Emma Barber Healing Hands Veterinary Physiotherapy

02/11/2025

A bit of hazard training today! Eve now knows when to Stop and when to Go!

22/10/2025

It’s a big debate when and how to start our young horses and what impact it has on their bodies. As you can imagine it’s one I take a big interest in having my own young horse, Eve (2.5yrs).

Personally, I’m in no rush! The slower the better for me, BUT, with non ridden exercise over varied terrain to help develop the body and mind in a slow and gentle way.

21/10/2025

Finally updating my work wear to link in with my new logo design!

Thanks to Alison Orchard for all her help in getting these sorted, you’re a superstar 🌟🤩

21/10/2025

Wow!

18/10/2025

I’ve seen many posts on acorn poisoning recently, so everyone check, check and double check your fields!

ACORN TOXICITY: Last week was a devastating one. Three gorgeous welsh mares that I had scanned in-foal a month or two earlier lost their lives following acorn ingestion. This post is intended to raise awareness of the risks as the condition is not well understood. These horses had been on the same field for 5 weeks, there was no obvious change in weather conditions but overnight, two mares succumbed and were found dead in the field in the morning. One mare was quiet in herself. I attended immediately and found her to be rapidly deteriorating. Eve (excellent final year vet student) administered activated charcoal via a stomach tube while I arranged her immediate referral to Endells for intensive care in hospital. In spite of aggressive and prompt treatment, and an encouraging initial response, this mare tragically had to be euthanised that night. The mares had diarrhoea, with haemorrhage evident on re**al, and acorn husks were present in the droppings. Acorn toxicity is diagnosed by exclusion of other causes of death as there is no way to specifically diagnose it. A post mortem examination did not find any other cause of death. Our thoughts are with the owners and grooms who cared for these horses. And we encourage taking any actions possible to limit ingestion of acorns, even if historically there have been no problems in the horses/on the land as this desperately sad case serves to remind us that it is unpredictable, and not a fully understood condition, but that the risk is real, and death occurs very rapidly after ingestion with treatment typically being unsuccessful.

17/10/2025

Definitely winter! Very floofy 🦄

Show me your horses winter woolies or snazzy clips!

16/10/2025

Many assume that the height of the saddle at the pommel indicates sufficient wither clearance, but it’s more important to assess how the panels sit either side of the wither.

Saddles are often fitted to tight on the wither causing sensitive and painful spots due the clamping effect.

This is NOT “good wither clearance”

Yes you could fit three fingers between the top of the wither and the pommel.  But look how formidably tight the panels are on either side of the wither.  if you were to add a Rider it would be like a vice, crushing both bone and soft tissue.

 This dear little TB horse was exceedingly twitchy and sensitive all around his wither and down the line where the points of the tree would sit.  This is not evidence of being “ticklish” it is about being sore.
With only a light pressure on the shelf of his ribs he was beside himself and grabbing the fence, not because he was naughty or difficult but  because he hurts

I always try to work with an existing saddle if I can but on this occasion , I said it must not even be girthed up. 
it is what I would describe as an instrument of torture

 fortunately his very lovely switched on owner wanted me to check things before she brought him into work . He has a history with many issues causing problems in his body which bring with them a number of behavioural challenges  and a saddle like this  would in my opinion probably lead him straight to the dog Tucker truck
Which, sadly, is where many horses suffering similar insult to their backs have gone over the decades .

16/10/2025

Quizzing Quiz on his muscles 🤣. He got most of them right! Neck muscle, bum muscle, belly muscle!

It’s great when your clients take their own physical health seriously 💙

11/10/2025

10/10/2025

The Interplay Between the Thoracic Sling and the Fascial Sleeve of the Forelimb

The horse’s forehand is a marvel of suspension and flow — a dynamic system that relies on the thoracic sling and the fascial sleeve of the forelimb working together as one continuous, responsive unit. The efficiency, elasticity, and comfort of the horse’s entire front end depend on how these two systems share load, tension, and sensory feedback.

