Bluebell Physio

Hey everyone! Please read this and support our friends and colleagues in BC if you feel it’s important for animal owners to have access to non-veterinary health services including physiotherapy, massage, osteo, chiro and other allied health providers.

I am incredibly grateful for the time I spent as a working student with Dominique Barbier- I learned so so much and recently starting to revisit those lessons in lightness and softness and balance- I have been reading the journal I kept as well as learning from the works of other classical masters. Great to see this quote posted by dressage today !!!

The Equine Iliopsoas Muscle A few weeks ago I posted about the iliopsoas muscle (hip flexors) and how dysfunction of this muscle group affects riders. It is also common for horses to have injury or dysfunction in the iliopsoas and like in humans, is often overlooked as a source of pain, lameness or performance issues. The equine iliopsoas is located very deep and is impossible to palpate- it originates at the ventral surface of the lumbar vertebra, last 2 ribs and the ilium,... and inserts into the lesser trochanter of the femur. The muscle action is to bring the hindleg forward and acts as a spinal stabilizer when the leg is fixed. Signs you may notice if there is injury or dysfunction to the iliopsoas muscle include: - shortened stride in hind leg/ inability to step under - stiffness in the hind leg/hip - holding tail to the side - sensitivity around the lumbar area - over bending to one side while feeling stiff on the other. - a feeling of resistance and/or imbalance during riding Long term iliopsoas dysfunction can lead to secondary issues such as muscular tension in the shoulder, neck, jaw and pole, stiffness in the back, poor performance, difficulty for the horse to work in self- carriage and eventually may cause lameness. Pre/rehabilitation is important for prevention and recovery to full function. Adequate warm-up, and cool down is essential in injury prevention. An easy exercise to include in your warm up that encourages iliopsoas engagement is stepping over poles of varying heights and patterns- practice this regularly for iliopsoas health and improved performance!

Thanks to Flex Equestrian Tack & Boutique Lindsey Anderson for this awesome grooming kit that works excellently for my acupuncture and physio tools kit!!! Love it