Exercise Prescription

Why professional exercise matters ?

Tailored exercise programs are designed to be unique. While many animals may share similar injuries, each one has an individual response. Drawing on years of experience, I create exercise plans that support chronic conditions, aid recovery, or enhance performance. My expertise lies in identifying your pet’s weaknesses and crafting a plan that is achievable, engaging, and sets them up for success.

• Improve co-ordination or balance
• Injury prevention/ Conditioning
• Strengthen muscles and improve joint stability
• Pre-hab prior to operations
• Immediately post-operatively

Exercise Prescription for Dogs

During sessions, exercises will be done and I will show you how to correctly carry these out at home around your lifestyle. Progress depends on the ability to keep up with exercises.

• Strengthening exercises – Generally this involves the large locomotor muscles to generate strength and build muscle. Work can be done over cavaletti, with unstable surfaces (wobble cushions) or can involve raised platforms to increase muscle work.
• Range of motion exercises – to improve joint mobility and prevent contracture of muscle. This is used in early rehabilitation or with dogs with joint stiffness – it goes beyond the traditional “bicycling” of legs. Correct therapeutic handling techniques will be explained to give you the best results
• Gait re-education – Following spinal surgery or injury, gait reducation can be used to get your dog back on their feet faster and keep them there. Specialised knowledge will be used to make this a simple easy to understand process and get the best results at home
• Stability work – Works on the small stabilising muscles around joints to repair joint function following surgery or injury

Dogs of all ages and activity levels benefit from structured exercise programs, whether they are recovering from surgery, managing arthritis, or improving their overall fitness as part of injury prevention and conditioning.

Exercise Prescription for Horses

For horses, exercise prescription is offered as a standalone session or as part of a physiotherapy session. It often includes a combination of:

• In-hand/Groundwork – Used in the early stages of rehabilitation to work the horse without the weight of tack and a rider. This gives opportunities to bond and observe with your horse from the ground
• Lunge/Long line lessons – If you need to begin groundwork and are unsure how to use aids or need help long-lining. One to one support can be given to teach you the ropes !
• Pole-work and cavaletti – Specific layouts and repetitions can be done ridden or from the ground to improve dexterity, balance and build strength
• Stretching and mobilisations – to increase flexibility and work on common goals to improve health and performance
• Ridden exercises – for assessment of the horse and rider combination, check balance, symmetry and athletic performance that might not be revealed with groundwork
• Environmental adaptations – Involve a deeper look from a holistic perspective to change stable routine, turnout and give advice on lifestyle to best provide all-round care

Can I have a ridden physiotherapy session ?

Yes, this is something I offer to either help you work through your exercise prescription on your horse. I do also offer clinics and pole-work sessions which can be arranged at your yard through my contact form or look at my events page to attend a scheduled event.

• One to one support with exercise prescription
• Ridden assessments
• Group pole-work clinics
• Long reining lessons
• Lunging lessons