Post by Sue Palmer on Nov 26, 2009 19:29:23 GMT 1
A common question is 'I don't know if this is something that you can help with', or 'I don't know if I should call an RA'. So I thought it might give people a bit of encouragement / support if I listed some of the issues that the horses I'm working with at the moment, some as one-off cases and others as ongoing support. Just because something is not listed here doesn't mean I don't / haven't worked with it - this is just a list of current caseload (names not included for privacy purposes).
1. A horse who can only have his feet picked up (including for trimming) when he's got a twitch on - and he's a champion prizewinner!
2. A recently backed horse who is excellent out hacking, but reluctant to work in the arena, showing a variety of behaviours from bucking to stopping and refusing to move, even recently lying down!
3. A lady who would like some massage skills to use with her own horse.
4. Physio for a variety of horses, from retired ponies to Grand Prix dressage horses, and everything inbetween.
5. General groundwork for a 2yo colt.
6. Loading a horse which has been getting progressively worse with his loading.
7. Helping a 'difficult traveller' to overcome his fears.
8. A combination of physio and behavioural work with a nappy horse (checked by vet).
9. Picking up the feet of a horse who is kicking out severely, putting her owner in A&E last week!
10. General riding lessons
11. Helping a nervous lady to overcome her fear of riding her youngster.
12. Helping another nervous lady to learn how to handle the horse that she rescued.
13. Working with a horse that became too dangerous to hack out (he has just begun hacking again, nearly 6 months after I started working with him, thanks to his owner's hard work).
14. Helping re-back a youngster who is fine to hack, but unrideable in the arena.
15. Working with an intermittently spooky horse, whose rider came off and broke her collarbone and doesn't want to repeat the experience!
16. Physio to improve the temperament and behaviour of a grumpy Arab horse.
17. Building confidence for a lady who is confident in the arena but scared out hacking.
18. Working with a yearling to establish basic ground manners.
19. Loading a horse that used to load no problems but has recently refused to load at all.
20. Helping a lady to decide whether or not the horse she has bought is suitable for what she would like to / is able to do.
21. Working to improve the relationship between a horse and handler, where the horse is 100% in charge, to the detriment of both.
22. General ground manners for a 2yo gelding.
23. Working with a horse who is difficult to groom, and has kicked her owner when she was trying to saddle her.
24. Using a combination of physio and behavioural work to help an elderly horse who is napping.
25. Working with a horse that won't stand to be mounted.
26. A horse that can't be clipped, and is so frightened of the vet that she can't be sedated for clipping either!
27. Team physio on tour with Monty.
That's just a selection - the variety is what makes the job so exciting! All are approached with the same principles of a non-violent approach, and with the idea of changing the actions of the handler in order to obtain the required change in the actions of the horse. As a Veterinary Physiotherapist, I also briefly assess each and every horse that I work with for physical issues as part of my initial assessment, and if I find anything of note then I will advise the owner and it is up to them to decide if they want to act upon those recommendations.
1. A horse who can only have his feet picked up (including for trimming) when he's got a twitch on - and he's a champion prizewinner!
2. A recently backed horse who is excellent out hacking, but reluctant to work in the arena, showing a variety of behaviours from bucking to stopping and refusing to move, even recently lying down!
3. A lady who would like some massage skills to use with her own horse.
4. Physio for a variety of horses, from retired ponies to Grand Prix dressage horses, and everything inbetween.
5. General groundwork for a 2yo colt.
6. Loading a horse which has been getting progressively worse with his loading.
7. Helping a 'difficult traveller' to overcome his fears.
8. A combination of physio and behavioural work with a nappy horse (checked by vet).
9. Picking up the feet of a horse who is kicking out severely, putting her owner in A&E last week!
10. General riding lessons
11. Helping a nervous lady to overcome her fear of riding her youngster.
12. Helping another nervous lady to learn how to handle the horse that she rescued.
13. Working with a horse that became too dangerous to hack out (he has just begun hacking again, nearly 6 months after I started working with him, thanks to his owner's hard work).
14. Helping re-back a youngster who is fine to hack, but unrideable in the arena.
15. Working with an intermittently spooky horse, whose rider came off and broke her collarbone and doesn't want to repeat the experience!
16. Physio to improve the temperament and behaviour of a grumpy Arab horse.
17. Building confidence for a lady who is confident in the arena but scared out hacking.
18. Working with a yearling to establish basic ground manners.
19. Loading a horse that used to load no problems but has recently refused to load at all.
20. Helping a lady to decide whether or not the horse she has bought is suitable for what she would like to / is able to do.
21. Working to improve the relationship between a horse and handler, where the horse is 100% in charge, to the detriment of both.
22. General ground manners for a 2yo gelding.
23. Working with a horse who is difficult to groom, and has kicked her owner when she was trying to saddle her.
24. Using a combination of physio and behavioural work to help an elderly horse who is napping.
25. Working with a horse that won't stand to be mounted.
26. A horse that can't be clipped, and is so frightened of the vet that she can't be sedated for clipping either!
27. Team physio on tour with Monty.
That's just a selection - the variety is what makes the job so exciting! All are approached with the same principles of a non-violent approach, and with the idea of changing the actions of the handler in order to obtain the required change in the actions of the horse. As a Veterinary Physiotherapist, I also briefly assess each and every horse that I work with for physical issues as part of my initial assessment, and if I find anything of note then I will advise the owner and it is up to them to decide if they want to act upon those recommendations.