“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
It can be a minefield trying to find the right help for you and your horse, and I’ve written this post in the hope of helping in some small way. Please share this information with anyone you feel would find it helpful.
I wish you the best of luck in putting together a team for your horse, a team which centres around you and your horse, with people who listen, and who share knowledge and information, both with you and with each other.
I regularly see posts on social media where people are asking for recommendations for someone to check their horse’s back, or for physio for their horse, or for help with loading or handling problems.
I am an ACPAT and RAMP Registered Chartered Physiotherapist (MCSP), an IHRT, and am registered with the HCPC. For 25 years, I was a BHSAI (now BHS Stage 3 Coach in Complete Horsemanship).
You can find ACPAT Chartered Physiotherapists at www.acpat.org, and you can find all sorts of information on the ACPAT Facebook page and Instagram page.
You can find RAMP Registered therapists at www.rampregister.org, and interesting facts posted regularly on the RAMP Facebook page and Instagram page.
You can find horse help through www.intelligenthorsemanship.co.uk, and the Intelligent Horsemanship Facebook page and Instagram page are really friendly and supportive networks.
You can find BHS instructors at www.bhs.org.uk, and helpful information on their Facebook page and their Instagram page.
I also have my own Facebook page, Instagram page, and YouTube channel, as well as a blog and newsletter.
On The Horse Physio website, under ‘Resources’, you’ll find a (long) list of organisations that I think are recognised and helpful. The list includes recognised organisations for veterinarians, chartered physiotherapists, osteopaths, chiropractors, saddlers, dentists and farriers, and more, in relation to working with horses.
Please note that, while many of the organisations and websites listed are primarily relevant to the UK, similar bodies may be available in other countries.
Also on that page are listed the 27 guest contributors to my book ‘Understanding Horse Performance: Brain, Pain or Training?’, with links to their websites where possible.
In ‘Brain, Pain or Training?’, I promised two ‘bonus exercises’, and you can find those and more here.
If you have any questions, please get in touch with the relevant organisations, or feel free to drop me a message. Education is key to improving the safety and welfare of horses, and finding the right help is an essential part of the journey.
Keep an eye out for my next book, ‘Recognising Pain in Ridden Horses: Performance, Partnership and Potential’, co-authored with Dr Sue Dyson, published by J A Allen, due 2023. Sign up at www.recognisingpaininriddenhorses.co.uk to be kept up to date with new information as it comes available.
© Sue Palmer, The Horse Physio, 2022
Treating your horse with care, connection, curiosity and compassion
Get a FREE 30 minute presentation on how to recognise pain in your own horse when you sign up for my newsletter at www.thehorsephysio.co.uk
