Ruth bought Lottie five years ago from a local riding
school after having regular lessons together. The pair competed in a few unaffiliated
dressage competitions where they started to show some promising results. The
following year Ruth decided to affiliate to British Dressage, quickly going up
through the levels and regularly gaining fantastic scores of over 70%. Lottie
is actually a brilliant allrounder as she also a loves to jump, enjoys a hack
and has proved bold on the hunting field. Ruth planned on competing Lottie at
medium level British Dressage in the 2020 season.
Ruth decided to bring Lottie to Moulton Equine Therapy
Centre in March 2020. With the lambing season ahead and a busy work schedule Ruth
did not think she would be able to maintain Lottie’s fitness regime for the
coming competition season. Lottie had been swimming and used an aqua treadmill
before so there was no doubt that she would cope well with the programme that
we designed for her.
Lottie stayed
at the Equine Therapy Centre for two weeks. Her comprehensive programme
consisted of working in deep water on the aqua treadmill to increase hind limb
engagement and build core strength and condition along with a tailored swimming
programme to increase her cardiovascular fitness. At the weekends, Ruth took
advantage of our off road hacking so Lottie had a very varied and pretty
intense work programme during her stay.
Lottie on the aqua treadmill -
Lottie swimming -
Before
After
Whilst we appreciate that photographic evidence can be very subjective
to lots of factors, we do think these photos of Lottie show an increase in
muscle tone particularly over the hind quarters
This year has been very disappointing for most
in the equestrian industry and is particularly frustrating for Ruth as an owner
that was so committed to her horse’s development and wellbeing that her extra
effort in sending her horse to a centre such as ours to kickstart her season essentially
ended with Lottie being turned away while the county was in lockdown
Hopefully with restrictions eased, Ruth will
now be able to get back on track with Lottie’s training at home and will manage
an outing by the end of the year.
Hoovering
is a standard maintenance procedure for any swimming pool.
Our
equestrian swimming lane pool needs hoovering at least once a week due to
debris accumulating on the bottom from horses defecating in the pool as well as
from horses utilising the treadmill, since the treadmill water is drained into
the pool and replaced with clean filtered water after each use.
The
hoovering process can be quite labour intensive hence one of the reasons we try
to ensure horses are as clean as possible before they use the aqua-treadmill
and why we try to catch all droppings that the horse does during a
session. Ideally horses would not
defecate whilst they are swimming but that is impossible to control!
The
pool water is constantly pumped under pressure through the skimmers and sumps
to sand filters in the plant room. The three skimmers remove dirt and debris
that is floating on the surface of the water such as hair and bedding before
circulating the surface water to the filters in the plant room. Horse excrement, mud and dirt particles from
the horses are heavier than the water so ultimately sink to the bottom of the
pool. The sumps are located at the
bottom of the pool and draw in any debris that sinks close to them and sends
this debris along with a constant supply of pool water to the sand filters in
the plant room for cleaning. Debris that
does not sink close enough to the suction of a sump will be deposited on the
bottom of the pool. We add a flocculent to the pool water which
aids in sticking these small particles together to make them into larger
particles which are then easier for the sand filters to catch and filter out,
and also make it easier to see piles of debris that has accumulated on the
bottom of the pool.
When
horses are being swum regularly they churn up the water and prevent debris from
settling on the bottom of the pool. This
can aid in keeping the water clean as the dirty debris laden water is more likely
to be forced through the skimmers and sumps to the filters for cleaning rather
than being able to settle on the bottom of the pool. This can however, make the pool water appear
dirty as the dirt is constantly floated in the water rather than having time to
settle to the bottom. Ideally, when horse have defecated frequently while
swimming and the water is dirty, it is best to leave some time for this debris
to sink so that it can be hoovered off the bottom effectively.
To
carry out the cleaning process, the hoover hose is connected to one of the
skimmer inlets; the remaining two skimmers and the sumps are turned off so that
all the suction is coming through just the one skimmer and therefore water is
drawn into the hoover. The hoover head is
then manually rolled along the bottom of the pool and up the ramps via a very long
pole, so luckily for us there is no need for scuba diving equipment! Hoovering
takes approximately an hour and a half but may take longer depending on just
how much debris has settled on the bottom.
