Veterinary physiotherapy can benefit horses of all ages, disciplines, and abilities, from your happy hacker to your Grand Prix gold medal winner. As prey animals, horses are able to mask their pain well and often compensate for pain by altering their posture and gait which means underlying issues can sometimes go unnoticed for some time. Therefore, it is good practice to have routine physiotherapy treatment for your horse even if they do not have a specific injury or presenting issue. 

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Aims of Physiotherapy:

• Reduce pain

• Improve mobility

• Promote healing

• Regain function

• Strengthen musculature

• Enhance performance

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Horses communicate that they are in pain or experiencing discomfort by exhibiting changes in behaviour. These can be more obvious changes such as bucking when being ridden, or more subtle changes such as reluctance to stand square. 

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Signs that indicate that your horse would benefit from physiotherapy:

• Poor performance

• Stiffness

• Behavioural problems (bucking, rearing, biting, etc.)

• Muscle imbalances

• Lack of muscle

• Change in performance (refusals, rushing, avoidance, etc.)

• Disunited canter

• Change in temperament (fidgeting, dislike being groomed/tacked up)

• Loss of symmetry/straightness

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Veterinary physiotherapy can also benefit a wide variety of musculoskeletal conditions and injuries, and any compensatory issues which may arise as a result of an ongoing injury or condition.

 

Conditions that can benefit from physiotherapy:

• Osteoarthritis

• Soft tissue injuries (muscles, tendons, and ligaments)

• Kissing spines

• Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD)

• Sacroiliac problems

• Post-surgical rehabilitation

• Muscle atrophy/imbalance

• Back pain

• Neural injuries 

• Injury rehabilitation (e.g. fractures)

• Neurological conditions (e.g. wobblers, stringhalt, sweeney)

• Wounds

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If you are unsure about whether your horse might benefit from physiotherapy treatment, please do not hesitate to get in touch for a free phone consultation. 

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