Equine & Canine Therapy

15/12/2025

Things that should not still be controversial heading into 2026 but are:

1. Horses are social herd animals and being able to socialize with other horses is a key component for their welfare. When they are unable to do so, their welfare suffers.

2. Horses are made to be MOVING. Excessive confinement, especially when paired with isolation, is damaging. Confinement and inability to move increase colic risks, make horses more unpredictable and difficult to handle and also impact overall wellbeing. Stalling is well studied and when horses are stalled in excess, there are many physical and mental health problems associated with it.

3. Horses are trickle feeders. They’re meant to be intaking food on a near constant basis. Even with horses who have a tendency to gain weight easily, we need to find means of enabling access to forage for most of the day. This can be done with slow feed nets and other means of slowing hay intake.

Ultimately, what humans currently have access to providing for their horses does not change the facts.

I understand how helpless people can feel when navigating the boarding systems and how hard it can be to take in this information when you don’t feel you have options available to improve the care of your horse.

However, how we feel about the facts does not change the facts.

What we are able to provide for our horses does not change the findings of research that have been replicated for decades now.

The facts are:

- horses are herd animals. Socialization is a crucial component for wellbeing.

Despite this, they’re commonly isolated and kept alone. Common does not equate to normal or healthy.

- horses are commonly kept confined and their lack of ability to engage in free movement contributes to many of the common issues with see with horses.

And, lastly,

- people often use tradition, what they perceive as normal and what they feel capable of providing (or what is most convenient for them) as an excuse to reject factual information.

But, rejecting the information does not change the experience for horse.

We need to sincerely start to reflect on the ethics of much of the horse industry because despite the fact that us humans love horses and want to have them, our desire to do so should never come above meeting basic needs.

We shouldn’t be getting social animals if we cannot meet their social needs.

We shouldn’t be getting large farm animals intended to move lots if we cannot provide this.

Riding cannot and will never make up for autonomous movement and socialization.

It can be a tough pill to swallow, but it’s necessary nonetheless.

17/12/2024

12/06/2023

19/05/2022

Do I need a vet referral to access MSK care?

Your 10 year old Labrador (Gus) walks with you twice per day for a duration of 1 hour with your other dog (Bob) who is 6 years old.

You have noticed on one walk that Gus is less keen to run up a set of steps as quickly as Bob. You wonder if MSK might help his mobility.

www.rampregister.org

31/03/2022

RAMP practitioners treat so much more than just muscles and bones.

www.rampregister.org

18/03/2022

Do you believe animals should receive the same level of care as humans by highly skilled MSK practitioners?

www.rampregister.org

24/02/2022

Do you know how your animal’s musculoskeletal (MSK) practitioner is trained or if they are insured to treat your animal?

www.rampregister.org

24/02/2022

ℹ️ For dog owners to avoid making themselves vulnerable to potential prosecution for having a dog ‘dangerously out of control’ (Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Section 3), it’s important that they have their dogs under control. This means the handler is capable of instantly controlling their dog, no matter what the circumstances.

If a dog does not have good recall, it’s advisable to keep it on a lead if you may encounter horses or other livestock.

Being able to instantly recall your dog and put them on a lead when you see a horse is essential to avoiding potentially dangerous situations, and the least a responsible dog owner should be able to do. Horse riders and carriage drivers will be extremely grateful and should pass you with equal courtesy.

Be aware when walking through or near fields with horses and livestock, it is advised to put your dog on a lead to keep everyone safe.

• Understanding why dogs chase

Chasing is in a dog’s instinct, just like flight is instinctive to horses. It is how they have survived, passed on the genes, evolved and come to exist today. Today’s dogs may not chase with aggression or biting in mind but the horse doesn’t know this and their reaction will be the same.

Dogs are not direct descendants of the modern day wolf we know of today; both the dog (Canis Familiaris) and the modern wolf (Canis Lupus) are descended from a common ancestor. Dogs have inherited a chain of behaviours from their wild fore bearers, which has seven stages in its fullest form

Orient – Eye – Stalk – Chase – Bite kill – Bite dissect – Eat

Specific aspects of this chain have been honed (hypertrophied) through selective breeding in different types of dogs to meet the needs of man. Dogs could then assist and ‘work’ for the human.

Today, the number of dogs kept for a specific role have declined and a large number of dogs are now kept as pets, but their instincts are still there. It’s useful to consider what the dog’s role would have been, and subsequently what behaviours would have been honed within the breed to for human needs. This will help the owner understand and, ultimately, train the dog.

• Understanding why a horse will run

Horses are flight animals because, historically, they were prey. The instinct to flee from any kind of threat is ingrained and very difficult for a rider to influence. A horse can’t distinguish whether the dog is being playful or otherwise, so the horse’s reaction will be the same.

If the horse can’t escape from the threat, they’ll attempt to defend themselves with their hooves, which may have steel shoes attached. If a dog is caught by one of these flying hooves, they could be seriously injured or killed. The rider may be limited as to how much control they have over such a powerful animal in a state of fear; the horse will be fighting back in the only way it knows how.

It’s possible to train horses to accept dogs but it takes time and patience, like any aspect of training a horse.
Horse riders should always slow to a walk to pass dogs so they don’t incite the chase instinct in the dog.

We are asked daily to help to raise awareness around these topics, to consider each other and our pets. Please think about how you enjoy yours and what you can possibly do to change habits. Thank you.

(Credit British Horse Society) 🐎🐕