After
hoovering, the strainer basket in the plant room may contain a lot of debris
and become full which will then need emptying. No matter how clean the horses
are that use the equipment we will often find stones and bedding in this
strainer basket. The filters will also gain pressure as the smaller particles
become trapped in the filters, therefore a backwash cycle will need to be
completed to ensure all debris has been evacuated from the filter and the
filters can efficiently continue to clean the water.
There
is nothing more satisfying than a freshly hoovered pool when the ramps and pool
floor all look clean and sparkling!
We take water quality at the equine therapy
centre very seriously. The water in the swimming pool is tested and chemically
balanced every day, the readings are then recorded in a log book. It is very
important that the readings are accurate as small changes in a reading can mean
an actual large change in the pool water quality.
Why do we test the water?
It is important to test the water in the
pool to ensure the pH and chlorine levels remain balanced. Chlorine is a
disinfectant and is added to the water to kill microbial pathogens. A correct
disinfectant level is crucial to maintain biosecurity.
What do we test?
We take three separate tests for the
chlorine levels; the free, total and combined chlorine. It is imperative to take the pH reading too
as the chlorine is most effective at a specific level of pH. We use a
photometer to take these readings. The photometer gives the reading by passing light
through a coloured 10ml sample of water.
Any dirt that comes off of the horses when they are using the equipment has a
tendency to raise the pH to be more alkaline. Chlorine is more effective
between the range of 7.2 – 7.4, therefore if the photometer gave a reading of
above 7.4, acid will be added to the pool to reduce the pH level, if the pH was
too low, alkaline would need to be added to increase the pH.
Free chlorine is what attacks the pollutants
in the water. When the free chlorine
combines with the pollutants it becomes combined chlorine. High levels of combined chlorine are bad and
are what give off noxious gases and can cause skin irritations.
To get the combined chlorine reading we test
for the free and total chlorine and use this simple sum: Total Chlorine – Free
Chlorine = Combined Chlorine
Free chlorine should
outnumber Combined Chlorine at a ratio of 2:1, so that there is always enough
free chlorine ready to attack any pollutants that may be introduced into the
water. If the combined chlorine levels read more than
the free chlorine levels this means we will need to add more chlorine in the
pool to re-balance the levels. As these chemicals can be dangerous in high
concentrations, we always wear a gas mask, gloves and an apron when adding them
to the pool.
I started my
work placement at Moulton College Equestrian Centre in January this year as
part of my undergraduate degree in veterinary physio therapy at Harper Adams
University. I am currently in my third year and have really enjoyed my time at university
learning a combination of both the theory and practical aspects of veterinary
physiotherapy.
As part of my four year degree I am required to undertake a
44 week work placement with both horses and dogs to give me the opportunity to
develop new skills working within the industry alongside my academic study. Having
already completed my canine placement, I am now at Moulton College Equestrian Centre
for 22 weeks of equine experience primarily working in the equine therapy centre.
My first few
weeks here has been great and I have already seen so much. I have been able to shadow
in the equine therapy centre and have observed lots of different horses on the
aqua- treadmill from a miniature Shetland pony to showjumpers and eventers. I
have learnt about the different modes of hydrotherapy, how to prepare a horse
for exercise on the aqua-treadmill and learnt about all the maintenance
required to keep the therapy centre up and running.
I have
helped with the care of the therapy inpatients, learning about the daily
routine and helping with general yard duties. I have also met the resident
college horses and am looking forward to learning more about the college yard.
I am excited
for the rest of my time here. I am looking forward to seeing the pool and spa in
use and meeting new horses and clients along with getting more hands on
experience to help me to develop new skills to help me with my degree.
Black Pirate has had an
impressive career winning a point to point as a four year old and running in three
competitive Bumpers winning at Wetherby and Ayr in 2018.
He
then returned to Ayr for the Scottish Champion Bumper where he came second only
beaten by 3.5 lengths. Following a setback, Black Pirate stayed at the Equine
Therapy Centre for three months at the end of 2018 where he followed a
programme designed by Dr Jessica York. Pirate’s hydrotherapy programme consisted
of both swimming and Aqua-Treadmill exercise to enable him to increase his
cardiovascular fitness and stamina along with improving his core strength and
muscle tone. After three months rehabilitative exercise with us, Pirate was
looking amazing and returned home to start his work back under saddle. Unfortunately
when Pirate returned home in November he had a knock in the field and the
decision was made for him to have some time off to fully recover.
