Improving performance – lateral movements, showjumping etc

Increase muscle strength and nerve supply to allow the horse to perform more comfortably

Maintaining strength and flexibility and aiding with relaxation for a horse on box rest

Psychological benefits including calming nervous horses, improving communication between horse and handler, or to ‘wake-up’ lazy horses

Massage can easily be included in your pre-competition preparation. The horse does not necessarily need to have a noticeable problem for massage to provide a great benefit both to their comfort and performance.

The Masterson Method™ website states…..

“The Certification Courses fill up quickly, so if you think you might be interested, please get your application complete.  Read the Certification Path webpage and at the bottom you can sign up.  Last year the courses filled up 3 months in advance.”

The Speakers

Dr. Rachel Murray MA VetMB MS PhD MRCVS Dip ACVS Dip ECVS

Rachel works at the Animal Health Trust in Newmarket, with a particular interest in sports horse training, performance and injury. She also works for the British Equestrian Federation, providing scientific advice for the British equestrian teams and as a veterinary surgeon with the world class dressage squads.

Rachel is one of the main speakers at the 2011 Horse and Exercise Conference in South Africa, ‘Learn from the Best in the World’. For anyone who would like to attend this 4 yearly event – www.sahorse2010.co.za – but for whom it is not possible, this is a wonderful opportunity to hear her speak. 

Eric Smiley FBHS

Eric is a Fellow of the British Horse Society, a Renowned Coach, Sympathetic Trainer, Producer of Young Horses, F.E.I. International Judge and Official and International Competitor having competed at Burghley, Badminton, the European Championships, the World Equestrian Games and the Olympic teams at Barcelona and Atlanta. Eric is an excellent, popular and sought after speaker we are delighted he has agreed to the practical day for the Conference.

Dr. Andrew Hemmings Msc

Andrew is a Neuroanatomist and Principal Lecturer in Animal Science at the Royal Agricultural College Cirencester. His main expertise is in looking at the brain and its influence on behaviour patterns, internal and external structures thus paving the way for a deeper insight into the functioning of other anatomical structures and their influence on performance.

Visit HorsesInsideOut website for schedule and ticket pricing.

The health and soundness management of any horse–regardless of his level of use or the problems he might be encountering–horse owner or trainer’s responsibility. The person responsible for the diagnosis, prescribing the treatment, and assessing progress and the effectiveness of the therapies is the veterinarian. The horse benefits from the cooperative efforts of everyone on the “team”–owner, veterinarian, trainer, groom, physical therapist, farrier, and any other care providers. Everyone’s goal is to make the injured horse’s recovery as quick as possible, and as complete as possible, and to keep the horse as comfortable and happy as possible during the course of his career. Each person involved must make sure that his/her specific therapy is addressing the proper problem or problems and not interfering with other modalities.

The owner must identify the goals for his/her horse. Then he or she must seek a veterinarian who has expertise in that specific endeavor or has resources available regarding expertise in that field. The owner must communicate to the veterinarian the goals and the planned route. The veterinarian must understand and respect the owner’s position and be willing to be a part of the team. This approach is necessary to achieve the goals in an efficient and safe manner.

The veterinarian is the one person trained and qualified to scientifically assess the basic and protracted health status of the horse. This information is used to establish any current diagnosis and important points of reference regarding the horse’s health and soundness. The diagnostic information is critical for everyone on the management team. With the proper diagnosis established, various modalities of therapy might be considered. In addition to the routine veterinary medical therapies, the physical therapy modalities might add significant advantage in the recovery and should be considered in the everyday case management. Each modality must be considered and evaluated on its own merits. Many of these therapies are of greatest benefit after the routine veterinary treatments have been instituted. An example is a horse with a sore back secondary to sore hocks. Physical therapy of the back will be much more beneficial once the hocks are being managed.

Today we have the luxury of many different physical therapy options generally involving more than one practitioner. The veterinarian must help evaluate these procedures and act as an advisor to the owner. The veterinarian is in a position to judge whether or not the combined therapies are synergistic and beneficial to the horse, and he/she is the team quarterback.

To be able to do his/her job well, the veterinarian needs to be aware of all the therapies being applied to the horse. He/ she needs to understand the various modalities and their advantages and disadvantages. Most owners appreciate and expect the veterinarian to accept this role and make the correct adjustments and recommend changes as they become important.

Keep in mind that not all of these procedures have a solid scientific background. To be considered, they must at least have strong anecdotal evidence of effectiveness and show minimal detrimental effects or risks to the horse.

It is important for the owner and the veterinarian to maintain an open and congenial line of communication. Also, it must be recognized that expense might be a factor and will limit the use of physical therapy by some owners. Again, the veterinarian is the person best suited to help the owner review and consider the various options.

You should talk to your veterinarian if you have questions about physical therapy options for your injured or healthy horse. As the leader of your horse’s health care team, he or she can greatly assist you in keeping your horse healthy and happy in his discipline.

by: Terry Swanson, DVM click here for article from thehorse.com

Archie and Sam June 2010

I also regularly attend Equine Science Conferences nationwide to keep abreast of the latest developments across all disciplines.

Providing visitors with four of her painted horse lectures at the WEG, Gillian helped visitors gain a deeper understanding of how the horse works and how even a simple understanding of anatomy and biomechanics can help to improve performance, reduce injury and maintain top physiological condition.

Painting the skeleton and musculature on the side of the horses really helps to bring the subject to life in a way that everyone can understand.

Fans of Gillian’s work include Silver medal winner Laura Bechtolsheimer and Dr. W. Bechtolsheimer who believe that Gillian’s DVD and “How your horse moves” book are a must for every rider, owner and trainer.

“In watching the DVD one gets a much better understanding of how the horse actually functions and of the interaction between muscles, tendons, ligaments and the skeleton. This understanding will help us to ride and train better and will hopefully stop us from asking the impossible of our horses and hence prevent injury.

In my opinion it is a must for every rider and trainer who is serious about the sport and the welfare of the horse.”