equine Veterinary Physiotherapy
Veterinary physiotherapy can support your horse's comfort, mobility, strength and rehabilitation.
I provide mobile equine physiotherapy across Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire and Penzance, Cornwall, with treatment tailored to each horse.
What can physiotherapy help with?
Physiotherapy may be beneficial for horses experiencing:
- Back or neck pain
- Joint stiffness and arthritis
- Muscle tightness, weakness or loss
- Muscle, tendon, ligament and soft tissue injuries
- Reduced mobility or range of movement
- Changes in gait or movement
- Rehabilitation following injury or surgery
- Rehabilitation following box rest
- Long-term or degenerative conditions
- Older horse management
- Poor performance or changes in performance
Physiotherapy can also be useful where changes in behaviour or ridden performance may be linked to physical discomfort.
Signs your horse may benefit from an assessment
Sometimes physical discomfort can show itself through changes in how your horse behaves or moves.
You may notice:
- Reluctance to be groomed or touched in certain areas
- Changes when being tacked up
- Difficulty with transitions
- Changes in canter or other movements
- Reduced suppleness
- Resistance to normal exercise
- Changes in performance
- Stiffness or soreness
These signs can have many different causes, so veterinary investigation may be required before physiotherapy.
Performance & competition horses
Physiotherapy isn't just for horses recovering from injury.
It can also form part of a horse's wider management programme to support:
- Strength and conditioning
- Mobility and flexibility
- Recovery following exercise
- Maintaining physical condition
- Injury prevention
- Identifying areas of stiffness or weakness
This can be useful for horses at all levels and across different disciplines.
What might treatment involve?
Each session starts with an assessment of your horse and a discussion about their history, lifestyle and current needs.
Depending on the assessment, treatment may include:
- Movement and gait assessment
- Massage and soft tissue techniques
- Passive range of movement
- Stretching
- Therapeutic exercise
- Strengthening
- Balance and proprioception exercises
- Rehabilitation exercises
Where appropriate, I'll also provide a home exercise or management plan so you know how to support your horse between appointments.
