Pets who are overweight have more stress on their joints so exercise should be easy on their joints. Swimming and walking in water are great for this as they reduce the amount of weight your pet’s joints have to carry as they are supported by the water. Because of this, you should avoid high impact exercises like running, jumping and competing.

One of the most common things I hear from equestrians is ‘How do I increase my horse's (insert body area here)?’. And my answer is almost always hacking with different surfaces and hills. This type of work is a full body work out and can be done ridden or in hand so really is suitable for all horses. This type of work increases joint motion, muscle mass and strength, core strength and stride length. What doesn’t it do right?!

The biceps brachii muscle in our pets lies down the front of the forelimb as shown in this video. In the dog the bicep brachii starts just below the shoulder joint at the supraglenoid tubercle of the scapula and proceeds down the front of the forelimb to the radial tuberosity and proximedial ulna which is just before the elbow joint.

This is the muscle that allows our dogs to lift their limb up to go upstairs or over objects on the ground such as cavaletti or roots in the woods. The brachialis is a small muscle but has a huge function in the movement of the forelimbs in both our dogs and horses.

So the Tricep is the main antigravity muscle of the forelimb, this means that its responsible for keeping our pets upright and keeping their forelimb underneath them.

The major muscles of the hindlimbs are: The hamstrings- semimembranosus, semitendinosus, bicep femoris The quadriceps Sartorius Gastrocnemius Gluteals

5 must-know exercises for you and your dog, how to train them and why you should!

Swimming or another form of hydrotherapy such as walking or trotting etc. in water is hugely beneficial to most horse's.

Interestingly horse's can sleep both laying down and standing up. Although the type and length of these sleeping periods do vary depending on if our horse's are stood or laid down.

Veterinary Physiotherapy uses a combination of manual therapies including massage as well as electrotherapies and exercise therapies. This gives your pet a bespoke and comprehensive treatment for any underlying conditions as well as a great basis for a fitness and conditioning plan in fit pets.

Simply the use of vet/animal physiotherapy (manual, electro and exercise therapies) in animals primarily dogs and horses. Veterinary physiotherapy is a brilliant resource that all pet owners should be taking advantage of. All dogs and horse no matter what their age, lifestyle or health status should have regular vet physiotherapy assessment and treatment.

Your vet physio is an essential tool that you should be making the most of. They can create conditioning plans for you saving you a heap of time and worry. At each session, they will also assess your pet and carry out any necessary treatment to relieve muscle tension, overuse or limited range of motion meaning your pet has a greater stride length, flexibility, strength and balance.