding and hypertrophy of her spinal muscles have settled.

Looking forward to the next chapter of Caramel’s journey 🐎