Wednesday, 22 November 2017

Alternative Therapies Evening


The 2nd of November saw us host our first Alternative Therapies Evening in association with the British Horse Society and Town and Country Vets.

I was very lucky to have my own horse used in the physiotherapy demonstration with Anne Skivington (a Veterinary Physiotherapist) and found the whole session exceptionally educational! Anne discussed the process she goes through when assessing horses as well as a demonstration of some of the equipment she uses including the H-wave machine and therapeutic ultrasound.

John Abbott and Sandy Briar of Town and Country Vets gave us a detailed insight into the horse’s anatomy through dissection of the distal limb, spine and sacroiliac joint. It was amazing to be able to get up close and get a better understanding of horses on the inside, although somewhat stomach turning! For me, being able to actually see thoracic vertebrae and their proximity to each other certainly aided my understanding of kissing spines.

Sammy Rose, also of Town and Country Vets, gave a very interesting demonstration on the use of acupuncture.  Out trusty College Horses, Portia and Scooby, certainly seemed to find the session relaxing and Sammy provided a real insight into the benefits of acupuncture for all types of horses.



The final session of the evening was a demonstration in the therapy centre by Jessica York (Hydrotherapist) and me!  Our demo horse, Bailey showed spectators what a fantastic exercise tool the aqua-treadmill is and we were so pleased with his super star coolness given the number of spectators.  Both Jessica and I fielded questions on the benefits of the treadmill and were able to show the crowd the impact that the treadmill can have on a horse’s way of going by running through the different settings while Bailey politely obliged.

Overall the evening was a great success with lots of interesting questions and discussion.  The feedback we received from everyone that attended was very positive and it turns out everybody really enjoyed themselves and learned a lot from the different sessions.

All of the funds from the ticket sales went to the British Horse Society in support of their welfare and educational work and we are very supportive of the newly resurrected Northamptonshire BHS Committee.

Thank you so much to everybody that came out on a chilly November evening and of course thank you to Town and Country Vets and Anne Skivington for their fascinating demonstrations.  We intend to host another educational evening in the Spring and being that bit warmer we hope to also be able to demonstrate some swimming sessions as well.  Watch this space!




 Written By: Molly Baxter – Moulton College Equestrian Rehabilitation Groom

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