Osteopathy For Your Horse

What are the benefits of osteopathy for your horse?

• Preventing injury or speed up recovery
• Improving your /horse’s performance                              
• Relieving muscle and joint stiffness
• Maintaining mobility and eases arthritis
• Overcoming some behavioural problems

Treatment

Osteopathy has lots of different types of techniques to offer, depending on type of injury and the age of your horse/dog. Techniques commonly used are stretches, gentle joint mobilisation and massage-like techniques to remove any imbalances in mobility. Another, very gentle, technique is cranial osteopathy. This is a subtle method of treating but it is still a powerful way to re-balance ligaments, and strains throughout the body.

Osteopathy helps maintaining a good condition of the joints and muscles by improving the circulation and increasing lymphatic drainage. This helps to speed up recovery of an injury also preventing injury and possible arthritis. Catching those problems early can slow or help the progression of joint problems.

By increasing the flexibility of the joints and the muscles there will be an increase in range of movement. A horse that is relaxed and flexible moves better and is more energy efficient. The joints, ligaments and tendons are under less stress and therefore will allow increased performance.

Some horses that develop bad behaviour may be doing so as a result of discomfort. A good example is head shyness in horses. This can be caused by pain over the poll and may also be accompanied with resistance to the bridle.

The pain can be relieved by joint mobilization of the poll. Reduction of pain and discomfort will allow the horse to learn that it does not hurt each time some one puts on a head collar or a bridle, so it reduce the head shyness.

How do I know if my horse needs treatment?

It is a good indication that horses are in discomfort if they seem unusually sensitive when you touch particular areas. Other indications that treatment may be beneficial include:-

       Unusual behaviour patterns
       Unexplained lameness
       Reluctance to jump
       Reduced performance
       Problems after surgery
       Injuries caused by misjudging an obstacle, knocking poles or landing awkwardly

If you have any questions or would like to make an appointment, please call

Gabriella Carlsson 6056 3453, 730 9345 or email carlsson.gabriella@gmail.com