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Louise and I sit chatting around the oak dining table, sharing stories, knowledge, and inspiration. It’s the first time we’ve met, but we have horses and physiotherapy in common, so there’s no shortage of conversation. We find that our experiences are varied, and yet there are many similarities. It turns out we both have a habit of following our dreams without necessarily knowing quite where we’re going or how we’re going to get there. Sometimes we’re even quite vague on what the dream is, but somehow we know we’re on the path we’re meant to be on. We are each unique, and we are the sum of all that has come before, whether good, bad, or indifferent. Louise and I have not got to this point in our lives because of one particular course that we took, one specific event we attended, or one individual we worked with. Instead, everything that we have experienced comes together to form who we are today. Tomorrow, with new knowledge and new experiences, we will be different, if only in a small way. Sometimes, something happens that creates a big shift in our lives. But mostly, it’s the little things that add up over time. And often the little things are the ones we have a level of control over.
People often ask why I became a horse physiotherapist. Here’s what I wrote about this in my first book, ‘Horse Massage for Horse Owners’ which was published in 2012:
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“Massage has been a passion for me as long as I can remember, and my hope is that this book will excite a similar passion in you, the reader. This passion developed for me over many years. I was lucky enough to be brought up with horses, and have ridden since I was three years old. My ponies Scottie, Doracina B, and Sheadon Saffron carried me safely from lead rein through Pony Club and on to horses (although Scottie in particular threw some challenges in along the way!). Chantilly Lace, a 16.1hh chestnut mare who we bought when she was one day old, and Bradley, a 16.3hh bay Dutch Warmblood with a talented jump, helped me to learn more through my teenage years, competing with me in affiliated show jumping and eventing. A friend Vera Lacey’s chestnut Welsh cross Thoroughbred Bilbo Baggins, who had a heart of gold, and Connemara, Parsley with his immense sense of fun, took me to many a Riding Club national championship. One of my most memorable achievements was winning the Riding Club national one-day event championship on Frances Coleman’s Dudley, a horse I had only ridden four times (one of which was to win the qualifying event)!
Deciding initially that university wasn’t for me, I followed my love of horses through a variety of jobs, working with a range of breeds from Shetland to Shire, and in diverse areas such as driving and point to pointing as well as dressage, show jumping, eventing, hacking and teaching. At one point I had my jockey license, but unfortunately the horse ‘did a leg’ the week before I was due to ride in my first race, and by the next season racing wasn’t an option.
The majority of my time in late teens and early twenties was spent with a horse dealer. We visited horse fairs, including Appleby Horse Fair, Stowe Horse Fair, and Ballinasloe Horse Fair, and were regulars at Southall Market and Reading Market. I met horses from all walks of life, including a spell of selling to the knackerman, and a spell of importing top quality show jumpers from abroad. It was a steep learning curve, one that not many people have the opportunity to experience, and one that I am forever grateful for – I truly believe that I would not be where I am now without the knowledge that I gained during that time.
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The horses were my teachers, and the horses at the dealer’s yard taught me far more than any book, DVD, or course could ever teach. I learned very quickly to accurately assess a horse’s behaviour, both on the ground and ridden, because if I got it wrong then I got hurt. I remember one day on the first week that I worked there, when I brought a bay cob mare out of her stable to do some groundwork with her. I obviously missed the instruction that told me I wasn’t supposed to bring this mare out of her stable! She was no problem to put the headcollar and lead rope on, and I led her out to the paddock. I didn’t get any further – she took off at high speed, double barrelling me on the way, and I was so winded I wasn’t sure if I would ever breathe again!
One thing I quickly learned to assess was whether or not a horse had been ‘broken in’, and what his ridden behaviour might be. This wasn’t something I was conscious of learning, it just kind of ‘happened’. I now know that I must have been assessing not only behaviour and attitude, but also muscle tone, reactivity and comfort levels. There was no doubting when I got my assessment wrong – I ended up on the floor!
We had literally hundreds of un-backed youngsters over the years, either home bred or bought from the sales, and it was part of my job to back them and prepare them for life in a private home. Many were straightforward, calmly accepting saddle, bridle and rider in no time at all. Some were more difficult, perhaps more spooky, difficult to get the bridle on, or over reactive when the girth was done up. One I never got to the bottom of, a coloured cob that bucked me off every time I sat on him. I couldn’t understand it – he was quiet and responsive on the ground, easy to tack up, and calm about being mounted, but I couldn’t stay on him for more than a few strides. Looking back with the knowledge that I now have, I’m certain that there would have been a pain issue, and that he literally couldn’t tolerate a rider on his back.
One horse sticks in my mind more than most others from that time. A stunningly handsome grey Anglo Arab gelding, about 15hh, only 6 years old, with lovely paces and a kind eye. As long as you only touched him in front of his withers, that is. The moment your hand or brush, even a soft body brush, moved further back than his withers, his ears went flat back, his head swung round to take a chunk out of you, and he cow kicked to get rid of you with his hind legs. Sadly he was one for the knackerman, although given the pain that he must have been in perhaps that was the best option for him. Even then I recognised that the horse was suffering, but I hadn’t got a clue what to do to help him. I find it so sad that such a gentle horse should end up in a dealers yard, and I dread to think what he must have gone through between leaving his original home and ending up with us. I have no doubt that he would have been to a few yards that would have promised to ‘fix him’, and that their methods would not have been gentle or fair. I often wish that I could see him again with the understanding that I now have, and help to take away some of his pain.
