I’m so excited to be writing the very first blog which is destined for my shiny new website. It’s been both nerve wracking and strangely thrilling to see my name (and face) on the website which shares all my services with the world. It’s been a busy summer as I’ve not only been welcoming lots of new horse and human clients but also polishing up my marketing, searching for some new sponsored riders and setting some business goals to work towards over the next 12 months.

Katie Magee joins as a sponsored rider

Just last week I shared the news that local event rider Katie Magee would be joining my little stable of sponsored riders, so here is some more background information about her and her horses. Katie is based at her family-run event and livery yard near Barnard Castle in County Durham, which is home to everything from retired 5* horses and happy hackers to Katie’s string of event horses. Katie has had a storming season which included taking four horses to Scotland for the Blair International Horse Trials, one of whom was her exciting ride Enceladus, stable name Claude. He finished a very impressive seventh in the 4* short format there, and as I write this Katie will be competing him in the 4* long format at Blenheim with the aim of completing his 5* qualification. Fingers are firmly crossed that it all goes well, and Katie will be out at the 5* tracks in 2023. She also has plenty of young event horses coming through the ranks, and I’ll be looking forward to seeing her wrap up the season at the Osberton International and Young Horse Championships at the end of September. Katie has assembled an excellent support team to help her achieve her aims, and I’m proud to be a part of it.

Georgie Tiplady and Rehy Ripple compete at Burghley

The wonderful Georgie Tiplady, who I’ve sponsored for several years now, was in action at the Land Rover International Burghley Horse Trials recently competing with her ride Rehy Ripple in the Burghley Young Event Horse class. The horses are judged over four sections – dressage, jumping, confirmation and suitability, and the potential to gallop. That means the judges are on the lookout for an athletic, loose moving horse with a promising jumping technique and attitude. Georgie and Rehy performed admirably and were placed 22nd, but I really think they deserved a higher placing. It’s been a pleasure to see this promising duo working towards this class, and I know they will go on to do amazing things next season and beyond!

Treating the competition horse

Of course, one of the benefits to being one of my sponsored riders is receiving physio treatments for their horse and them, the rider. All horses need routine physio treatment, but as horses jump higher, gallop faster and attempt taxing and complex school movements, they need more than just the occasional visit. There are several reasons why I would be treating a competition horse, such as the eventers ridden by Katie and Georgie mentioned above. There are routine visits for both assessment and treatment which aim to keep a horse flexible, comfortable and symmetrical during their training regime.

Then there might be targeted visits, for example if a rider mentions that the horse is struggling to jump off a certain rein, lands on the wrong leg or just feels ‘out’. This could be caused by a strain or injury they’ve picked up in the field or during work, the horse compensating for rider imbalance or even indicate that they need a different training approach. Some horses respond far better to lots of pole work and grids whereas others cope better with this training just occasionally and mixed in with lots of hacking.

Finally, there are visits during and after competitions, where I want to help reduce inflammation, ensure the horse can move freely and look out for any stresses and strains they might have picked up competing. If your horse hasn’t seen a physio for some time, why not book them in and get them checked over? They are amazing at hiding issues and compensating, so you never know what could be lurking which needs attention.