Prior to treatment

If your horse is currently under veterinary care and the treatment is part of their rehab, prior to your horse’s treatment, as stated by law, veterinary permission is required before any hands on therapy is administered.

Therefore Jess will ask you to confirm with your horse’s vet that they are happy for the horse to be treated, and for a signature from you on the day of the treatment acknowledging permission has been granted.

Alternatively Jess can contact the vet on your behalf to obtain permission and is happy to discuss any treatment plan with your vet and supply them with a completed treatment form afterwards should they require this.

If your horse is in good health and the treatment is to assist in maintaining their good health or to assist in optimising performance veterinary consent is not required, however Jess will ask you to confirm the practice that your horse is registered to and is obliged by her duty of care to notify your vet if any pathologies are identified during assessment and treatment.

Appointments will vary depending on whether it is the first time Jess has seen your horse or if the appointment is a follow up.

Many people are not sure what to expect from their appointment and what the benefits are to their horse. Here is a chance to find out more……….

Initial Assessment & Treatment

Your horse’s first treatment with Jess will initially require a background history to be taken on the horse including any of your concerns, following which, the horse will be assessed on their conformation and their locomotion in walk, trot, turning and rein back.

It may also be required to see the horse lungeing. If they are a working horse the tack may also be assessed. Notes will be taken throughout the assessment, a copy of which you will receive at the end your appointment.

The treatment itself will cover the entire body of the horse and when treating each area Jess will begin with warming and gently palpating the muscles and treating areas of concern as required using a variety of techniques depending on what is required and accepted by the horse.

The treatment will also include skeletal mobilisations and gentle stretching tailored to the individual horse based on the findings during the assessment.

Jess will continually assess both the physical and psychological state of the horse to ensure that the treatment is both effective and enjoyable for your horse.

Most horses find their treatment to be very relaxing.

Treatments & Assessments will take place at the horse’s own yard.

Please ensure your horse is clean and dry prior to your appointment. Jess will usually treat the horse in the stable, tied on the yard or wherever the horse is most comfortable.

Please allow around 1 hour for an Initial Assessment appointment and treatment, although the treatment time is appropriate for each individual horse and may sometimes take longer.

Follow up treatments usually take up to 1hr.

Following treatment, Jess will usually recommend that the horse is turned out or walked in hand for 10-15 minutes and then rested for 24 hours before usual ridden work is resumed (should the horse be in work).

This may differ depending on the treatment your horse has received, and massages can be tailored so that your horse does not require time off work if preferred.

After treatment Jess will also advise on exercises you can do with your horse to enable the treatment to be most effective.

Follow Up Treatments -

Re-hab & Remedial or Pre-hab & Maintenance

Should a specific issue be detected during the initial assessment Jess may recommend a rehab & remedial massage course for your horse.

Most rehab & remedial cases will require a course of regular treatments, the time between these treatments will differ for each case and tailored to suit the individual horse.

If no specific issue is detected in the initial assessment or should the horse have already completed a course of rehab & remedial treatment Jess may recommend prehab & maintenance massage treatments going forward.

The frequency of these treatments will depend on your horse’s workload and lifestyle.

Jess recommends that most working horses are treated monthly or 6 weekly to maintain a healthy musculoskeletal system.

Follow up treatment duration is usually up to 1 hour but may take longer depending on the individual horse.