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A free webinar and a free conference… Put your headphones on while you’re out walking the dog, or curl up on the sofa with a blanket, and enjoy!
Expanding Our Reach: Bringing Harmonious Horsemanship to Equestrian Education
I’m excited to announce that Sue Dyson and I will soon be in a position to start building a database of educational establishments, regulatory bodies, professional associations, riding clubs, course organisers, equestrian influencers, and more, in order to bring Harmonious Horsemanship into mainstream equestrian education. We passionately believe that every horse person should have knowledge of the robust science underpinning the recognition of pain in the ridden horse. This is why we invested our time and energy in writing our book. We’ve included real-life case studies to support our message, and we have contributions from experts from around the world. It’s a year since the book was published, and we’re so excited to move onto this next stage of raising awareness. To that end, we are asking if you have any contacts who would like us to get in touch with details of the book, perhaps for their course library, or to consider it as recommended reading? Maybe you know of an equine course, a Riding Club or a Professional Association, who would be interested in an online presentation or an in-person seminar with Dr Sue Dyson? If so, please ask them to contact us through my website, The Horse Physio, or drop me a message with their details so that we can contact them. Thanks in advance!
World Horse Welfare Conference
The annual World Horse Welfare conference is one not to miss. The 2024 conference was no exception. One of the wonderful things about this conference is that it’s available on YouTube for free. As World Horse Welfare states, “We all aspire to give our horses a ‘good’ life – but what does this really mean? Our opinion of what we think of as a ‘good life’ may not be the same as someone else’s – while the horse’s experience could be something else entirely. Do we fully understand what horses need to have a good life? We would all agree that horses need to have adequate nutrition, a safe environment, and live free of pain or illness. But does this alone provide them with a ‘good’ life? Do sport horses have different needs to companion ponies, or working horses? Or does what they really need change depending on the context? What does science say a ‘good’ life really is? And how can we tell if we are providing one? We look forward to exploring these questions with an outstanding line-up of speakers and panellists.” In conclusion, Roly Owers, Chief Executive of World Horse Welfare, says ““We need to change the way we are doing things in part. Not everything we have done is wrong and not everything is right either. So, we need to be open minded to change. Let’s not let excellence be the enemy of the good. Let’s not let the total answer be to not do anything because we can change our horses’ lives today by making incremental changes. Horses give us a good life – it’s only fair we give the same to them.”
Free Webinar with Dr Sue Dyson
The WISE Riders Club is “a global community of riders who put the horse first, with a faculty of instructors who teach the newest science and the classical traditions of riding, training, and caring for horses.” In November 2024, they hosted a webinar with Dr Sue Dyson titled “Is Your Horse in Pain? Check these common signs.” In the YouTube description of the video, they state, “This is an exclusive interview with Dr Sue Dyson for our WISE Riders Club. But after hearing what Dr Dyson shared, we wanted to share this one publicly. Her message is crucial for every rider – ensuring that our horses are truly comfortable.” And so you can access this webinar for free. What a fantastic opportunity to learn about the Ridden Horse Ethogram from Dr Dyson herself. Of course, if you want to learn more, including reading case studies of people whose horses have been affected by pain, and contributions from leading experts from around the world, you won’t do better than our book, Harmonious Horsemanship.
About Dr Sue Dyson
Sue Dyson qualified as a veterinarian from the University of Cambridge in 1980. After an internship at the University of Pennsylvania and a year in private equine practice in Pennsylvania, Sue returned to Great Britain to the Animal Health Trust, Newmarket. Sue ran a clinical referral service for lameness and poor performance, attracting clients from all over the United Kingdom, Ireland and continental Europe for 37 years. From 2019 she has worked as an independent consultant, combining her horsemanship skills with her previous veterinary experience, with the aim of maximising performance potential.
Sue’s key interests are improving the diagnosis of lameness and poor performance and maximising the opportunity for horses to fulfil their athletic potential at whatever level, taking a holistic approach to the horse, rider and tack combination, and improving approaches to diagnosis and management. She has been involved not only in providing clinical services, but also clinically relevant research and education. Sue is co-editor, with Mike Ross, of Diagnosis and Management of Lameness in the Horse and co-author of Clinical Radiology of the Horse and Equine Scintigraphy. She has published more than 370 papers in peer reviewed journals concerning lameness and diagnostic imaging and has lectured worldwide to veterinarians, paraprofessionals, coaches, riders and judges.
Sue is a former President of the British Equine Veterinary Association and is currently scientific advisor to the Saddle Research Trust and Moorcroft Rehabilitation Centre. Sue is also a rider, and has produced horses from novice to top national level in both eventing and show jumping. Sue holds the Instructors and Stable Managers Certificates of the British Horse Society (BHSI).
About Sue Palmer
Sue Palmer MCSP, aka The Horse Physio, is an award-winning author, educator, and Chartered Physiotherapist. Sue specialises in understanding the links between equine pain and behaviour, focusing on prevention, partnership and performance. She promotes the kind and fair treatment of horses through empathetic education, and is registered with the RAMP, the ACPAT, the IHA, the CSP and the HCPC.
To arrange a phone call or online coaching session with Sue Palmer, The Horse Physio, click here.
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You can find The Horse Physio on the web, on Facebook, on Instagram, and on YouTube, book an online consultation, or take a look at Sue’s online courses.
Horse Health Check: The 10-Point Plan for Physical Wellness
Head to Hoof: An Introduction to Horse Massage
Horse Massage for Horse Owners
Stretching Your Horse: A Guide to Keeping Your Equine Friend Happy and Healthy
Kissing Spines In Horses: Preventive Measures and Long-Term Management Solutions
Harmonious Horsemanship, co-authored with Dr Sue Dyson
Understanding Horse Performance: Brain, Pain or Training?
Horse Massage for Horse Owners
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