🩻 The Thoracic Sling: The Horse’s “Living Suspension System”

Unlike humans, horses do not have a bony joint connecting their forelimbs to the trunk. Instead, the thoracic sling — a network of muscles and fascia — suspends the ribcage between the shoulder blades. Key players include:
• Serratus ventralis cervicis and thoracis
• Pectoralis profundus and subclavius
• Trapezius and rhomboideus
• Latissimus dorsi
• Related myofascia

These structures stabilize and lift the trunk during movement, absorb impact, and allow for fine adjustments in balance and posture. A supple, strong sling lets the horse “float” the ribcage between the shoulders rather than brace against the ground.

🩹 The Fascial Sleeve of the Forelimb: A Continuum of Force and Flow

Each forelimb is encased in a fascial sleeve — a continuous, multilayered sheath of connective tissue that envelops every muscle, tendon, ligament, and neurovascular pathway from the scapula to the hoof.

Rather than separating structures, fascia integrates them, distributing tension and transmitting force both vertically (hoof to trunk) and laterally (across the chest and back). The fascial sleeve is both a stabilizer and a sensory network, richly innervated with mechanoreceptors that inform the central nervous system about position, pressure, and movement.

🔄 A Two-Way Relationship

The thoracic sling and the fascial sleeve of the forelimb form a mutually dependent system.

When one is tight, weak, or imbalanced, the other compensates — often at a cost.

1. Force Transmission

Each stride begins with ground contact. The impact and rebound forces from the limb travel up through the fascial sleeve, into the shoulder girdle, and directly into the thoracic sling.
If the fascial sleeve is supple and well-hydrated, the sling can absorb and redistribute force smoothly.
If restricted — for instance, by myofascial adhesions or muscular guarding — the load transmits as sharp, jarring impact into the sling, leading to fatigue and microstrain.

2. Postural Support

The sling lifts and stabilizes the thorax between the shoulders. But that lift depends on the integrity of the fascial tension in the forelimb.
If the limb fascia loses tone or the deep pectorals shorten, the ribcage can “drop” between the shoulders, leading to a downhill posture, shortened stride, and overload of the forehand.

3. Neuromuscular Coordination

Fascia houses thousands of sensory receptors that communicate constantly with the nervous system.
The thoracic sling relies on this feedback to coordinate timing and symmetry of movement.
When fascial tension becomes uneven — say, due to unilateral limb restriction — proprioceptive input becomes distorted, and the horse may appear crooked, heavy on one rein, or unable to maintain even rhythm.

4. Reciprocal Influence
• A tight thoracic sling can compress the fascial pathways through the shoulder and upper limb, restricting glide and muscle contraction below.
• Conversely, a restricted fascial sleeve can inhibit normal scapular rotation and ribcage lift, forcing the sling muscles to overwork.

💆‍♀️ Myofascial Release and Massage: Restoring the Dialogue

Manual therapies that target both regions — not just the limb or the trunk in isolation — are key to restoring the horse’s natural balance.

Effective bodywork can:
• Release adhesions within the fascial sleeve to restore elastic recoil.
• Improve scapular glide and thoracic lift.
• Normalize sensory input through mechanoreceptors, refining coordination.
• Encourage symmetrical movement and postural awareness through gentle, integrated mobilization.

When the thoracic sling and limb fascia move as one continuous system, the horse’s stride lengthens, the topline softens, and forehand heaviness diminishes.

🧘‍♀️ Training and Conditioning Support

Beyond manual therapy, proper conditioning maintains this balance:
• Hill work and gentle pole exercises enhance thoracic sling engagement.
• Lateral work improves scapular mobility and fascial elasticity.
• Regular checks of saddle fit and rider symmetry prevent recurring restriction.

🐎 The Takeaway

The thoracic sling doesn’t work in isolation — it’s an extension of the fascial sleeve of the forelimb, and together they form the foundation of forehand function.
Healthy fascia enables the sling to lift, absorb, and respond.
A supple, responsive sling protects the fascia from overload.

When they operate in harmony, the horse moves with effortless balance — powerful yet soft, grounded yet elevated — the way nature intended.

10/10/2025

Well done Flo and Fanta! 🏆

09/10/2025

That’s an early alarm time 😕

I’m off to a CPD day tomorrow to learn some new manual techniques, always learning!

My horses will have a shock in the morning when I turn up with my head torch on as it will still be dark!

Eve has never seen a head torch before so poo picking might be exciting 😂