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Horse Physiotherapy
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!).
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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.
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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."
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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.
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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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Get your hands on our hands-on massage course!
By
Sue Palmer
on
May 9, 2023
We all love a massage, and our horses are no different. Massage is an excellent skill to learn and a great gift to give our horses. If you love learning from a book, buy Sue Palmer’s book [Horse Massage for Horse Owners]. However, learning from a book is complex and problematic for many people. More and more people have been asking for Sue to run a hands-on massage course to give them a chance to learn some valuable techniques to help with their horses.
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Core stability and strength exercises for the non-ridden horse: Chapters 2-4
By
Sue Palmer
on
April 27, 2023
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.
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“Please listen to me”
By
Sue Palmer
on
April 23, 2023
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.
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16.12.2022 Excerpt from ‘Understanding Horse Performance: Brain, Pain or Training?’
By
Sue Palmer
on
December 16, 2022
From Chapter 12: Does your horse score 10/10 for comfort?... Since none of us can possibly know everything (and if someone claims that they do, perhaps they are not the right person to be working with), one priority is to point people in the direction of the right help. The trick is to know when and how to do that, and where to point them. I sincerely hope this book will help, for the sake of ridden horses throughout the world.
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‘Horse Massage For Horse Owners’ – Compression
By
Sue Palmer
on
January 7, 2022
You can buy ‘Horse Massage for Horse Owners’ on Amazon (affiliate link), or from The Horse Physio. Join my mailing list today for FREE bonus content at www.thehorsephysio.co.uk. Compression Practising on yourself Rest your hand lightly on your forearm, just above your wrist, and slowly slide it towards your elbow. As you reach the end […]
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