Physiotherapy and Horse Health

/ chuck / 13 March 2009 / Leave a comment

Physical therapy improves a horse's general health for races like Grand National betting races and others. Horses are athletes, whether they are competitors or companions. A physiotherapist, like a farrier or a veterinarian, is an essential member of the team that helps your horse feel and perform his very best.

Physical therapy helps a horse recover more quickly and completely after injury, surgery, or lameness. Ask your veterinarian to recommend physiotherapy sooner rather than later, so your horse will be back to normal as soon as possible.

Any kind of trauma can cause a need for physiotherapy, because compensating for even minor trauma causes other muscles to tense and spasm. Consider physiotherapy if your horse is performing poorly or displaying any abnormal behavior. Physiotherapy is beneficial for a wide range of problems.

Equine physiotherapy is not just massage. Pulsed electromagnetic field therapy, ultrasound, light therapy, and other technologies all play a part in physical therapy for horses.

Physical therapy should not be used to replace ordinary veterinary care. It is not an alternative medical treatment. Instead, it is an extremely effective adjunct treatment to be used with regular veterinary care. In the United Kingdom the Veterinary Act of 1966 made it mandatory for a physiotherapist to have the approval of a veterinarian before treating a horse.

Physiotherapy also has a preventative role in equine health, as it does in human health. In fact, many competitive events keep a therapist on site for exactly that reason. Treating horses before a test helps to make them calm and supple, which reduces the chances of injury. A treatment right after a test reduces any muscle strain that could lead to later injury. Controlled studies have found many benefits from preventative physiotherapy.

Animal physiotherapy is not just for horses. Farm animals, pets, and even zoo animals are treated by physiotherapists.

When choosing a therapist for your horse, always ask about the practitioner's credentials. Many people with little or no training claim to be equine physiotherapists, and most countries have very little legislation to regulate those claims. In Great Britain a Chartered Physiotherapist will have completed a rigorous four-year course in physical therapy for humans followed by a two-year certification program in equine physiotherapy.

The British Equine Veterinary Society promotes all aspects of good equine care, as well as supporting research programs and holding conferences. The National Association of Veterinary Physiotherapists is a professional association in the United Kingdom. It conducts conferences, maintains case files, and offers a two-year training program in animal physiotherapy for qualified candidates.