Horses

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Horses are athletes that commonly suffer from muscle strains and pain, which can affect their performance even if overt lameness is not seen. Any injuries can result in areas of pain or stiffness leading to poor mobility, unless balanced movement is encouraged. Older horses can also have problems with arthritis causing pain and reduced mobility, making it hard for them to express normal behaviour such as grazing comfortably, lying down to sleep and rising easily, rolling and moving around the field in all gaits.

Signs that a horse may be suffering pain, muscle spasm, or poor mobility include:

lameness
being 'cold backed' or uncomfortable when raising a leg
resenting saddling or grooming
difficulty uniting in canter
failure to track up

Potential causes often include several of the following:

poor conformation
poor farriery
poor saddlery
rider imbalance
wear and tear related changes in the joints
injuries
arthritis
other limb/ back diseases

Diagnosis can be based on clinical examination, but the following may also be needed:

Treatments include:

surgery
medications
acupuncture
exercise regimes
physio and other rehabilitation techniques
nutraceuticals
changes in diet
euthanasia (sadly this may become necessary where successful treatment is not possible and quality of life is adversely affected)

At "pain therapy for animals", Roberta can offer:

acupuncture treatment for relief of pain and muscle spasm
physical therapies such as massage and exercises to improve and maintain mobility
exercise regimes for rehabilitation and to maintain fitness various medications food supplements
nutritional advice
saddle and tack assessment for horses
home visits- treating pets and horses in familiar surroundings

could your horse benefit?

To contact Roberta to see if your horse might benefit from an appointment please email:

(horses in East Anglia, UK only)