The Horse Vet provides a veterinary chiropractic service by a qualified and experienced equine veterinarian.

All examinations and treatments are carried out by an equine veterinarian certified and experienced in veterinary chiropractic. Primarily treating equines, dogs and cats can also take advantage from this treatment.

Routine checks, existing conditions and poor performance can all benefit from chiropractic.

To gain maximum performance, sports horses need to be consistently in optimum health and working with correct biomechanics to prevent injury. Slight inefficiencies can result in subclinical joint damage which can not be detected by a visible swelling, lameness or change on x-ray.

Chiropractic is the only way to detect these subclinical stages and correct them before they cause further damage.

Existing conditions benefit from chiropractic such as:

• Kissing spines
• Osteoarthritis 
• Sacro-iliac joint pain
• Lameness
• Neck pain

The chiropractic examination is comprised of:

• Static analysis (at rest)
• Dynamic analysis (at walk/trot/canter)
• Chiropractic examination
• Treatment (chiropractic adjustments) where necessary

After the initial consultation and treatment a clinical record will be made and sent to your primary veterinary practice if requested. A plan going forward will be made detailing advice and recommendations including any further treatments or check-ups required.

Our mission is to maximise your horse’s sporting potential and well being.

To book an evaluation or to discuss your concerns

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Investigation of the underperforming horse can be very complex. The Horse Vet focuses on the biomechanics to evaluate the horse’s movement and detect any acute or chronic problems. Investigation can involve:

• Full Veterinary Clinical Examination
• Chiropractic examination
• Gait Analysis technology (EquiGait)
• Working alongside qualified paraprofessionals such as farriers, equine dentists, saddle fitters and physiotherapists.

Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese healing method based on the insertion of very small needles into specific points on the body to bring relief from pain and treatment of disease. The western medical world has taken this technique to treat in combination with conventional medicine or use when other treatments have failed to work. Acupuncture stimulates the body’s repair mechanisms in the nervous, immune and hormonal systems.

Acupuncture is most beneficial in the treatment of muscular pain and muscle trigger points. Optimum results are achieved when used in combination with chiropractic as both techniques work on stimulating the nervous system. Acupuncture alters the perception of pain giving relief to horses suffering from chronic disease pain enabling pain medication dose to be reduced.

Frequently treated conditions include:

• Chronic pain
• Respiratory disease
• Gastrointestinal disease – Chronic diarrhoea, recurrent spasmodic colic, weight loss
• Poor performance syndromes
• Infertility/reproductive problems
• Behavioural problems

All horses are individuals, some tolerate it very well, others do not. Sedation can be used if necessary to place the needles.

In addition to conventional acupuncture we also use electro-acupuncture. This allows a very small a safe current with fluctuating frequency to be passed through the needles. It often creates a stronger result and has been used successfully for:

• Trigeminal Neuralgia Head Shaking
• Chronic Back pain with muscular atrophy (loss)
• Front and Hind suspensory desmitis
• Laminitis

Using technology to maximise your horse's performance.

Ever wondered how your horse is really moving? Are there underlying compensations that the human eye cannot pick up?  Equine Gait Analysis is the science behind quantifying the movement of a horse. Using digital technology to produce an extremely accurate measurement of movement.

It can be used for:

• Lameness diagnosis
• Injury prevention
• Treatment monitoring
• Performance enhancement.

The system is made up of 5 wireless motion sensors (inertial measurement units) attached to the poll, withers, croup and hips with double sided tape. These provide very accurate measurements of their position in space which is wirelessly transmitted to a laptop in real time. The system requires minimal setup – there are no banks of cameras and markers on the body and limbs. Analysis can be performed anywhere with a level surface. Results are available immediately, however a more detailed report is prepared and usually ready within 2-3 days.

The Horse Vet Gait Analysis Service offers you a scientific, trusted capability to assess and quantify your horse’s gait for lameness diagnosis, injury prevention, treatment monitoring and performance enhancement.

For further information click here or contact us

Equestrian performance for competition and leisure is based on the capacity of the horse’s locomotor system. Lameness is one of the primary reasons for a veterinary consultation.

The EquiGait system has been developed by the Equine Structure and Motion Laboratory at the Royal Veterinary College. It detects asymmetries in the horse’s body movement as well as the forces of each limb when both weight bearing and pushing off during the stride.

Lameness Diagnosis
Currently the assessment of equine locomotion and lameness is carried out visually and cannot be reliably or consistently quantified. Equine veterinarians often disagree on the extent of lameness. Many lameness’s manifest as subtle limb asymmetries with compensatory stresses on other limbs. In the initial period the horse may appear ‘sound’. It has been scientifically proven that the human eye can only reliably detect a 25% or greater asymmetry in horse’s movement. In multi limb lameness the ability to pick up problems in the early stages is unreliable. EquiGait provides an objective measurement of lameness and abnormalities in gait.

Injury Prevention
Research has shown that horses have specific gait characteristics when lame and demonstrate certain characteristics pre-injury. These characteristics can be detected as changes which occur within the gait – if left undetected potentially leading to injury. The aim of gait analysis is to identify these changes before they progress in to injury. Early identification can allow rapid investigation into the potential problem, allowing for adjustments in management to reduce the injury risk.

Performance Enhancement
Biomechanics within the elite equine disciplines, is becoming widely used as a way of making small adjustments which can help improve movement or support the horse’s joints to help prevent injury. These subtle adjustments can help performance and injury prevention is paramount to maintaining performance.

The System
The system is made up of 5 wireless motion sensors (inertial measurement units) attached to the poll, withers, croup and hips with double sided tape. These provide very accurate measurements of their position in space which is wirelessly transmitted to a laptop in real time. The systems requires minimal setup – there are no banks of cameras or markers on the body and limbs. Analysis can be performed anywhere with a level surface, a minimum of 25 strides of trot are required. The system is so accurate that the need for lunging or flexion tests to exacerbate a lameness are not necessary. Results are available immediately, however a more detailed report is prepared and usually ready within 2-3 working days.

The Horse Vet Gait Analysis Service offers you a scientific, trusted capability to assess and quantify your horse’s gait for lameness diagnosis, injury prevention, treatment monitoring, and performance enhancement.