After injury rest and controlled exercise is used to get pets moving again without causing further injury. This is especially important in the case of horse's as they require movement to effectively digest their food. Controlled exercise for horses can include lunging, long-reining and in-hand walking whereas in dogs slow lead walking is most commonly used. Hydrotherapy can be used in certain cases if it is available to you.

Weight shifting is a remedial exercise used in both dogs and horses to improve even weight bearing on all limbs, increase core strength and proprioception.

Over 30% of sporting dogs suffer an injury at some point in their sporting career. These injuries are most commonly occur in the limbs, back and neck. Some of these injuries can be mild such as a cut to a pad or a cracked nail. These injuries cause only minor discomfort to our dogs and can be quickly treated (find out more in our laser blog). However, some injuries can be more serious and lead to a prolonged recovery for our dogs.

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

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

Has your dog just started licking their paws out of nowhere? Or perhaps they’ve been doing it for a while but now you’ve noticed they’re doing it more?

Ergh why is my horse lame?! It’s the age old question isn’t it. You know the saying “if you look at it long enough you’ll find a lameness” well it’s kinda the same with trying to find out why right?

Noticing a limb or lameness in our dogs can be a worrying time for us as owners. But firstly is your dog lame? How do you know and what should you look out for?

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.