TREATMENT:
Pirate Returned to us in
June 2019 for another six week stay with the hope that we would be able to get
him to a level of strength and fitness for him to be able to return to full
work and with the aim for him to start his hurdling career in the coming
season.
Swimming is a great fittening tool as
it is a cardiovascular workout. So it is
important that horses that have been out of work are introduced to swimming
gradually. As Pirate had not been in work for such a long time it was important
to create a programme to allow him to slowly build up
his fitness and strength. Pirate was first worked on the aqua-treadmill
and over the first couple of weeks we gradually increased the length of his
sessions and the depth of water, eventually adding tack and allowing a few
minutes of trot to make sure that we were working on developing his core
strength and targeting specific muscle groups.
Clearly Pirate remembered his previous
stay as he seemed very happy to be with us again by being relaxed in his stable,
he settled in to his paddock and loaded straight away on to the aqua-treadmill.
After a few weeks Pirate was ready to start swimming.
Again, Pirate had
remembered his previous swimming experience with us and dove straight into the
pool with no hesitation! As with the
aqua-treadmill exercise, it was important to build him up gradually. When
horses swim with us, we closely monitor their heart rates as an indicator of
fitness by recording their heart rate at rest and then checking it regularly
throughout the swim session. This helps us to observe progression and adjust
their training programmes accordingly.
Pirate has an exceptionally
relaxed temperament and was incredibly laid back with us in the Therapy Centre,
subsequently his resting heart rate was extremely low. We kept him on the same
programme for 5 days in order to have a direct comparison of his heart rates
week on week, this enabled us to assess how much to increase his programme.
Pirate was a fantastic swimmer and maintained a very straight position in the
pool indicating that his previous injury had no adverse effects on his way of
going, and so he was able to develop his cardiovascular fitness without any
detriment to his body.
By the end of Pirate’s
stay his fitness had reached a level that he was completing 50 lengths of the
pool. This incorporated straight warm up lengths, back to back lengths and
sprint lengths. We also utilised the jets within the pool, to intensify the
work-out by creating a current that the he had to swim against.
Pirate was also working on
the aqua-treadmill with a roller and bungee for 45 minutes. This incorporated
trotting for up to 12 minutes in shallower water and deep water walking for 10
minutes.
RESULTS:
Pirate’s recovery rate
when swimming was exceptionally quick; quicker than most fit event horses that
we train. This indicated that by the end of his stay he was definitely fit
enough to go home and start some faster work over ground under saddle His
recovery rate was also likely related to his relaxed demeanour and possibly
also why he had previously been so successful as a racehorse. Pirate’s work on
the aqua-treadmill kept him strong in his core and over his back. Have a look
at these before and after pictures, we think he’s looking brilliant.
Pirate on the day of his arrival.
Pirate six weeks later. Pirate was a lovely horse
to have on the Therapy Yard.He was a
real pleasure to work with and to just have around.We enjoyed taking care of him and are really looking forward to following his Hurdling
career and wish him and his team every success.
Hopefully we will see him again one day!
Tom was diagnosed with kissing spine
after diagnostic tests were carried out when Tom’s behaviour started to
deteriorate. It was found that Tom had impingement of three of the dorsal-spinous processes in the thoracic region and the decision was made for him to
undergo interspinous ligament desmotomy surgery.
Tom initially started his treatment at
home with two weeks box rest and half an hour walking in-hand twice daily. Tom
then had his stitches taken out and arrived at Moulton Therapy Centre in March
2019 where we met him for the first time and were given the lowdown on his
wound and how he had recovered so far.
He also had his very first session walking on the aqua-treadmill just
for ten minutes, and he took to it really well.
Tom continued to walk on the aqua
treadmill for a few days a week following a programme designed by our Hydrotherapist Dr Jessica York where the duration and water depth were
gradually increased as Tom’s strength and stamina improved. Two weeks into Tom’s rehabilitation programme
a bridle and roller was introduced; there was clearly no negative
association to wearing tack on the aqua-treadmill or on the lunge, therefore to
create a soft and elastic contact a bungee was added encouraging him to work
long and low and help build up the correct muscles. Tom was walked in large
circles over poles on the lunge every day and small paddock turnout was also
introduced for limited periods of time.
