About Me...
Having grown up around all sorts of animals, working with them feels so natural. I have been around and ridden horses since I was 7 years old. I have been fortunate enough to have horses in the past that I have competed in affiliated Eventing and Show Jumping. More recently I have been taking on projects in the form of ex-race horses. My current horse is George, he is an 11 year old thoroughbred that was competing in point to point racing until his career came to an abrupt end due to a serious tendon injury. 2 years post injury, he has blossomed into a really stunning horse with so much character, I feel very privileged to have the pleasure of his company.
Likewise I grew up with plenty of dogs around me in the family
and now own a 3 year old whippet named Lola, who certainly likes to
make use of the fact her mum is a physio! We used to train in
agility but complicated health issues for poor Lola now mean that
this is not always possible, however we still use a lot of the
ground work exercises on a regular basis to improve obedience and
as proprioceptive work.
My Approach...
Everything I do is with the animals well-being as the upper most importance. I have a gentle and calm approach and aim to work with the animals not on them. I have many different techniques in my 'tool box' and have something to suit all needs.
I believe that we ask the animals within our care to do things that they wouldn't always necessarily do by choice, therefore we, as the responsible owner, should do everything we can to ensure the animal, whether it a horse, dog or cat, is as comfortable as possible.
I treat every patient as if they were my own.
Side Projects...
I have a particular interest in rehabilitating/retraining ex-race horses and George is not the first. Shown below is an image of my last thoroughbred, Asterisk, she didn't have a stable name at first, but you'll see below why I named her Skinny! Skinny came to me from a field after being deemed not fast enough to continue racing in New Market.
Initially I didn't even attempt to ride her and just focussed on ground work and builing her up. When she did start to come into work it was clear she 'wasn't quite right' behind. She had a minor strain to a ligament with her foot, so what I had planned to be a relatively quick retraining project turned into a slightly longer rehabilitation programme. She was a great horse to work with, so willing to please, and is now happy in her new home where she is completely doted upon.
Training and Qualifications...
Ever since Pony Club I always knew I wanted to be an Equine Physiotherapist. I studied Equine Sports Science at the University of Lincoln. I then went on to complete a 2 year Post-graduate Level 7 course, CEPT, run through Nottingham Vet School, to gain my qualification as a Veterinary Physiotherapist.
I continue to top up my knowledge and skills by attending various training days to help me discover new ways to help my patients and to stay up to date with new techniques and technology. I am a member, but also a council officer for the organisation IRVAP which represents registered animal and veterinary physiotherapists in the UK and overseas.