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When it was time to move on, I studied hard to qualify and teach as a BHSAI. Around this time a dear friend of mine took me to see a gentleman called Monty Roberts doing a demonstration at Addington Equestrian in Buckinghamshire. I was fascinated, and I remember commenting that it would be a dream come true to study his methods on the course that was run at West Oxfordshire College in Oxfordshire. I am a great believer in following your dreams, and so I applied and was thankfully accepted to study for the Monty Roberts Preliminary Certificate in Horsemanship with Kelly Marks. In due time I qualified as an Intelligent Horsemanship Recommended Associate, and the behavioural knowledge that I have gained from this work forms an essential part of my massage and physiotherapy work. How else can you persuade a horse to accept the discomfort that physiotherapy sometimes involves, without understanding his behaviour and working with him rather than against him? Owners are regularly surprised at how accepting the horse is of the work that I and many other practitioners do, and I’m sure it’s because we communicate with the horse, which importantly includes listening to him. I [was] physio on tour with Monty Roberts and Kelly Marks in the UK, and … a member of the ‘tour team’ for several years.
It was when I was teaching at Summer Camp in Maine, USA, that I finally got the courage together to apply to study Physiotherapy at university. I called home, and mentioned that I thought I might apply when I got back. Mum and dad obviously thought this was a good idea, because when I arrived home three months later the application forms were on my bed waiting for me! I was accepted at Kings College London, one of the most respected Physiotherapy courses in the country, and spent three years studying hard whilst keeping up the horse work to pay the bills.
My aim was always to study further to do physio for horses, but to my surprise I enjoyed working with people so much that I almost changed my mind! Before I could go on to apply for the MSc Veterinary Physiotherapy course at the Royal Veterinary College in London, I had to work with people for two years. The restrictions of employment didn’t suit me though, I’d spent too many years setting my own hours and deciding my own holidays, and so thankfully I returned to the horses and being self employed.
Being an eternal student and never satisfied that I know anywhere near enough, I also followed my passion to study massage. Initially I took an ITEC diploma in Anatomy, Physiology and Massage just for fun, so that I could treat family and friends, because I enjoyed massage. Then whilst I was at Kings College London studying Physiotherapy, I wanted to understand massage in more depth and apply more advanced techniques, so I also studied for a qualification in Sports Massage (ITEC diploma). I took this further to study horse massage with Equinology… and qualified as an Equinology Equine Body Worker before studying at the Royal Veterinary College.”
I qualified as a massage therapist in 2000, as a Chartered Physiotherapist in 2005, as an equine massage therapist in 2006, and as a Veterinary Physiotherapist in 2007. My book, ‘Horse Massage for Horse Owners’ was published in 2012, a month before my son was born. I am writing this blog in 2024 and my life has, of course, moved on in the intervening years. My second book, ‘Understanding Horse Performance: Brain, Pain, or Training?’ was published in 2016. I am now a proud member of the Register of Animal Musculoskeletal Practitioners, a gold-standard voluntary industry regulatory body holding a national register of practitioners. I’m also a memmber of the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Animal Therapy and of the Intelligent Horsemanship Association. In 2023, I published my third book, co-authored with Dr Sue Dyson, titled ‘Harmonious Horsemanship: Use of the Ridden Horse Ethogram to Optimise Potential, Partnership and Performance’. I’ve also published several online courses, and alongside traditional horse physiotherapy assessment and treatment, I offer online coaching for humans with horses. I continue to develop my skills, knowledge and experience for the good of my clients, and every day, I am grateful for a job that I love.
If you’re wondering whether being a horse physiotherapist is the job for you, perhaps contact some local practitioners and ask if you can shadow them for a few hours, or if you can take them out for a coffee and have a chat with them about their work. If you’re in the UK, send me an email if you’re interested in shadowing me at a clinic. There are various options for a career treating horses, including qualifying as a massage therapist, an osteopath, or a chiropractor. Personally, if you ask me about physiotherapy for horses, I will always recommend that you qualify as a human physiotherapist first, and then go on to do a course registered with ACPAT or RAMP to qualify you to treat animals. Having the qualification to treat humans opens up a whole different world of employment and self-employment opportunities, and you’ve (hopefully!) got a long working life ahead of you. Just because you enjoy being outdoors with the horses in all weathers right now doesn’t guarantee that you’ll feel that way when you’re 50. At the time of writing, there are not many employment opportunities for veterinary physiotherapists, and so most are self-employed. I have learned from experienced that elf-employment doesn’t suit everyone. Most ACPAT physiotherapists spend some of their time treating humans and some of their time treating animals. And you never know, you might find, as I did, that you actually enjoy treating people! Whichever route you decide to take into animal physical therapy, I strongly recommed that you choose a route that is accredited by the Register of Animal Musculoskeletal Practitioners. As a voluntary industry regulatory body, RAMP are trusted by both the general equestrian public and by the veterinary profession. There are a wide variety of courses that qualify you to treat horses, and picking one that is endorsed by RAMP and gets you onto the RAMP register gives you the assurance that you have chosen a well-respected course and qualification.
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Finally, I love my work, and I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to follow my passion. That doesn’t mean it’s easy. In fact, it’s far from easy. I am writing this sitting in my car with my laptop on a Sunday afternoon while my son is with a friend. I grab whatever opportunities I can to keep up with my admin, because during school hours when my son is occupied, I’m on the road treating horses. I’m not complaining. I have a lovely view of a field, trees, and blue sky, and I enjoy writing. But the self-employed lifestyle doesn’t suit everyone. If you are thinking of working as a horse physiotherapist, make the effort to shadow at least three different practitioners, to help you figure out whether the lifestyle suits you. If you’re in the UK, take a look at the ACPAT and RAMP websites to gather information. And if, once you’ve found out all you need to know, it’s a career path you’d like to follow, then there are plenty of humans with horses waiting for you to get qualified so you can support them in optimising their potential, partnership and performance!
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 book 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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