Townsend Therapy

Well done Flora Lickiss Eventing! 👏 A great result today xx

Can’t wait for this short film to be available at the end of the month, helping to educate us all 😊

24 Behaviors of the Ridden Horse in Pain “WE ARE CONDITIONED THAT MANY HORSE BEHAVIORS ARE NORMAL, BUT THEY ARE NOT. WE NEED TO APPRECIATE THAT WHAT WE CALL ‘NAUGHTY HORSES’ ARE ACTUALLY THOSE IN PAIN.”– Dr. Sue Dyson Shifting the paradigm of how we see lameness.The 24 Behaviors of the Ridden Horse in Pain is a film that dares to...

2021. All about CPD on zoom!! 🐴

With or without a training aid??

Personally I love the relaxation and soft neck position in the photo without!

Definitely worth taking off the gadgets from time to time to check how your horse wants to go naturally. 😎

2/11/20
Following Government guidelines we move back into a lockdown in England and restrictions within other parts of the country. We expect that many practitioners have found ways to work while adhering to the guidelines of social distancing, PPE and risk assessments to date but we now need to be aware of the increased restrictions.

In the absence of further restrictions advised by the RCVS we would just reiterate that each practitioner must continue to risk assess cases on an individual basis whilst maintaining safe working practice within the National restrictions/guidance.

As a reminder these are the current guidelines for RAMP registrants:

1. Animals with demonstrable pain and welfare issues should be seen, these may include all pathologies.
2. A pre-visit risk assessment and telephone call is essential. Gain as much information prior to the visit as possible to minimise contact time. If appropriate, would the use of an oral sedative, supplied by the clients' vet to the client, mitigate risk? Do you have access to a responsible ‘safe’ handler that can attend with you?
3. No appointments should be made with anyone who has Covid symptoms or who is in close contact with anyone with Covid symptoms. There must be a 14-day quarantine period for them, prior to seeing them. Consider the suitability of wearing a mask to reduce the risk of the practitioner spreading Covid between yards/clients. Consider asking owners/handlers to wear masks to reduce the risk of transmission to the practitioner.
4. If you have symptoms do not treat, get tested, and await a clear result, prior to seeing any clients.
5. Animals with owners in the vulnerable categories should not be treated in the normal way. Try to see if any other approach other than face to face can be used.
6. Small animals should be seen in a clinic setting, (physio or vet) rather than home visits if possible, as cleanliness, disinfection and biosecurity are easier to control. If home visits are necessary, ensure that no other pets/family etc are present. In a clinic setting explore the possibility of treatment without owner present. Risk asses home visits very carefully.
7. Yard visits- Risk assess individual setups. As a professional you will be aware of the situations, and risks, at each of your regular yards. Some may be relatively ‘safe’, others less so. The decision to attend a client should be dictated by the risk assessment.
8. Home/yard visits, ask for gates to be opened and closed for you to minimise touching surfaces. No loose dogs/cats around that could transmit virus via petting, ensure animal is ready and waiting for you (ie no putting on headcollars, leads etc and unnecessary handling of owners equipment), carry your own soap and towels to wash between visits and ask for a fresh bucket of warm water or easy access to sink to wash. Accept no refreshments.
9. Other considerations, can the animal be left tied up with the owner at an appropriate distance? If not, are there any other strategies to improve safety and appropriately handle and restrain the animal. Is this a safe approach for you, the client and the animal?
10. Is this animal safe to treat with these restrictions in place?
11. All visits should be risk assessed and the results documented. Including those where treatment is refused and the reasons why, with documented details of the explanation to the client.
12. Only see regular clients if possible, this reduces the risk to you and the clients and eases the process of risk assessment. Do not ‘poach’ another practitioners’ clients.
13. For new referrals of non-regular clients have a close liaison with the vet re the risks and set up of the treatment environment, not just the clinical condition.
14. Payment- attempt to remove the need to handle payments. Request payment by BACS/credit card/paypal.

This is not an exhaustive list of all the possible considerations and scenarios but some guidance. Professional judgement and expert opinion should be used at all stages to ensure the practitioners and the client’s safety while also minimising the risks of spreading Covid 19.

The professional judgement of the practitioner, based on a thorough risk assessment, should always lead the decision as to whether it is safe to attend and treat an animal. Remember that owners should list practitioners as healthcare workers for the track and trace requirements including QR codes.

Follow the link - pictures illustrating the 24 signs of musculoskeletal pain in ridden horses. So important for us all to be aware of!
https://files.constantcontact.com/5053f732801/b9329bf3-b527-4cd7-a204-ea1f8da25d6d.pdf

files.constantcontact.com

Research indicates that too many horses are showing signs of musculoskeletal pain based on Dyson’s (2018) pain ethogram.

Latest newsletter is out now, with links to exciting new research AND our quick and easy survey. Have a look!
We'd love to know your thoughts.🙂🐴

https://mailchi.mp/saddleresearchtrust/rider-weight-presentation-and-saddle-research-trust-3rd-international-conference-report-334659

The British Horse Society - Accredited Professional Coaches IRVAP - Institute of Registered Veterinary and Animal Physiotherapists McTimoney Animal Association BEVA - The British Equine Veterinary Association

Tonight’s CPD.... really enjoying these webinars 😎

Absolutely amazing!

***CV-19 SUPER SIX***

These are the six noses that could soon be trained to detect if someone has COVID-19 and play a vital role in preventing further spread of the pandemic in future.

Norman, Digby, Storm, Star, Jasper and Asher are ready to be assessed to work on a project to train dogs to detect the virus and we couldn’t be more proud of them.

