EQUINE PHYSIOTHERAPY

DOES MY HORSE NEED PHYSIOTHERAPY?

Physiotherapy can either be used for rehabilitation post injury or surgery, for maintenance of long-term conditions, or for improving general wellbeing. Signs your horse may need physiotherapy are as follows:

Change in behaviour
Unhappy to be tacked up
Rearing, bucking or napping
Reluctance to move forwards
Poor performance
Reduced suppleness or straightness
Difficulty collecting or moving laterally
Jump refusals
Knocking poles
Reluctant to accept a contact
Disunited in canter or difficulty cantering on one rein
High head carriage and/or hollowing
Muscle wastage
Dragging toes
Difficulty getting up

If your horse is lame, you will need to make an appointment with your veterinarian; physiotherapy may only commence once the lameness has been diagnosed with permission from your vet.

HOW WILL PHYSIOTHERAPY HELP MY HORSE?

Physiotherapy uses a combination of manual techniques, such as massage and stretching; electrotherapies including ultrasound, pulsed electromagnetic field therapy, TENs, NMES, and laser; husbandry advice and exercise prescription. Together the modalities compliment each other in reducing pain whilst re-balancing muscle groups after compensatory gait patterns, to prevent the re-occurance of primary and thus secondary, compensatory pain.

Exercise programmes will also help target particular muscle groups which will improve competition performance and management of long-term conditions such as osteoarthritis.

WHAT WILL I NEED TO DO?

A treatment plan will be formulated after the initial assessment. Depending on findings, you may be advised to follow a programme including exercises, hot/cold therapy, stretching and environmental advice. If your horse has had a tendon or ligament injury or severe build up of scar tissue, ultrasound may be required 2-3 times a week which must be carried out by a qualified physiotherapist. There are electrotherapy only appointments available for this purpose.