Hannah Price Veterinary Physiotherapy

23/02/2026

Right. A gentle reality check for late-February brains. 🌤️

Your horse has had a wobbly winter.
Maybe less work than you planned.
Maybe more standing in mud than you’d like to admit.
Maybe you’re only just finding your rhythm again.

And now the light is changing.

You feel that twitch in your chest.
The “we should be doing more” itch.
The quiet comparison creeping in as other people start posting sunny arena shots.

Pause.

They are horses. Not productivity projects. 🐴

They are not tracking their step count.
They are not panicking about their spring body.
They are not in the field thinking, “I’ve absolutely wasted Q1.”

What they care about is this:

Are they fed.
Do they have forage.
Are they safe.
Can they move.
Do they have friends.
Are they allowed to just… be horses.

A slower winter does not erase your partnership.
A few weeks of lighter work does not dissolve muscle into thin air.
Bodies remember. Tendons adapt. Cardiovascular fitness returns steadily when brought back with sense.

Research in equine physiology consistently shows that gradual reconditioning restores aerobic fitness and muscle tone far quicker than people fear. What causes problems is panic training. Not patience.

The pressure you feel right now is seasonal human urgency. It is not an equine emergency.

You do not need to sprint into March.
You do not need a dramatic “we’re back” montage.
You do not need to apologise for winter.

Start where you are.

Hack if hacking feels good.
Stretch if stretching feels good.
Hand-graze in the longer light if that is all you have energy for.

Let winter loosen its grip without forcing spring to arrive early. 🌱

Your horse is fine.
You’re allowed to be too.

08/12/2025

15 min soak time 🙌

Soaking hay is often recommended during the management of laminitis, EMS/insulin dysregulation, PPID/cushings and overweight horses. The aim is to reduce the sugar levels of the hay to get them to safer levels prior to being fed. Some experts also suggest it will reduce the digestible energy (calories) and aid weight loss.

Research over the years has suggested that this practice does have some effect on sugar levels (around 20-40% reduction of sugars depending on hay type etc), and to a lesser extent energy (5-15% decrease, which aligns with the sugar losses), but this paper warns that soaking for too long - something I often hear recommended - may have other detrimental effects.

This study looked at soaking for 0, 15 min, 30 min, 60 min and 12 hours, and found that 15 minutes soaking was sufficient to reduce water soluble carbohydrates (aka sugar), and longer soaking times did not significantly reduce sugars further.

What did reduce with longer soak times, were a lot of the other nutrients!

Crude protein reduce after 15 minutes but didn't continue to be lost - so protein supplementation may need to be considered even with short soaks.

Many of the minerals were progressively lost over time, to around half of their original concentrations after a 12 hour soak - something to keep in mind - horses on soaked hay may need extra mineral supplementation.

I have always recommended a 30-60 minute soaking time, however based on this research I will be shortening it - we don't want to be leaching out other nutrients unnecessarily, and having to feed supplements to make up for it 🧐

05/10/2025

Looking forward to Day 2 at ACPAT - The Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Animal Therapy 🤓

04/10/2025

Conference Time 🤓 with ACPAT - The Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Animal Therapy

16/09/2025

🤩🤩🤩

💥💥Look at these stunners 💥💥

Who's gonna get these beautiful supreme and reserve supremes in our sheep, dog and horse sections at our 2025 show

26/08/2025

03/08/2025

Great advice from Gillian 😊

If you are away on holiday and no one is exercising your horse for one or even two weeks, your horse is not going to lose a lot of fitness. Don't worry about your horse, the break will be as good for them as it is for you!

The studies into exercise - training and detraining - suggest that it takes approximately 2 - 4 weeks for heart rate responses to change, 4 weeks (with turnout) for bone mineral density to reduce significantly and 4 weeks muscle endurance capacity to reduce.

So a week on the beach for you, and a week in the field for your horse will be fine! I would suggest you should return to work progressively when you are back, and check that they are coping with what you are asking them to do. The 'skills' side of things should be OK as well, after a couple of easier lower intensity sessions.

I get asked this question a lot, and there are differences if your horse has an injury or is on box rest, but a fit healthy horse does not need to be constantly in full work to maintain their fitness. So go on - have a cocktail and relax🍹😎🏖

19/06/2025

🐕HEATSTROKE IN DOGS🐕

We've been banging on about this for years! HEATSTROKE is a MEDICAL EMERGENCY! Fortunately, now more and more professionals are communicating the same message!

Whilst the need for rapid cooling with COLD water (1-15°C) has been recognised for decades in equestrian and human medicine, the dog world has lagged behind, and very poor information still circulates. e.g. "cool the paws", "cover with wet towels", "avoid cold water as it will cause shock"

THE KEY MESSAGES ARE............

