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Equine Mobility

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25.01.2022 An interesting read It never ceases to amaze me just how the whole horse is connected and how soft tissue restrictions in certain areas has its effect in other areas of the body.

23.01.2022 So many factors to think about

22.01.2022 ‘My horse has a sore back’...... is often the reason for a request to visit; ironically the most common reason for referral is poor performance so if the horse... is clearly uncomfortable it really is! ‘What causes a sore back?’.... How long have you got? Briefly, it could be any one or a combination of the following FEET : thrush, toe / heel angle, trim, negative palmar angle, hoof alignment, lameness, pain HIND END : hamstrings, hocks, stifles, strain, bony changes CONFORMATION : breeding, posture, deformity eg Roach back, long back susceptible to muscle / ligament strain, short back susceptible to bony lesions RIDER ISSUES : poor position, weight, rider musculoskeletal issues, unbalanced OLD INJURIES : soft tissue lesions, restrictive fascia, compensatory movement MANAGEMENT : not enough turnout, schooling on deep surfaces, workload not suited to fitness, poorly fitting rugs, slipping, age, poor schooling HEAD : issues with teeth, hyoid, TMJ, poll SADDLE / TACK : poorly fitting, heavy, chafing, uneven pressure, restrictive, painful INTERNAL ORGANS : ovarian pain, kidneys, ulcers DIET : sugar, not enough fibre, lacking magnesium / minerals FRACTURE : of thoracolumbar spine eg from fall / traumatic incident KISSING SPINES & SPONDYLOSIS :changes in vertebrae causing them to touch, degrade or bridge HUNTERS BUMP : ligament strain, age, inactivity causing muscle wastage making the tuber sacrum more pronounced ACUTE / CHRONIC S.I. Damage : ligament issues from slipping / twisting; poor performance, intermittent lameness, asymmetry in pelvis / hindquarters, plaiting, uneven action in hinds METABOLIC : PSSM / EPM leading to muscular tension affecting the back EMOTIONAL TENSION : stress, stereotypie behaviours eg weaving The owner, body worker, farrier may be able to eliminate many of these causes, but x rays, blood work and vet referral may be needed for a definitive answer. Louise Heal Equine Massage & Emmett 2020

22.01.2022 Travelling with company today Couldn't ask for a better day really, horses and dogs and more horses

21.01.2022 AND THE ANSWER IS.... This is a photo of the neck bones, cut in half. It is from a post mortem we performed on a horse suffering from Wobbler syndrome. Wob...bler syndrome or cervical vertebral malformation is a disease in which the spinal cord becomes compressed by the surrounding vertebrae (i.e. the bones of the neck). This photo shows one of the vertebrae (green arrow) which has become misshapen and is pressing upwards on the spinal cord (yellow arrow). Pressure on the spinal cord causes the horse to show signs of weakness and incoordination (hence the description of being a wobbler). Horses can show similar signs without having malformed bones e.g. after a traumatic event in which the spinal cord may just be bruised or swollen. Strictly speaking, the term Wobbler should be reserved for these cases of bone malformation. These are usually young, rapidly growing horses, often Thoroughbreds and Warmbloods. There isn’t one specific cause but genetics and nutrition play a role. In severe cases, we may see changes on plain x rays; other times we need a myelogram (we can show you this in a subsequent post). Unfortunately, treatment options are limited; medical management may help in early cases, but often is not enough. For the benefit of both your horse and yourself, it is essential that if your horse is showing signs of incoordination, it is essential that a vet checks your horse out. See more

19.01.2022 Saturday morning reading with my favourite backdrop #alwayslearning

14.01.2022 Are your horses feet causing back issues? Studies have shown us that lameness affects the back due to the horses compensatory mechanisms. Pfau (2020) discusse...d how horses uses biomechanics and musculoskeletal adaptions in order to firstly reduce the forces on a lame limb but at the same time protect the other limbs from overuse, highlighting the back as a link between the fronts and hinds. A stiff back enabled the horse to make use of these adaptive mechanisms. Spinal stiffening was also suggested by Hobbs et al. In horses that had high low hooves in front as a mechanism for maintaining straight movement with the help of contra lateral hind limb compensations. A recent article of mine discussed the feet as the beginning and end of a closed kinetic chain and we can see here how this is used by the horse. These adaptive mechanisms are good in the short term as they enable painful limbs/feet to be protected. But if these adaptive movements become long term due to chronic pain then secondary issues can ensue. It is also important to appreciate that adaptive movements become engrained over long periods and do not always correct themselves with the abolition of the primary pain (Rombach 2020), secondary issues could become the new primary and cycles can be created. Rehabilitation becomes essential to return the horse to their natural movement and postural patterns. To repeat the theme of many of my posts. The feet and body are inextricably linked, if you’re dealing with back pain, could the feet be playing a part? If you are having morphological issues of the feet, is the back playing a role? And maybe the whole cycle is being created by something else completely. For further reading follow the trail starting from these links.. . https://www.theequinedocumentalist.com//bio-tensegrity-and . https://www.theequinedocumentalist.com//the-hoof-the-begin

