DECEMBER 2010 THE RIDER /9


The Great Divide In Equine Health Care


Provided by Tamaran Gray of Equine BodyWorks, www.equinebodyworks.ca There’s a Great Divide in the equine community. It’s not the endless squabbling among hard-core breed or discipline disci- ples, and it’s not the uneasy relations between animal-rights groups and equestri- an enthusiasts. It’s the split between those horse owners and equine practitioners who favour a solidly “conventional” approach to veterinary medicine, and those who believe that so-called “alternative” therapies should have a place as well.


Physical therapy long has been a mainstay for human athletes. Competitors in sports ranging from football to gymnas- tics have utilized a variety of approaches to help maintain physical fitness and to assist in the recovery process when injury occurs to a joint, muscle, ligament, or tendon. Today, physical therapy also is a part of the racing and sport horse world, and it seems it is here to stay. The job of these special- ists is considered adjunctive to that of the sports medicine physician or orthopaedist. The athletic trainer works cooperatively with both the physician and the coach to set up and execute conditioning and rehabilita- tion programs for the athletes. An important function of the athletic trainer or sports therapist is the application of therapeutic modalities to ease the discomfort of injury and facilitate exercise. Human medicine holds the use of these agents as standard care, not as alternatives to accepted medical practice.


nized as more valuable. Therapists use a number of techniques, ranging from simple stretching exercises to the utilization of sophisticated laser equipment. These agents are often called modalities and their use forms the basis of the practice of equine therapy. They include physical agents


functional and shortening recovery. The techniques of the equine therapist are also useful as part of the daily training regimen of the athletic horse to minimize post-exer- cise muscle soreness and the wear and tear effects of sports training and competition. In this manner, equine therapy techniques can be used preventatively, reducing the cumulative effects of injuries from over- use.


Foundation Reining Training Centre


Specializing in Natural Horsemanship & Body Control Foundation/Western Dressage


Body control/western dressage, reining training,colt starting, lessons, coaching, tune ups, ‘train the trainer’ teachings


Certified Professional Horse Trainer “Putting my spin on things!”


Susan Dahl


Durham, On • 519-369-6767 • reinersue@hotmail.com Blog/Website: www.reinersuehorsemanship.com


Tamaran Gray


The role of the equine sports therapist can be compared to that of the sports thera- pist or athletic trainer in human sports medicine. Until fairly recently, equine ther- apy has been a relatively undervalued area of equine health care. In recent years though, the use of physical agents on horses has gained in popularity and is being recog-


which are various forms of energy such as heat, cold, water, sound, electrical currents, light, magnetic field, exercise, and manual pressure.


Modalities are considered a valuable aid to rehabilitation after surgery or an injury and can make treatment more com- fortable, enabling the horse to be more


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