About me
BSc (Hons) Veterinary Physiotherapist
"I have always had an affinity with animals and from a very young age, found myself caring for a variety of weird and wonderful creatures. My love of horses began when I was 8 years old and I started having lessons at the local riding school. At 12, I was lucky enough to find my best friend of 10 years, a super intelligent, fluffy and practically feral, New Forest Pony called Effie.
Growing up I worked on several yards, gaining experience with all kinds of horses (and their humans!) from competitive showing and dressage horses to happy hackers. When I first learned about Veterinary Physiotherapy, I knew straight away that this is what I wanted to do!
I graduated from The Royal Agricultural University in 2023 with a First Class Honours degree in Veterinary Physiotherapy. After graduating, I worked amongst a team of wonderful physiotherapists in a small animal referral hospital, allowing me to gain experience with a variety of post-operative orthopaedic, neurological and complex cases."
About Chloe
You can spot Effie’s unique face marking and fluffy forelock in our logo :)
"Effie has been my greatest teacher and has driven my passion for animal welfare. Due to ongoing behavioural problems, she encouraged me to look beyond traditional beliefs and seek an alternative, empathetic approach to working with horses. Since then, we have enjoyed exploring the world of positive reinforcement training, learning lots of tricks, and combining these skills with her physiotherapy exercises.
Effie taught me the importance of really listening to the horse, from even the most subtle changes in facial expressions, as all behaviour is communication and reflects how the horse is feeling. This led me to base my dissertation research project on Sue Dyson’s ‘Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram’ and resulted in many hours studying equine pain and behaviour. My project highlighted that there are many misunderstood horses out there being labelled as ‘naughty’ when they are often struggling mentally and/or physically to do what is asked of them.
With this in mind, I aim to support owners who feel there is something ‘not quite right’ with their horses in identifying possible areas of discomfort and working alongside other professionals to address the root cause of a problem or behaviour.”
About Effie
“Theo is my beautiful Burmese cat who, believe it or not, is almost 20 years old! Due to his age, he is much less active now, and coupled with his arthritis, he has become increasingly weak in his hindlimbs. We have introduced a series of simple exercises (which he loves to do!), alongside massage, laser therapy, and pain management reviews with his vet to ensure he is happy and comfortable.
Caring for Theo has highlighted to me how important appropriate pain management, gentle strengthening exercises and home accommodations are in maintaining our older pet’s comfort and mobility. As such, I aim to help owners recognise when their animals may be experiencing discomfort, through subtle or more obvious changes in their behaviour and mobility, and work alongside their vets to provide the support they need in their older years.”
About Theo
Watch how Theo is getting on with his physiotherapy sessions here :)
Registrations
You can find me on the Animal Health Professions’ Register (AHPR) and the Institute of Registered Veterinary & Animal Physiotherapists (IRVAP). These registers ensure their therapists are suitably qualified and insured to practise so you can be confident in your choice of professional. Being a registered therapist demonstrates a dedication to maintaining high academic and practical skills as well as a commitment to life-long learning through a required number of continuing professional development (CPD) hours each year.
To find out more information about these registers, click on each image.
“There is no such thing as a ‘naughty horse'. There are just hurt, frightened, tired, frustrated, hungry and confused horses expressing how they feel, in the only way they can.”
- Justine Harrison, equine behaviourist