How to know if your horse needs physio. 3 Signs you Shouldn’t Ignore
So often owners say to me “I had no idea that was a problem”, yet every owner I’ve met just wants the best for their horse. In a world where we are bombarded with information sometimes the basics aren’t getting through the noise…
Here’s 3 things I wish every owner knew so they would call their physio sooner.
Posture tells a story.
How your horse stands in the stable or field tells a lot about how comfortable they are in their body. If your horse cannot stand with their cannon bones perpendicular to the ground then that’s a clear indicator that you have an issue somewhere. In order for a horse to stand/rest upright it uses what is called its stay apparatus. For this to function correctly it requires the bony limb columns to be in alignment otherwise the horse must rely on muscular effort to stand. Not being able to stand correctly means muscles are recruited at rest that should not be, these will get tired, fatigue early during work and inevitably breakdown under stress and load. If your horse stands more like a triangle than a rectangle this is your clear sign to get them checked out.
No horse dislikes human interaction and exercise. If they do something is wrong somewhere, it’s up to us to figure out where?
Horses are naturally kind and generous, they thrive in environments that allow them to feel safe, stress-free and have their needs met. If your horse dislikes being tacked up, ridden or generally seems unhappy being handled then it’s likely something is not right. That may be anything from not enough turn out, a diet that’s not quite suitable, a badly fitting saddle or even a stressed handler. All these things can make a horse act defensively or aggressively, it’s worth getting to the bottom of it.
3. I’ve never met a horse (and I’ve worked with thousands) with “bad” behaviour that didn’t originate in pain, discomfort or misunderstanding.
So many times I’ve heard a horse described as “bad”, their behaviour dismissed as cheeky, bold, bad-tempered and I could go on… I’ve worked with thousands of horses as a rider, coach and physio and not once have I met a horse whose behaviour could not be “fixed” by removing the source of pain, stress or misunderstanding that the horse was experiencing.
Over the years I have come to understand this on an even deeper level as I learn more about how horses learn and I work more towards helping horses and riders with nervous system regulation, functional movement patterns and training based on scalable goals that ensure competence and understanding before asking for more from our horses.
Join me as I discuss topics ranging from anatomy, gait analysis, pole work, physiotherapy techniques, riding tips and my new project…bridleless riding.
“Horses should be trained in such a way that they not only love their riders, but look forward to the time they are with them”
Xenophan
