By Sue Palmer, The Horse Physio

For free tips on equine health and wellbeing, click here.

This lovely testimonial was put together by one of my clients, and I couldn’t help but share it with you. I am in awe of creative people, and Su used the letters of the word PHYSIOTHERAPIST to spell out some of what I do as an equine physio on a daily basis. From helping to ease back pain in horses, to rehabilitation after injury, from maintaining health and wellbeing, to improving performance, my day job is varied, to say the least! Su’s horse, Buster, is an elderly gentleman (pictured with Su near the end of this blog), who I have known for many years. Utterly dedicated to his exercise program, Su helps him to stay in tip top condition. The work that she does with him is effectively a daily treatment for him. What a lucky boy he is!

I find that the more effort the owner puts into the exercises that I give them for their horse, the quicker they are likely to achieve the results that they are looking for. It might be that your horse is sore in his back, or his neck, or his poll, and you want him to feel more comfortable. You might have noticed him flinch when you brush him, or throw his head up when you go to stroke his face. He might be misbehaving, perhaps spooking, napping, rearing, bucking, and you just know that something isn’t right. He might be working really well, but somehow you know that he could be doing better, that something is holding him back.

Of course, physios often get involved after surgery, particularly if the surgery was for kissing spine. After all, you wouldn’t expect a person to be sent home after back surgery without physio follow up! If your horse has injured himself, he is likely to benefit from physio to get him back on track more quickly and more effectively. Sometimes, you don’t know whether he’s hurt himself or not – perhaps he got his foot caught in his hay net, or pulled back when he was tied up, or you saw him slip over in the field. Your physio can check your horse over for you and let you know, because of course, the earlier that injuries are dealt with, the better they are likely to heal.

In Su’s case, she wants Buster to stay comfortable for as long as seems right for him. She wants me to help him with this, and she wants a professional opinion on how he’s doing. I give her advice on what she can do to help him, and suggest when it might be best to back off the work a bit, or it’s perhaps ok to ask a bit more of him. I use my knowledge and experience as a Chartered Physiotherapist to assess and treat, on an individual basis, each and every time I see a horse.

For free tips on equine health and wellbeing, click here.

Probably the most common comments from clients are “I just want to know he’s ok”, or, “I just want to know he’s not in pain”, or, “I just want to know he’s not hurting.” Your horse is part of your family, and you care deeply for him. You want what is best from him, and you want the right team around you to help you make the right decisions.

A Physiotherapist is a valuable part of that team, which might include veterinarian, coach, rider, farrier, saddler, equine dental technician, nutritionist, and more. Every time I see a horse, I email a set of notes to the client, which they then keep, and can share with any other member of the team as needed. It’s a lot to ask the owner to remember everything I’ve said, and to accurately pass the information on as needed. Having it written down makes things easier for everyone! The exercises I’ve recommended are on those notes, so you haven’t even got to remember those!

Sue Palmer MCSP, aka The Horse Physio, is an award-winning ACPAT and RAMP registered Chartered Physiotherapist, an Intelligent Horsemanship Recommended Trainer, and holds an MSc. Formerly a competitive rider and BHSAI, she works full-time treating horses. Through multiple books and articles, Sue shares with you her passion for ethical and harmonious horsemanship.

Sue’s next book, ‘Harmonious Horsemanship: Use of the Ridden Horse Ethogram to Optimise Potential, Partnership and Performance’ is co-authored with Dr Sue Dyson, and available late Spring 2023. To find out more, and for free tips on equine health and wellbeing, click here.

Find a Physiotherapist for your horse in the UK at www.acpat.org, or www.rampregister.org.

For free tips on equine health and wellbeing, click here.