Human and Equine Therapist

This weeks free educational video, sacralised lumbar! One thing I’ve learned very quickly is that anatomy books show the ideal conformation not the real picture of a compromised structure. As a yard stick it’s important to note that I see the dysfunctional horses. My collection is severely lopsided that way but I have seen a good number of unridden horses now too for comparison. While viewing this video I’d like you think about all the ways this body had adapted to try and stay functional. Note that on the sacral spurs where new osseous bone has formed there is cartilage protecting the bone. Where there is weakness in the joints the body has gone about strengthening by beginning the attach the sacrum to the pelvis. Where there was dysfunction in the lumbo sacral junction it had fused on one side. The problem with these adaptations is once they start they don’t seem to stop. He made it to 11 He also had grade 4 kissing spines and stomach ulceration in multiple places. I often feel that kissing spines is the red herring for bigger problems and only diagnosed because of its accessibility for X-rays. The issue this horse had could have been seen via re**al ultrasound, scintigraphy and MRI that I’m aware of but most people stop looking when they get to the kissing spines. Consider where the nerves come out of the foramen and how painful that would have been as the bone clamped around them in the fusion process of the lumbo sacral junction. This is a common variation I see in thoroughbreds and less in Standardbreds. Behaviour is communication

The comfort and health of the horse is the central key to the horse’s performance and soundness.

“camped under" horse will stand with legs too far underneath it, causing increased strain to be placed on the ligaments and tendons of the leg.

Equine sports massage is a hands-on therapeutic manipulation of muscle tissue. It brings a range of benefits for your horse because it: Promotes relaxation, both physically and mentally. Increases flexibility, suppleness and a range of movement.

When humans feel pain in their muscles, tightness in certain areas they will often have massage treatments. Horses also get tightness and pain in muscles. When they experience discomfort or injured muscles, often it’s only noticed when horses start to display a change in demeanor, constant lameness or perform poorly. Equine sports massage treatment can keeping your horses in the best possible shape and prevent muscle injuries before they become more serious.

Camped under-
It’s very common to see horses standing under with their front legs and often back legs too. This stance is the result of back pain. A horse will change his base of support to help alleviate the pain in his back.