💦"WET THEN VET"💦

💦"COLD WATER IMMERSION" (1-15°C)💦
(If you can't immerse, keep pouring ANYTHING COLD over the dog - hose, soft drinks, milk, etc)

💦Dogs die of heatstroke because they were NOT COOLED QUICKLY ENOUGH, NOT BECAUSE THEY WERE COOLED!

♨️RISK FACTORS FOR HEATSTROKE IN HOT WEATHER♨️

♨️Large dogs
♨️DOUBLE-COATED breeds
♨️Brachycephalic breeds
♨️June, July, August (UK)
♨️Exercise, being outdoors, left in cars

EDIT: - If a dog is PANTING, it's struggling to control its body TEMPERATURE! 💦HOSE IT TO COOL IT DOWN!💦

❤️PLEASE SHARE - Spread accurate information; potentially save a dogs life!❤️

CHECK OUT FREE RESOURCES HERE: https://askanimalweb.com/managing-dogs-in-hot-weather/

Welfare in the Heat: https://askanimalweb.com/heat-welfare/

If you don't believe me, look at the research: Beard S, Hall EJ, Bradbury J, Carter AJ, Gilbert S, O'Neill DG. Epidemiology of heat-related illness in dogs under UK emergency veterinary care in 2022. Vet Rec. 2024;e4153. https://bvajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/vetr.4153

16/06/2025

Thankyou Liz 😊

01/05/2025

21/04/2025

🙌

𝑺𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑰’𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒏 𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒚…

The equestrian world has seen a surge in gadgets and therapies promising quick fixes … vibrating pads, LED wraps, super-charged magnets, and devices that claim to “reset fascia” or “realign energy” in just one session. With sleek marketing and bold claims, it’s easy to see why people are drawn in. But not all that glitters is gold. Many of these fads lack an evidence base, and they’re often presented as having no risks or contraindications - marketed as cure-alls that can’t do any harm. In truth, even the most effective electrotherapies - those backed by science - come with guidelines, precautions, contraindications, and require professional knowledge. Anything powerful enough to create change should be used with care.

Among all this noise, it’s easy to overlook the value of something less flashy but far more meaningful: clinical skill, experience, and true connection.

As a dual-qualified veterinary and human physiotherapist with a strong academic background, my approach is rooted in science, careful observation, and hands-on understanding. I’ve spent years learning how to spot the subtle things - a slight asymmetry, a change in tension, the shape of muscle development, how the horse moves through it all. These insights come from time, training, and a deep respect for each horse as an individual - not from a machine.

That’s not to say there’s no place for technology. Used well, it can be a helpful part of a broader treatment plan. But when gadgets replace clinical reasoning instead of supporting it, we risk missing the bigger picture.

What’s sometimes difficult is seeing how quickly people jump from one trend to the next - chasing results without always asking deeper questions. True rehabilitation isn’t always instant, and it doesn’t come with a single button press. It comes from really understanding the horse: its history, its workload, its environment, and its needs.

And sometimes the best course of action isn’t what people expect. It might mean strengthening work, ground work, changes in handling/management/work routines, and hands on therapy. It might also mean pausing and referring to another professional - working alongside the vet, farrier, dentist, or saddle fitter to make sure the horse is truly pain-free before starting physiotherapy. Timing matters, and so does teamwork.

I don’t offer miracles. I offer thoughtful, individualised care built on evidence, intuition, and experience. I want to help horses not just feel better in the short term, but move and live better in the long run.

In a world full of quick fixes and big promises, I stand by something slower, steadier, and more meaningful: the value of professional experience, integrity, and putting the horse’s wellbeing above all else.

𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈-𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒎 𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒔𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒉 𝒂𝒔 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒂𝒔 𝑰 𝒅𝒐, 𝑰 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔.

02/04/2025

🐾 Regulation of Animal Musculoskeletal Therapists in the UK 🐾

In the UK, there is currently no statutory regulation for animal musculoskeletal therapists, which means that anyone can offer treatments without being officially regulated or required to meet certain professional standards. This can lead to concerns about the quality of care provided to animals, as well as the safety of certain treatment techniques.

This makes it crucial to choose a qualified and trustworthy practitioner who is committed to maintaining high standards in animal musculoskeletal therapy and adheres to professional standards.

Why Choose a RAMP Registrant?

✅ Professional Standards – RAMP therapists must meet strict guidelines.
✅ CPD – They stay up-to-date with the latest techniques.
✅ Accountability – A formal complaints procedure is in place.
✅ Ethical Practice – Putting animal welfare first.
✅ Vets Trust RAMP – Often referred by vets for their expertise.

Choose a qualified therapist you can trust. Learn more at www.rampregister.org. 🐶