Miriam Sykes Veterinary Physiotherapy & McTimoney Animal Chiropractic

08/06/2026

Thats me all finished for the day with the lovely Estee 🧡

Il be out of office now until the 17th

Look forward to seeing you all soon x

05/06/2026

OVER WEIGHT HORSES AND PONIES - IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT LAMINITIS!!

With all the talk of insulin, laminitis, sugar, non-structural carbs and suchlike I just wanted to post a very important reminder...

Insulin problems and laminitis are not the only reasons we should be keeping our horses and ponies at a healthy slim body weight and condition.

(And some over weight horses and ponies do not have insulin issues or laminitis, regardless of what they eat, possibly because they are not genetically predisposed).

Excess condition i.e. weight from adipose tissue (f4t)/obesity increases the risk of a number of other health issues too, including:

> strangulating lipomas (balls of fat on strings of gut tissue which can literally wrap around the gut, creating a tourniquet, and can cause fatal colic)
> hyperlipaemia, which can be fatal
> disturbed/abnormal appetite
> whole body inflammation, which might contribute towards a range of health issues including osteoarthritis, equine asthma, heart conditions
> arthritis and other joint disease
> exercise intolerance
> potential increased risk of liver, kidney and other organ disease (if we extrapolate from human research)

F4t is an active body tissue, not just a store of energy, and it secretes pro-inflammatory hormones as well as being associated with insulin dysregulation.

Some of you may have read information that you don't need to worry about obesity if you keep your horse on a low sugar diet because it's the sugar intake only that causes insulin issues and laminitis, BUT that info has missed out the VERY important factor that it's not just insulin and laminitis we should be concerned with !!

It may take some years of chronic obesity for health issues to surface, so don't assume that your obese horse or pony is safe because they don't have any obvious health problems right now.

Feel free to share
🐴🍏

02/06/2026

Hello!

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend and enjoyed the sunshine.

Just a reminder that I will be off work from the 9-16th June so I wont be responding to messages in this time but I am working up until the 8th if anyone has any questions.

I currently have a couple of appointments on the 30th but other than that June is fully booked and July and Aug are getting busier so please let me know if you need a certain time around then.

Hope to see you soon!

12/05/2026

Hello!

Just posting my last appointments available until im off in June :

Friday 22nd at 1pm - Marple area
Tues 26th at 4pm - Romiley
Tues 2nd June 2pm - Mottram/Hyde
Weds 3rd 9.30am
Sat 6th 9am - Marple

Pop me a message to book on
07875642898

01/05/2026

Thats me all finished until Tuesday. I think Lucy is happy its a bank holiday, extra mum time!

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend (and that the weather forecast improves 🫠)

30/04/2026

Have you never had a physiotherapy session for your animal? I have had a few new enquiries recently so I wanted to do a post for any new followers on what to expect from an initial consultation.

🔸️ History taking - I always send a form to new clients to fill in your animals basic details but we always start a session with a discussion about your animal's history. This is the time to chat about any previous issues, current concerns and also to let me know future plans and expectations for them. If you have multiple things to ask about it can be useful to make a few notes beforehand.

🔸️ Gait assessment - after I have all the information I need we carry out a gait assessment. This is usually a walk and trot up but if needed, we can also do an assessment of your horse on the lunge. This is to identify any movement abnormalities or dysfunction so that we can address these to improve balance, suppleness and symmetry and therefore prevent injury.

🔸️ Static assessment - once we have seen the animal move I carry out a hands on assessment. This is to palpate through the body to identify any asymmetries in muscle development or joint alignment, test joint range of motion and also take time to assess posture. This is then linked to the history and gait assessment to create an individual treatment plan.

🔸️ Treatment - this is then selected based on the findings and can include chiropractic adjustments, massage, joint mobilisation, fascial release, electrotherapies and stretching to release tension, realign the body and restore optimum function.

🔸️ Aftercare advice - after treatment, advice is given on any prescribed exercises or management that can be applied to help achieve the goals of treatment and a follow up time suggested.

Other things to note:
- The owner or loaner should be present for initial consultations
- I usually recommend the following day off so try not to plan your session the day before a specific event
- Try to have horses dry for the session, I'm not afraid of mud but wet, hairy horses are impossible to palpate well

For any queries inbox me or pop me a message on 07875642898

23/04/2026

Something I hear all too often 'he's too young to be done yet' but its such a time of change for young horses, always get those checks booked in 🐴

Young horses develop sharp enamel points as their deciduous (baby) teeth , and then permanent teeth, erupt and come into wear.

Before the age of five, they will shed up to 24 deciduous teeth as the permanent teeth come through.

This stage often coincides with the introduction of bitting and early ridden work, where any discomfort in the mouth may affect acceptance of the bit and behaviour.

Regular dental examinations by a qualified Equine Dental Technician will ensure their mouth is comfortable, supporting a positive start to their ridden career.

How old was your horse when they had their first dental check? 🦷🔎

21/04/2026

🔺️ Upcoming availability 🔻

As the season picks up my diary always gets a bit more hectic so a reminder if people would like a specific time frame before a competition/event/camp please do try and book these in advance. I also have a week off in June so the weeks before and after will likely be busy!

Some upcoming dates in the following areas still have availability :

Tues 12th May / Thurs 28th May - Oldham
Weds 13th May - Dean Valley / Poynton
Thurs 21st May - New Mills

My next available saturday is the 9th May and I still have 2 spaces available on this in the Marple/Glossop area

Thanks
Miriam

24/03/2026

Sunday was the second dissection with NKC training of the lower limb and hoof. The lower limb of the horse is a specialised structure for weight bearing, shock absorption, energy saving and stability.

I have done a lower limb dissection before but it was about 10years ago during my physiotherapy training so it was great to recap and hear the up to date research on related pathologies:

🔹️ Laminitis - EMS, Cushings
🔹️ Navicular Syndrome
🔹️ Keratomas
🔹️ Foot Pe*******on Injuries
🔹️ Soft tissue Injuries - SDFT, DDFT, manica flexoria, collateral ligaments, suspensories and annular ligaments
🔹️ Joint disease - cartilage damage, synovitis, OCD, osteoarthritis

I really love seeing the affect of how loading the limb pumps the blood supply through the hoof capsule . Its an important reminder that not only is movement key to a healthy hoof, but that this is also affected by surface types and shoeing.

Conformation was discussed and the importance of having foals assessed early by farriers. Ideally we want our horses to grow with straight, correct limb angles where possible so we need to address any abnormalities before the growth plates close. Early management can massively affect career longevity.

Another important point was that time is crucial for recovery. We wouldnt expect a soft tissue injury of our own to be resolved in a week or two why do we try to cheat time in horses? Lots to think about and take away as always with these courses!

Also just a note to say I will be off this week thurs-sunday so if you have any enquiries or would like to book in please pop me a message tomorrow 😊

04/03/2026

Anyone else relieved to have a few dry, bright and sunny days 🙋🏻‍♀️

Its been so lovely to see the horses with the sun on their backs and hopefully the fields will be starting to dry out. Its also nice not to be working it 10 layers!

We may not have made it to spring yet but I am definitely appreciating it while its here 😌