We’ll be giving you a little factfile about each of them over the weekend…

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/md-dogs-against-covid19 #/
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Durham University
Bex Arts
Nigel Harper Photography

Something to think about!!

Look forward to the results of this!! 😎

Great to have more research on this!

Interesting study 🧐...

Crooked Horse Under Saddle? A Single Bell Boot Can Help – The Horse Placing a boot on a horse’s weaker leg can use proprioception to help him build muscle force and reverse asymmetry, a study finds.

Impressive work! So pleased for you Moira Bonner and Jackie Warren-George 🤩🥂

So much information to be analysed! I absolutely love this device.... the Seaver girth sleeve. Great for building up a true picture of your horses fitness, straightness, cadence and elevation. It can also be used to monitor health and progression of training.

https://seaverhorse.com

Sports Therapy Organisation

http://www.theprehabguys.com/evidence-based-shoulder-exercises/

Willow Veterinary Clinic

Did you know its now against the law to travel with an unrestrained pet in your car? You could end up with a fine of up to £2,500 and penalty points on your licence.

Insurance companies are now warning clients that their car insurance may be invalid if they are involved in an accident in which there is an unrestrained pet in the car.

It is advised that cat carriers should be placed on the back seat of the vehicle secured with the seatbelt or on the floor behind the passenger seat. Dogs can either travel on the backseat and secured with a dog harness attached to the seatbelt or alternately they can travel in the boot of a car if your parcel shelf has been removed. A dog cage secured in the boot is also a safe way for your dog to travel.

Please be sure that any pet is safe and secure before you travel.

Written by Marie.

Lame or Asymmetric Gait - RVC and Other Veterinary Experts Call for Change - Everything Horse

So interesting.... at what point do we determine horses to be lame and unable to work?!

everythinghorseuk.co.uk Lame or Asymmetric Gait – RVC and Other Veterinary Experts Call for Change Should We Redefine Equine Lameness In The Era Of Quantitative Gait Analysis?...

Sensor Technology Enhances Relationship Between Lameness and Back Problems - Everything Horse

New technology helping us understand the links between the horses back and lameness..

everythinghorseuk.co.uk Sensor Technology Enhances Relationship Between Lameness and Back Problems in Horses Sensor technology is allowing experts from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) and Animal Health...

Everyday is a school day... even Sunday!!! Glad I made it to my CPD day in Tetbury.... so close to accidentally turning into Badminton instead!! 😬

Great result for Alexa!! 👍

Second consecutive WIN for Ogue Caviar! This time at Aldon 18.8 Double Clear inside the time, finishing on the lowest score of the day. He's one very classy horse with lots more to give on the flat as well as jumping. 😁 3 events & he's improved each week by 5 marks. Quite a transformation from the gangly 5 year old, hard work & patience is paying off. ✅ I look forward to stepping him up to Novice soon.
Big thank you goes to my wonderful eyes on the ground Delerie Chambers who I've worked with for the past 8 years. My parents who support my ambition. Farrier Nigel Pike who I wouldn't go without. My amazing Equisage UK which keeps the horses limbered up on a daily basis to produce these fantastic scores and Tiggy & Anna equine physio's.
Next we look forward to the BD National Championships (Caviar) & Riding Club National Dressage Championship (Caviar, GH Popsong, JK & Kitty)
A X

Anna Blunden - McTimoney Animal Practitioner

Some interesting points and such a common problem!!

If you've recently bought a horse and wondering why you're starting to have problems, this article may help you.

Moira and Darcy looking fab!! X

Some great anatomy diagrams from HorseSideVetGuide!

Enthesophytosis and Impingement of the Dorsal Spinous Processes in the Equine Thoracolumbar Spine:

Good to see new research into kissing spines 👍

researchgate.net Impingement of the dorsal spinous processes (DSP) is a common cause of pain and poor performance in sport horses but there is limited information regarding regional differences in the prevalence...

The Society of Master Saddlers

GROUND-BREAKING THERMOGRAPHIC RESEARCH...

The SMS joined forces with SyncThermology to undertake ground-breaking research to investigate if thermography can be used to assess the fit of a saddle.

Thermography has already proven to be a very useful tool in assessing back health in horses, but The Society of Master Saddlers were unsure how these thermographic images compared to the results of the Pliance pressure mapping system. Hazel Morley, SMS Chief Executive, said: “We have found that more and more horse owners are starting to enquire about saddle testing when using thermography as part of a full body evaluation and wanted to find out whether such methods could really help when it came to saddle fitting.”

The research comprised of six horses being assessed by a vet, physiotherapist and biomechanics specialists before being put under a strict test protocol with thermographic scans being taken pre and post exercise, along with testing using the Pliance pressure mapping system. Analysis of the findings showed that visually the thermographic imaging was misleading as heat did not reflect pressure and often detected issues on the opposite side to where the problem actually lies.

It was also found that with thermography, the image findings were ambiguous and should only be read by a trained vet or professional. The imaging also does not show a ‘bad fit’ when the saddle is used for the first time as the results will not show the long term effects the saddle has on the horse’s back. Standalone saddle testing with thermography is in most cases providing misleading results. However during a full body scan, thermography could detect a condition that was possibly saddle related, in this case horse owners should immediately contact a saddle fitter to assess the fit of the saddle.

Horses Inside Out

A different perspective of the spine. This is a great photograph as it shows how positioning of the head and neck influences bend in the back. Taken from my book Horse Anatomy for Performance available from here http://www.horsesinsideout.com/b1ha4p.html.