Wales and West Vet Physio

01/04/2026

🐣Come on in and treat the kids, we have lots of lovely little gifts available to keep them entertained!

🐣or keep them busy with some tack cleaning! We have a great selection to choose from! 🤣

26/03/2026

I love what I do .... and the trust people put in me to treat their animals .
I had this email through last night from a lady who has a Labrador with what was a sore shoulder :

"I am so grateful for all you did for Finn, and for fixing him, he is back to loving life and accompanying me on site visits which I am a delighted about! After months of vets appointments where I didn't feel like they really looked for answers it was such a relief to meet you and see the care you took at the first appointment to understand what the injury was. The radiofrequency treatment was miraculous, his limp gone after the second treatment! And thank you for taxing both of our brains with the exercise programme, it was fun to teach Finn new tricks whilst also helping him heal. I will definitely be recommending you to my animal owning friends!

In the nicest possible way I hope we don't see you again too soon but I will definitely call on you again if (when!) he does something else daft! Have a fabulous holiday.

Amelia x

01/03/2026

🌸We want to SALE into Spring 🌸

🌺🐴 So we will be offering 2x SALE items everyday for 20days!

☀️Grab a bargain, be quick, click on the link & checkout! Choose click & collect this is free, or we can post items!

🐰🐥🐑🐴🐰🐥🐑🐴🐰🐥🐑🐴🐰🐥

Our Fantastic SPRING SALE starts tomorrow 1st MARCH!

🐰🐥🐑🐴🐰🐥🐑🐴🐰🐥🐑🐴🐰🐥

24/02/2026

🌺 A gentle reminder as the spring grass starts coming through 🌺

As always do your own research

Please make sure your horse is actually getting enough salt.

A salt lick is not enough to meet their daily requirements.

It’s useful as an enrichment but most horses simply cannot consume enough salt from a block alone. The same is said for a mineral block.

So they end up under supplemented without anyone realising.

Normal intake would be 10g per 100 kg body weight for a healthy horse.

Always make sure your horse has plenty of plain fresh water aswell. Never just give salt water.

Salt helps to encourage more drinking & balances out the high potassium that’s in the Spring grass. And they need salt all year round.

It’s essential for proper muscle and nerve function. Without enough, horses can experience weakness, lethargy, stiffness, muscle spasms, sensitivity, spooky behavior, head flicking.

Some will chew wood, be mouthy on objects like gates, lick your hand excessively, lick the bodies of other horses,

We do have to look at other potential causes of chewing wood etc as it could be stress related, pain, lack of fibre, teething .. this post is predominantly about the importance of salt in the diet.

One of my clients new youngster was very bitey & was chewing wood. So I advised to feed salt straight away. In fact we got some salt to offer him from my hand and he eagerly licked it.

Rachel messaged me letting me know it’s working for him 🙌

19/02/2026

Sarah Bell

✨ New Research: Do Horse Resistance Bands Actually Work? ✨

A recent study tested the Eagle ProSix system on "real-world" horses with stiffness and unevenness. ( see photo - the link for the full research paper is at the bottom of the post) .

Here’s the quick breakdown:

✅ The Wins:

Better Posture: While wearing the bands, horses showed a flatter, healthier back and better joint flexibility.

Body Awareness: The gentle "hug" of the wrap helps horses feel where their body is, improving movement.

Calming Effect: It may help lower stress levels—perfect for tense or "cold" horses!

⚠️ The Catch:
Not a Cure: It didn't fix lameness. It's a support tool, not a "magic bandage."

Temporary? We don't know yet if the better posture lasts once the bands are removed.

The Bottom Line: Great for helping to build topline and reducing back tension, but use it alongside your vet's / physios advice for the best results! 🐴💪

Here is the link to the full paper :

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12892970/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=%F0%9F%92%8C%20%5BKN%5D%20Balance%2C%20Bands%20and%20Better%20Movement&utm_campaign=KN%20week%207%20%28Copy%29

19/02/2026

Yard buddies are not friends.
They are unpaid life managers with muddy boots.

“Can you make feeds for Thursday?”
– Already done. Probably refilled the water too.

“Could you wash his legs off? Clipping lady today......”
– Legs gleaming. Stable swept. Tail brushed. Vibes immaculate.

“Could you go ride?”
– Two spicy but well-behaved boys exercised, debrief provided, minor sass report included.

And the best bit?
No drama.
No invoices.
Just a casual “All sorted x” like they didn’t just save your entire week.

Yard buddies are the people who:
– know your horse’s moods better than your family
– spot a slightly puffy leg from 400 metres away
– will absolutely tell you if your being a nob.
– and will 100% lie convincingly to your partner about how much the new rug cost

They are:
Emergency contact.
Emotional support human.
Clipping assistant.
Video filmer.
Horse holder.
Tea maker.
Therapist.
Enabler.