14.01.2022 Rest and digest... Messages relayed to the central nervous system via nerve receptors through the skin by massage techniques, resulting in messages of relaxation translated to the muscles.

12.01.2022 What a superstar! Congratulations Steve on your win with Dougie, the care and dedication that goes in to the horses in your care is second to none. Very well deserved. A privilege to be able to spend some time with this horse.

10.01.2022 Good morning - Just a few places left for woodburn tomorrow. Get in contact asap if you'd like to book your horse in for a sports massage therapy sessionGood morning - Just a few places left for woodburn tomorrow. Get in contact asap if you'd like to book your horse in for a sports massage therapy session

09.01.2022 What’s are some of the effects of medio-lateral imbalance? There is a lot of focus on dorso-palmar balance, caudal hoof failure and hoof Pastern angles. But me...dio-lateral imbalance plays just as much role in musculoskeletal health. In the fore limbs, poor medio-lateral balance directly affects structures along the front leg myofascial lines. The protraction and retraction lines (Elbrond and Shultz 2015)This effect on thoracic musculature has been outlined by Kilmartin (2014). Issues in the brachiocephalicus, behind the withers, Over the croup and high tension behind the shoulder blade (Neidhart 2020). The imbalance at the level of the foot can be exacerbated by the time you get to the top creating a rotational force on the shoulder, meaning the horse using muscular effort to compensate. These compensations don’t always correct themselves with the correction of the imbalance, they change landing patterns and often body work is needed afterwards to loosen shoulder and back. These compensations can also extend all the way down the back into the gluteal region. - Neidhart (2020) Some emerging studies show a predisposition to Elbow arthritis - Sharon May Davis Many studies have shown the effects on Collateral ligaments, collateral cartilages and joints all the way up the limbs and Soft tissue dysfunction in the shoulder and neck. In the hinds the effects are transferred along the dorsal line and creates contraction in the ventral lines. In both the fronts and hinds it directly affects posture and biomechanics. In the hinds it can create Rope walking/rope standing where the limbs are moved toward the midline. This creates Imbalanced joint load in the hock and problems in the stifle again affecting collateral ligaments all the way up the limb. This can create compensatory contraction the abductor, contracted ilipsoas and torque in the pelvis, creating issues with the Sciatic nerve, SI and lumbar. (Neidhart 2020). As with my posts on dorso-palmar balance the holistic approach, looking at the feet and the higher issues is so important in resolution of performance issues and pain. Here we have 2 cases of poor medio-lateral imbalance. Although I am a huge advocate for the barefoot horse, one of the cases shows how sometimes these concurrent and cyclic issues mean barefoot isn’t always best. Sometimes we need to give the horse a more balanced base then it is able to give itself when there are other factors at play. Further reading in the captions.

07.01.2022 Pre ride full back massage for duchy - When muscles are able to contract and release freely, without any pain or muscular restrictions. Overall performance increases and risk of injury decreases.

07.01.2022 Woohoo! Congratulations to Steve and American Honor!!! Hard work and persistence pays off! Well done big boy!

07.01.2022 ** BREAK THE CYCLE ** Imbalances in the body create unbalanced hooves. Unbalanced hooves create imbalances in the body. ... Sometimes you don’t have to know which occurred first to be able to break the cycle and grow a strong, balanced foundation in just a few months. And even if you can’t correct the biomechanics cause ... you can alleviate it’s damaging effects on the hoof with simple balanced trimming .

06.01.2022 Heading to Murwillumbah and surrounding areas. Tuesday the 25th August. A few places left available. Private message or 0403 412 776 to have your horse booked in for a sports massage therapy session

05.01.2022 Poppy - Loves the Surefoot pads just as much as she loves her monthly bodywork sessions

05.01.2022 Touch with intent

04.01.2022 Heading to Murwillumbah this Wednesday the 23rd a couple of spots available. Message or call 0403412776