Six weeks post-surgery Tom started
trotting on the aqua-treadmill for a few minutes in a low depth of water, which
was built up over the next week to a total of ten minutes. It was clear that
Tom was stronger and more balanced and took it all in his stride; he was
forward and relaxed and clearly enjoyed his work.
The use of the aqua-treadmill has been very
beneficial in Tom’s rehabilitation as it has allowed Tom to work symmetrically
under supervised and controlled conditions. It effectively works as a full body
workout and improves suppleness through the back. As the water is made deeper,
stride length is increased and stride frequency is decreased therefore allowing
a greater range of motion enabling muscle tone and core strength to be
improved.
After a four week stay at Moulton Therapy Centre Tom returned to his owner to continue his rehabilitation programme, he settled back in at home immediately and was assessed by his Vet who was happy with his progress and how well the wound site had healed. Tom can now resume work on the lunge walking and trotting over raised poles, and a saddle can now be introduced and work under saddle can begin. He will also look forward to enjoying full day’s turnout. We look forward to hearing about Tom’s progress and are excited for his future!
Normally fit and well but over the last few months, performance at
basic routine tasks has deteriorated.Some abnormal behaviour has presented itself, mainly in the form of moaning.The moans describe a consistent burning
pain but worse with added pressure or twisting.Picking hooves is particularly painful,
giving a sharper more unbearable pain.Lifting a lot of weight or applying a lot of pressure also results in
a sharper pain.
Initial issue, reason for
visiting Therapy
Luckily, Jessica is here at the Equine Therapy Centre every day, so
really should be making use of the cold water saline spa.
Diagnostics
No official diagnosis.Just repetitive moaning about how sore the
wrist has become.And the pain has
increased over a time period of a few months.
Treatment
COLD WATER SALINE SPA!
Results
Less pain!
Those of you that have been to the Equine Therapy
Centre with your horse over the last few months may have had the ‘pleasure’ of
hearing me complain about the pain in my wrist!It seemed to be getting progressively worse too, starting as an
intermittent dull ache leading to a pretty much permanent pain that was incredibly
sharp on any lifting, twisting and particularly in tasks that require applying
pressure such as picking feet.It
occurred to me that perhaps I should try submerging my wrist through the hatch
into the freezing salty water of the spa to see if it would make it any
better.So, one lunch time, a couple of
weeks ago now, I made the time and plunged my right arm through the hatch into
the icy water, down to my elbow.In all
honestly, I thought that it might sting a bit for a second or two but that I
would easily be able to brave it out for ten minutes or so!How wrong was I?!!!Wow!It was really cold!It was
agony!I could only manage 20 seconds or
so at a time before yanking my arm back out again.I could feel the cold blood going back up my
arm into my shoulder and over my back and it was surprisingly painful!But I persevered and kept dunking it back in,
all the time keeping an eye on a stopwatch to see how long I could hold it under
for the next time.After about two
minutes of intermittent dunking and yanking back out, my arm went numb and it
became bearable so I could keep it there for ten minutes or so.
Afterwards, I made sure to wash the salt off my now
bright red arm, and went back into the office with it stinging just a little as
it slowly started to warm up.That same
afternoon, the pain was noticeably improved.I mean, dramatically improved.It
had got to the point that my wrist was burning and aching at rest, but instantly
after the cold water spa, the pain was much much less.So I persevered with the cold therapy over a
few days (whenever I got time), and I can honestly say the pain has more or
less gone.
Obviously, there has been no official diagnosis, no
sophisticated scan images to be able to make any comparisons and no scientific
element to this study at all!But at
least I can give a first-hand account of the dramatic change in the level of
pain that I have felt.I am sure the
ideal would have been a prescribed period of rest however in my job it is
simply not possible for me to be able to rest my dominant arm!But this has been a really interesting and
valuable experience to be able to feel first-hand how well the cold water spa
has worked to reduce the pain.I am sure
that if I was more consistent with using the spa and more frequent with it too,
the pain and soreness would be completely eliminated.
One of our previous blogs talks about the benefits
of the cold water saline spa for horses.Have a look http://mcequinehydrotherapy.blogspot.com/2017/09/cold-water-hydrotherapy-spa.html.But when it comes to horses, it’s important to
remember that not all horses will tolerate it!It is probably the most risky of all our hydrotherapies if the horse
takes a dislike to it.But, if tolerated
and used correctly, it certainly has excellent healing properties and produces
tremendous results.
