Uncategorized 4 - The Horse Physio - Sue Palmer

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Ease your horse’s neck stiffness with this gentle fascial stretch!

By Sue Palmer on May 1, 2024

If your horse is stiff through his neck, you can help to improve the movement with regular stretches. This fascial stretch of the equine neck and shoulder girdle muscles is taken from the online course, “Stretching Your Horse: A Guide to Keeping Your Equine Friend Happy and Healthy”, with me, Sue Palmer, The Horse Physio. I’m on a mission to help those who can't get the horse physio assessment and treatment they would like to offer their horse, and I’ve carefully and lovingly created this course with that aim in mind.

Don’t wait until your horse is in pain to check their comfort levels!

By Sue Palmer on April 28, 2024

I’m frustrated at horses being labelled as naughty when they’re actually lame or in pain. How else is a horse supposed to tell you that he’s hurting other than through his behaviour? Since you’re reading this, I know you share my frustration. We know that just about everyone loves their horse and wants the best for him. You’d be devastated if he was in pain and you didn’t know about it. So, to help owners and riders be more confident that their horse is comfortable, I’ve put together this short video and blog, which I’d appreciate it if you would share widely on your favourite social media channel. Here are three simple exercises you can do on a daily basis to check that your horse is comfortable.

The Equicore Interview: Part 1 – An Introduction To The Concept Of The Equiband System

By Sue Palmer on April 14, 2024

In May 2018, Sue Palmer and Nicole Rombach got together to talk about Equicore Concepts, and the Equiband system. Sue asked questions put forward by horse owners, physiotherapists, and veterinarians. I hope this article helps you learn how to help your horse as much as Sue felt it helped her! Below is the (lightly edited) transcript of Part One.

No Mud, No Lotus

By Sue Palmer on April 14, 2024

I woke up to a negative review on my Facebook page and a particularly nasty personal message. It made no sense to me. I didn’t know who the lady was, and I didn’t understand what she was accusing me of. Thank goodness for my Facebook followers, who solved the mystery for me!

The Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram: A Tool for Equine Wellness and Performance

By Sue Palmer on April 14, 2024

Join me on a journey as we delve into the significance of 'Harmonious Horsemanship' and the transformative Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram! Let’s uncover insights shared during a recent webinar I presented with Dr. Sue Dyson hosted by Gillian Higgins of Horses Inside Out.

How Pain Affects Your Horse

By Sue Palmer on April 7, 2024

In any subject, there are key areas to consider. In this lesson, ‘How Pain Affects Your Horse’, I’ll discuss the ‘5W’s’ of pain, the what, why, when, where, and who. I’ll also include the ‘H’ of ‘how’. What is ‘pain’? The International Association for the Study of Pain (ISAP) defines pain as "An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or resembling that associated with, actual or potential tissue damage.” Short-term pain is called ‘acute pain’, and long-term pain is called ‘persistent’ or ‘chronic’ pain. Pain that comes and goes is called ‘recurrent’ or ‘intermittent’. Pain is a complex phenomenon involving our whole body, and the experience of pain can change from one day to the next.

Embracing the Present: Finding Joy in the Journey

By Sue Palmer on April 4, 2024

She found it hard to bend. Her muscles held tight, keeping the joints from moving through their full range of movement. I held my hand gently behind her poll and breathed into the release. Working with my breath, I applied pressure and then eased off again. I felt the soft tissues lengthen slowly, gradually, in their own time.

Finding the Right Time: A Guide to Stretching Your Horse

By Sue Palmer on April 4, 2024

Determining when to stretch your horse depends on your goals. Stretching may improve flexibility, reduce injury risk, help monitor neuromusculoskeletal health (meaning relating to nerve, muscle and bone), and enhance your horse's overall comfort. There are no hard and fast rules, and here are some examples of when to stretch, based on the stretches that I share in my online course, “Stretching Your Horse: A Guide to Keeping Your Equine Friend Happy and Healthy.”

A simple exercise to encourage straightness in your horse

By Sue Palmer on March 22, 2024

Your horse can only be straight if he can bend. I know that might sound counterintuitive, but imagine that your horse is less able to bend his neck to the left than to the right. He will find it far easier to bend to the right and tend to bend that way. This, in turn, means it will be much harder for him to be straight.

Which horses would benefit from stretching?

By Sue Palmer on March 16, 2024

Stretching can be helpful whether your horse is old or young, a happy hacker or a competition horse. Be it hacking, dressage, show jumping, eventing, TREC, horse agility, endurance, working equitation, a growing youngster or a retired elderly companion, stretching could be beneficial. I recommend a stretching programme to almost all my clients at The Horse Physio. Your horse’s physical therapist can advise you if specific stretches would be most beneficial for your horse. The stretches in the online course “Stretching Your Horse: A Guide to Keeping Your Equine Friend Happy and Healthy” have been chosen for their suitability for all.

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