Equine Manual Therapy

Equine Manual Therapy Equine osteopathic, craniosacral, sports massage and fascial release therapy for the sports and leisure horse. UK, Europe and UAE

Genevieve Joyce is an equine manual therapist trained in equine osteopathy, remedial sports massage therapy, craniosacral therapy, myofascial release and kinesiotaping. Therapy targets areas of pain and discomfort in both the sports and leisure horse. The horse has many ways of showing it's discomfort:
Bucking
Rearing
Napping
Head shaking
Resistance when being tacked up
Difficult with the farrier/

have feet picked up
Refusing to jump
One sidedness
Stiffness/refusal to work in an outline
Flinching when groomed
Reluctance to load
etc...

Over 15 years experience in practice, UK based, holding regular treatment clinics in Bahrain and Vienna

04/09/2026

FluffedItUpFriday

Unfortunately there wasn't a module in equine osteopathy school, about how to develop, lead and market a practice management app that changes other practitioners lives. 🫠

I created Equigate because I needed it so badly. I realised that after 16 years as an equine osteo, I'd wasted 6000 hours of my life on a crappy record keeping system - there simply wasn't one available that did everything I needed it to. So we built one. Equigate is now in 21 countries, 19 languages, and is supporting all sorts of equine and canine practitioners in running the most incredible businesses.

And I'm learning SO much along the way!

Also making lots of mistakes - Founder life humbling me once again

02/09/2026

The start of September and the big coat is back out already 😩 devastated

Tell me, I’m not the only one missing this summer already?

25/08/2026

I was called to this pony because of shoulder asymmetry picked up by another practitioner. And yes there was a significant compensation pattern showing in the thoracic sling.

But we need to ask WHY. Why was the forelimb being loaded asymmetrically.

And here's the answer, because the hindlimb was uncomfortable.

Bodies always tell a story. And what I love about osteopathy is the detective work, rooting out the why.

Your horse isn't being difficult with a hindlimb for no reason. They don't start to show an asymmetry for no reason. There's always a story behind it. If you start to notice saddle slip, yes check the saddle, but it's always a good idea to question why the body is pushing the saddle too.

21/08/2026

Yup, still got it 🫠

Another week of Equigate founder life reminding me how crap I am at this 😅

20/08/2026

No 2 days are the same!

The busier I am the more organised I need to be. Equigate helps me to do the, to reply to your enquiries sooner, keep your (& me!) reminded of when our appointments are, and allows me to send you your reports instantly.

To make an appointment with me you'll need the Equigate app. - it's free for you. And you can message me on there. You'll have your appointments, reports, invoices and can even pay by card over the app.

Drop me a DM for more info if you'd like an appointment.

And if you're a body worker and would like to know more, DM me MORE 🙌

19/08/2026

Honestly, I miss the good old days when my neck didn't sound like a glow stick 😅

As we age, our bodies change - strength, range of motion, elasticity of tissue is all affected. Now how our horses bodies age, though we see changes over time, these don't always mirror the way humans bodies change, and ultimately the demands we place on our horses bodies differ too.

I find that during adolescence - 4-7 (ish) is where we see a lot of issues. We are starting to train strength and power into young bodies. The modern sports horse is more hyper mobile - you don't get the paces, the flexibility, the technique that we see in performance horses without an element of hypermobility. Their bodies are super flexible, and they are developing enormous strength, sometimes very quickly. This opens the door for issues. We see compensation/decompensation patterns starting to establish. These patterns start a loading pattern that ultimately can cause one-sidedness, strength asymmetry, and unfortunately then strain related pathology.

Managing these EARLY can be the difference between your horse then developing a lameness issue or not

As they age, we will see evidence of their career showing in their body - Polo ponies have RSI injuries to the hamstrings, upper cervical region and the right fore shows more signs of wear and tear. Any jumping horse will begin to show evidence on concussive fore from landing after every fence through the whole thoracic sling. Managing these with regular body work can help to keep your horse as comfortable as possible and help them perform their best for you.

In later life, as mobility reduces, joint ROM reduces, elasticity of soft tissue reduces and they recover more slowly. Traumatic events, like slips or falls have a more significant impact on your horses body, and take much longer to recover.

I've worked with some of my clients throughout their whole career (I've been in practice for 20 years now) and knowing their patterns and recognising when something has CHANGED is the key to prevention-rather-than-cure.

If you'd like more info about how to work with me, dm me MORE

17/08/2026

Answers on a postcard 🙌

14/08/2026

I lost 6000 hours of my life to a sh*ty record keeping system. So I build a system that is saving practitioners that’s time and more!

I now split my time between running , running my osteopathy practice, and parenting the tiny dictator (aka Tiggs)

More time that I’d care to admit is spent getting things wrong. So I figured it’s about time I started sharing some of that, in case anyone was under the illusion I had my ducks in a row 😅

The first

Honestly these are some of my favourite messages to get. Happier horses = happier clients = happier me 🥰. You know the d...
12/08/2026

Honestly these are some of my favourite messages to get. Happier horses = happier clients = happier me 🥰.

You know the drill by now - noticing the change in your horse is key. If they were super free behind, and then aren’t - something’s changed. And an appointment with an Osteo is less invasive, less expensive and significantly less metabolically risky that reaching straight for the needle 💉

I’ve worked with some of my clients for many years, and they notice even the most subtle change in their horses, which makes my job a lot easier. And when I know your horses body patterns too, dialling in on what’s changed and how to help is easier too.

This one deffo should have come with a hold tight warning 😅

Equine osteopathy | Equine osteopath | performance maintenance

11/08/2026

To work with a good body worker is the simplest answer.

Hindleg split is what you’re after for the strongest, most elastic balanced canter, but it’s easily affected with any lower back or pelvic dysfunction. This can be structural parietal (musculoskeletal) but it can also be visceral - influenced by the organs of the pelvic room, the diaphragm and abdominal organs. As well as craniosacrally - the poll and the sacrum are on a pulley system. Not to mention the reciprocal system operating the hock and stifle.

A perfectly symmetrical pelvis is unusual to see, we aim for as symmetrical function of the hindquarter as possible. Asymmetrical function shows as one-sidedness, strength asymmetry - drifting to one side over a fence, disuniting in canter, shortened hindlimb strides or shifting the saddle to one side, and complex compensation patterns that affect the whole body

For complete range of motion of the hindlimb your horse needs pelvic and lower back freedom and mobility too. Put your hand on your lower back and try swinging your leg forwards and backwards without moving your back or pelvis. Now try again allowing your back to move - Range and freedom of motion is much bigger.

Regular body work with someone who knows your horse, and their patterns is often the key to better performance, and that elusive better hind leg split.

If you’d like to know more about working with me DM me MORE

Equine osteopathy | Equine body work | Equine osteopathy for performance

Address

Stafford

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 6pm
Tuesday 8am - 6pm
Wednesday 8am - 6pm
Thursday 8am - 6pm
Friday 8am - 6pm

Telephone

+447817652408

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