What is Equine Osteopathy?
Equine osteopathy is a way of diagnosing, treating and preventing health problems. Using highly trained observational skills, combined with finely tuned palpation, we identify restrictions of the musculoskeletal system and then establish treatments specific to the issues at hand.
Treating the rider
Achieving maximum riding performance and horse well-being doesn’t stop with just treating your horse. As riders we have a huge impact on the way our horses move. Through rider osteopathy as well as ridden osteopathic assessments we can help you to relieve your own muscle tensions, improve joint mobility and alleviate pain so you can achieve perfect horse-rider harmony.
Techniques
As osteopaths we use a wide range of techniques, such as joint manipulation, stretching and massage to:
- Increase joint mobility
- Relieve muscle tension
- Help the body to heal quicker
- Enhance blood supply to tissues
Conditions Treated
Horses and ponies don’t always display obvious signs of discomfort. Common signs and symptoms to look out for are:
- Behavioural problems (bucking/rearing/bolting/tacking up issues…)
- Reduced/altered performance (stiffness/one sidedness, refusals, mal-tracking…)
- Tacking-up issues
- Gait imbalances
- Lameness / unlevelness
- Uneven muscle bulk
