Horse Physiotherapy - The Horse Physio - Sue Palmer

Tag: Horse Physiotherapy

Teamwork, Welfare, and Lessons for Equestrians: Insights from Horse Care to Greyhound Racing

By Sue Palmer on December 12, 2024

This week we explore the importance of teamwork in equine care, advancements in competition welfare with the FEI noseband device, and lessons for equestrians from New Zealand’s greyhound racing ban.

In hand core strength and postural stability exercises for your horse: Chapters 2-4

By Sue Palmer on October 3, 2024

A lot of core stability exercises are about moving the horse slightly off balance so that he needs to engage his muscles to maintain that balance. The tail pull works by using the tail as a lever to create the imbalance. As with the other exercises, it is subtle, using gentle pressure. There should be no discomfort involved, and you should find that your horse relaxes into the exercise after a minute or two. If he doesn't, perhaps this isn't the right exercise for him. A horse who is uptight will not be engaging his muscles effectively. He will be tensing those movement muscles getting ready to run, rather than using the stability muscles.

Behind the scenes with Sue Palmer, The Horse Physio: 19.9.24

By Sue Palmer on September 15, 2024

One of my favourite questions for my son is, 'Tell me three things about your day'. The things he shares can be good, bad, or indifferent, but one-word answers are not allowed. Sometimes, his answers lead to further discussion; other times, they don't. Always, though, the question opens up the opportunity for us to chat. Following in that pattern, today I'm sharing with you three things about my week. I share this with the hope of inspiring curiosity, compassion, connection and conversation.

“Please listen to me”

By Sue Palmer on July 18, 2024

I don’t want to buck you off. There’s a sharp pain every time I go into canter when you’re riding me, and I can’t help but react to it. I don’t understand it, it doesn’t happen if I canter in the field. Please listen to me. I know you love me and want the best for me. I don’t know how else to tell you I’m hurting.

Can your horse tell you where it hurts?

By Sue Palmer on June 4, 2024

I had a self-care day with an online Somatics session from Nicki Marshall, The Somatics Coach, and an online consultation with Mehmet Gem, The Hip Physio. As you probably know, I believe in regular physiotherapy for maintenance and prevention. Given the physical job I have and the importance of staying sound, I have physio approximately every six weeks with Dave Paling at the Snazell Pain Relief Clinic, and massage, reflexology, or whichever of her therapies takes my fancy, every six weeks or so from Jenny Charlton at Holistic Horizons. The body fascinates me, and I love learning about health. In all these sessions, the practitioner relies on feedback from me, the patient. I’m acutely aware of how much feedback we miss from our horses since they can’t communicate verbally.

Beginners mind and horse physiotherapy

By Sue Palmer on March 7, 2024

“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few” Shunryu Suzuki In meditation, we are often reminded of ‘beginners mind’, the act of approaching something as though it’s the first time you’ve ever seen it / done it / felt it / been there, etc. As a Chartered Physiotherapist, I’m aware of the ‘curse of knowledge’, the assumption that everyone else knows the same things I do. As a non-tech person, that ‘curse of knowledge’ becomes very obvious to me when a tech person is trying to explain to me how to do something that I’m struggling with but they find easy. Approaching a situation with a beginner’s mind helps me to maintain a sense of wonder, and I love that feeling. Listening recently to a meditation, it occurred to me that I don’t need even to try to have a beginners mind when it comes to my work (and yes, I’m well aware that means that my mind was drifting - that’s ok, one of the aims of meditation is to be able to notice the mind drifting off and gently bring it back to the moment, so I’m not beating myself up for that!).

How do I do fascial stretches with my horse?

By Sue Palmer on March 6, 2024

To stretch the fascia, we need to be slow and gentle. That’s one reason I’ve chosen to share fascial stretches in the course "Stretching Your Horse: A Guide to Keeping Your Equine Friend Happy and Healthy". I think that slow and gentle works well with horses. A blog by Amanda Oswald on the Pain Care Clinic website states, “We know that trying to force fascia to stretch is not going to get us anywhere. However, the viscoelastic properties of fascia also mean that it responds well to heat and gentle sustained pressure. This combination creates a physical change in the tissue, making it more fluid, in the same way that the combination of heating and stirring treacle makes it more runny.”. Allow the soft tissues of the body time to release tension. Think of how your body feels when doing a stretch (for example, a calf stretch or a hamstring stretch), and imagine that perhaps your horse is feeling similar sensations. With these stretches, slow and steady wins the race.

What is a stretch?

By Sue Palmer on February 21, 2024

The word "stretch" can function as both a verb and a noun. As a verb, it refers to something soft or elastic that is capable of being made longer or wider without tearing or breaking. For example, "my sweater stretched in the wash." It can also mean straightening or extending one's body or a part of one's body to its full length, typically to tighten one's muscles or reach something. For instance, "the cat yawned and stretched." As a noun, it can refer to an act of stretching one's limbs or body, such as "I got up and had a stretch," or a continuous area or expanse of land or water, like "a treacherous stretch of road."

The role of stretching

By Sue Palmer on December 2, 2023

In conclusion, stretching is a valuable practice for both humans and horses. Incorporating regular stretches into your equine's routine can promote flexibility, prevent injuries, and enhance overall performance. Whether you choose static, dynamic, or a combination of both, doing stretches with your horse will not only benefit their physical well-being but also deepen your bond and partnership with them. So, let's embrace the power of stretching and unlock the full potential of our equine companions.

Brain, Pain or Training?’ Practical Exercises: Introduction

By Sue Palmer on May 11, 2023

This may be the most important chapter of this book.Here you’ll find a set of ten practical exercises that you can do with your horse to help assess whether he could be suffering some discomfort that might affect his behaviour or performance. The aim of these exercises is to assess balance, comfort, ease and freedom of movement, muscle tone, reaction to touch, soundness, symmetry of the musculoskeletal system, and symmetry of movement. Unexpected responses could flag up weakness, discomfort, stiffness, restriction in range of movement, muscle spasm, unsoundness, and asymmetry in either the horse’s musculoskeletal system or his movement.

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