EQUINE THERAPIES.
TOOLS OF THE TRADE PHYSIOTHERAPISTS DO A SUPER JOB KEEPING OUR DRESSAGE HORSES SUPPLE AND COMFORTABLE, SO WHAT THERAPIES DO THEY USE AND RECOMMEND?
W
e all know how good it feels when you’ve just been
loosened up by your physiotherapist, and we’d like to think it’s the same for our horses. So, how can riders maintain that suppleness between sessions?
VIBRATION THERAPY Veterinary physiotherapist (PGDip) Natalie Bell advocates the use of Niagara Equissage
STEPHANIE BATEMAN FINDS OUT. Pulse between her sessions. “I often recommend the Equissage Pulse between physiotherapy sessions for a variety of reasons,” she says. “It can aid in a number of conditions as well as help to maintain a healthy musculoskeletal system by increasing circulation and reducing muscle tension. In doing this, it can aid in increasing joint range of motion and stride length.” Natalie recommends sessions with the Equissage, which
delivers cycloidal (three-way) vibrations to the whole body via a back pad or hand held unit, before exercise, to aid with warming up soft tissues and reducing muscle tension. It can also be used post exercise, to aid in the reduction of toxins and reduce tension in muscles. “I have yet to use it on a horse that doesn’t relax fully into the session,” she says. “Riders comment how relaxed the horses are afterwards, and how well they perform subsequently.”
ABOVE: VIBRATION THERAPY INCREASES CIRCULATION AND REDUCES MUSCLE TENSION. BELOW: A RANGE OF THERAPIES ARE AVAILABLE TO KEEP YOUR HORSE IN TOP CONDITION BETWEEN PHYSIOTHERAPY TREATMENTS.
