My Unsung Inspiration

Following from my last blog about why I decided to become a vet physio, I also wanted to write about the horse who was probably actually the biggest inspiration of all.

 

My Barney.



And I didn’t really connect the dots until recently when I commented on a fellow vet physios Facebook post.

 

But he was what put the idea of vet physio into my head.

 

I acquired Barney whilst I was grooming at a private hunting and showing yard.

 

My boss’s close friend owned Barney and had decided that he should start to take a back seat, and enjoy a slower pace of life.

 

He had come to stay with us previously when he had a tendon injury & I thought he was lovely!

 

One of those who’s a very kind soul but could definitely pull cheeky tricks out of the bag when he wanted to!

 

*Flashbacks to the Badminton fun ride where I had NO brakes for 2 hours!*



I thought that he would be offered to my boss, but it transpired that I was the person in mind!

 

I was a bit take aback at first, but after a brief discussion, my boss made me an offer I couldn’t refuse – free stabling, hay, feed and the ability to ride him in her time. I had to say yes.

 

So, I got my first ever horse!


Barney was what I later called ‘high milage’.

 

One of those ‘been there, done that, got the T shirt’ types.

 

He’d done everything! Pony club, eventing, team chasing, hunting. You name it! He was even ridden by Jonty Evans at one point!

 


And at the time, this was great for me. I wasn’t the most experience of riders, and Barney was certainly a brilliant teacher!

 

Especially when it came to jumping! The sort of horse who says, ‘you just hang on tight; I’ll do the rest!’

 

However, the thing that comes with high milage horses is wear and tear.

 

And he was getting worn out!

 


Although only in body … in his mind he was still a feisty 4-year-old.

 

Especially when I eventually changed jobs & moved to different yard. He became the boss of a huge, 18.2hh irish X horse! Even though Barney himself just about came up to 16hh.

 


But the years of work, and lots of jumping, where starting to show.

 

He would be incredibly stiff if he’d stayed in the stable overnight & his legs would fill.

 

He would hate any schooling work, and would require a long warm-up before he felt supple enough to collect.

 

These were the kind of things that I understood as a groom, and I did as much as I could to keep him comfortable.

 

He had magnetic boots on if he had to be stabled, he’d go on the walker, or loose in the lunge pen if he couldn’t be turned out right away, and he’d always have a long warm up and cool down when working.

 

He was on joint supplements, and sometimes painkillers when necessary. I always ensured he was warm enough and had plenty to eat.

 

At the time, I honestly thought this was enough, and he was mostly pain free!



And I was actually really enjoying doing these ‘extra’ bits and pieces to make him more comfortable.

 

It was brilliant seeing these things making such a difference!

 

But following my vet physio training, and looking back, sadly it’s clear to see that he was not as pain free as I thought.

 

 Now, don’t get me wrong.

 

I tried my best with the information I had at the time and definitely kept his high milage and likely OA in mind.



But did I miss massive signs that he was still uncomfortable?

 

Definitely.

 

As aforementioned, he hated schooling, he really didn’t want to bend or collect.

 

He would rush at jumps as fast as he could.

 


He always favoured a landing leg whilst jumping.

 

He hated to canter whilst hacking and would try to gallop instead.

 

He would almost always have high head carriage

 

At the time I assumed these were just behavioural traits, or habits that he’d picked up.

 

And that may be so sometimes, but for the most part. He was in pain.

 

And I really hate to look back at some of the times I’d misread these signs and pushed him through anyway.

 

However, it’s recognising your mistakes, and having the drive to do better that makes for improvement!



And that’s certainly the case for therapists; the ability to challenge what we think we know, accept we may be wrong, and have the strong desire to learn and do better!

 

As I’m progressing in my veterinary physiotherapy career, I’m realising that I have a special affinity for the golden oldie, and I have a keen interest in osteoarthritis pathology and treatment.

 

And that comes from my beloved Barney.

 

I didn’t always know to do the right things when I had him, but now I can give the best care to every animal I go to treat with him in mind.

 

Thank you, B.





Thank you so much for taking the time to read my blog.

 

I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments about topics you’d like me to write about, or any suggestions to improve my blogs.

 

For any other information, or to book a veterinary physiotherapy appointment, please contact me directly.

 

All the best,

Emma, The Biomechanic.

BSc(Hons), FdSc, MIRVAP, RAMP

07861195709

emma@the-biomechanic.co.uk

www.the-biomechanic.co.uk




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