They’ve seen you cry over lameness. They’ve seen you ugly-happy cry over progress. They’ve held your horse. They’ve held your sanity.

Honestly… what would we do without the crew?

Probably still be stood in the stable at 10pm trying to wash feathers in the dark with a head torch and a questionable life plan.

Yard buddies are the backbone of every “I did it” photo.
Even when they’re not in it. 🤍🐎

19/02/2026

✨ New Research: Do Horse Resistance Bands Actually Work? ✨

A recent study tested the Eagle ProSix system on "real-world" horses with stiffness and unevenness. ( see photo - the link for the full research paper is at the bottom of the post) .

Here’s the quick breakdown:

✅ The Wins:

Better Posture: While wearing the bands, horses showed a flatter, healthier back and better joint flexibility.

Body Awareness: The gentle "hug" of the wrap helps horses feel where their body is, improving movement.

Calming Effect: It may help lower stress levels—perfect for tense or "cold" horses!

⚠️ The Catch:
Not a Cure: It didn't fix lameness. It's a support tool, not a "magic bandage."

Temporary? We don't know yet if the better posture lasts once the bands are removed.

The Bottom Line: Great for helping to build topline and reducing back tension, but use it alongside your vet's / physios advice for the best results! 🐴💪

Here is the link to the full paper :

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12892970/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=%F0%9F%92%8C%20%5BKN%5D%20Balance%2C%20Bands%20and%20Better%20Movement&utm_campaign=KN%20week%207%20%28Copy%29

12/02/2026

Sarah Bell

"My horse is stiff to the left..." 🐎

This is the most common comment I hear!

🐴 Often, it’s because the horse is actually "short" or contracted along their right side, making it hard to stretch into a left bend. Those tight muscles simply don't want to let go! 🦴

⚠️ Important: Before diving in, ensure your saddle fits and consider a physio session to release deep tension. Once cleared, try these 4 steps to straighten things out:

1️⃣ Identify "False" Bend 📏
Don’t be fooled by the "easy" side! True suppleness is the ability to lengthen the outside of the body, not just collapsing the inside.

2️⃣ Mobilize the Ribcage 🏹
Ride the easier bend ( often a circle to the right) and use counter-flexion to create a "bow-string" effect . This encourages the tight muscles on the "short" side to stretch and release. Remember to move the ribs right as you create the left bend ( assuming horse is tighter on the right and not wanting to bend left).

3️⃣ Unlock the Pelvis ⚙️
Ride figure-of-eights and frequent transitions. This breaks up deep sacroiliac tension and provides the foundation for a balanced horse. If you're feeling fancy - transition from a figure of 8 , into renvers (tail to wall) for a few steps, and back again .

4️⃣ Active Core Stretching** 🥕
Use "carrot stretches" to lift the back and engage the abdominals. It’s like a stomach crunch that opens the vertebrae and strengthens the thoracic sling! Either before or after riding - preferably both!

Stop fighting for a "frame"—focus on mobilization first to create a body that can bend, rather than one that is forced to. 🙌✨

12/02/2026

"My horse is stiff to the left..." 🐎

This is the most common comment I hear!

🐴 Often, it’s because the horse is actually "short" or contracted along their right side, making it hard to stretch into a left bend. Those tight muscles simply don't want to let go! 🦴

⚠️ Important: Before diving in, ensure your saddle fits and consider a physio session to release deep tension. Once cleared, try these 4 steps to straighten things out:

1️⃣ Identify "False" Bend 📏
Don’t be fooled by the "easy" side! True suppleness is the ability to lengthen the outside of the body, not just collapsing the inside.

2️⃣ Mobilize the Ribcage 🏹
Ride the easier bend ( often a circle to the right) and use counter-flexion to create a "bow-string" effect . This encourages the tight muscles on the "short" side to stretch and release. Remember to move the ribs right as you create the left bend ( assuming horse is tighter on the right and not wanting to bend left).

3️⃣ Unlock the Pelvis ⚙️
Ride figure-of-eights and frequent transitions. This breaks up deep sacroiliac tension and provides the foundation for a balanced horse. If you're feeling fancy - transition from a figure of 8 , into renvers (tail to wall) for a few steps, and back again .

4️⃣ Active Core Stretching** 🥕
Use "carrot stretches" to lift the back and engage the abdominals. It’s like a stomach crunch that opens the vertebrae and strengthens the thoracic sling! Either before or after riding - preferably both!

Stop fighting for a "frame"—focus on mobilization first to create a body that can bend, rather than one that is forced to. 🙌✨

07/02/2026

Here's our Emergency Deep Freeze Hay fundraiser, with both a FB link and a Network for Good link (in notes!). It's been a hard winter for many, and we know that if you have it to share, it's most needed, but if you don't (or if you need help) reach out to us privately or SHARE so others may enjoy stepping up for the horses today.