Equine Physiotherapy
Injury to your horse may not only cause them pain and discomfort, but it prevents you from achieving your goals. Physiotherapy can help to reduce some of the symptoms of injury and surgery to allow the body to heal in the optimum time frame. This enables you both to get back to doing what you enjoy.
Changes in behaviour may indicate a problem......
Horses are prey animals and so they have evolved to disguise their injuries. Lameness may be subtle and very difficult to observe by even the most trained eye, so we may need to use other markers to assess whether they are in pain. Changes in behaviour may indicate a physical problem.
Common indications are;
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Objection to being tacked up
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Drop in performance
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Bucking and rearing
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Refusals
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Change in gait
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Asymmetric muscles
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Psychological issues e.g. increased aggression or lethargy and depression
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Stiffness
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Favouring one rein
We are here to help...
Physiotherapy affects the soft tissues in the body including the muscles, ligaments and tendons. It helps to create the correct biological conditions for repair. Physiotherapy can help recovery after injury or surgery and can help offer support if the animal is suffering from a chronic condition.
Physiotherapy can have the following biological affects on the body;
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Increase blood flow
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Improve lymph flow
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removal of toxins
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increase soft tissue strech
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Increase joint range of motion
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Reduce Inflammation
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Reduce pain
Physiotherapy can be beneficial for a range of orthopaedic and neurological conditions, and offer support pre- and post-operatively.
Some of the conditions that physiotherapy may help include;
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Fractures
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Tendon and ligament injury
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Oedema
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Muscle asymmetry
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reduced joint range of motion
Maintenance Programmes
Running Free Animal Physiotherapy offer maintenance programmes which are specifically designed for your requirements. Maintenance programmes are flexible, you decide when you need the sessions.
Maintenance therapy sessions can be taken as part of your pre season training programme, in between competitions and at the end of the season. Your therapist will identify areas of pain or discomfiture concentrating on the areas most at risk in your area of competition. Prevention is always better than cure and by including physiotherapy as part of your training plan you can reduce the chance of injury.
What to expect
Equine physiotherapy treatments as performed at your yard.
Your therapist will take a history of your horse including any current injuries or illnesses, previous injuries, ongoing veterinary treatments, the type of work and work load that the horse is performing.
The therapist will ask you to walk and trot the horse (if appropriate) at the beginning of the session so that your horses gait and movement can be assessed. A “hands on” examination, looking for sore spots, heat and asymmetry will be performed. Dependent on the findings of the initial assessments and previous history your physiotherapist will appropriately treat any areas of injury and compensatory problems.
Therapies include;
Ultrasound
Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy (PEMF)
Red / blue light
Massage
Stretching
Your initial physiotherapy consultation will last around 90 minutes with follow up treatments lasting around 60 minutes.
We request that your horse is clean and dry for the therapy session and that in inclement weather your therapist has somewhere dry and sheltered to work
We are unable to perform physiotherapy on any animal without veterinary approval, but don’t worry we can obtain it on your behalf. All we need is the name and contact details of your veterinary surgeon.
Please note that our physiotherapist is not qualified to diagnose and we aim to work in conjunction with your vet, so if you think your horse has an injury you must seek medical advice first.