The well known horse expert, Gillian Higgins of 'Horses Inside Out' fame, will be hosting and participating in a Kinesio Taping equine course, led by Olympic equine physiotherapist Lee Clark, at her state of the art premises near Leicester on Wednesday 23 and Thursday 24 October 2013.
Kinesio Taping, the brightly coloured therapeutic tape beloved by many well known sports stars including footballer Gareth Bale, was brought to the world stage at the London 2012 Olympics, but few people know that it's also used very effectively in equine circles to help reduce swelling, bruising and injuries on horses - particularly race horses and eventers.
As with human patients of all ages, the application of Kinesio Tape to the affected area on horses, eases joint and muscle pain, reduces swelling and offers firm but gentle support. It allows a full range of motion whilst worn, so horses don't find it uncomfortable and they can 'mend on the move' just like human patients. Because Kinesio is totally waterproof, it has extra benefits for horses in that it keeps the injury 100% dry if a horse is turned out.
Horses Inside Out is an internationally renowned equine teaching phenomenon set up by Gillian Higgins who is an equine therapist as well as a qualified sports and remedial therapist. Gillian is a keen horsewoman who has represented the British Horse Society in Sweden and has studied the equine industry in the US, France and Germany as well as the UK.
Horses Inside Out teaches riders how their horses work, in order to improve performance, reduce injury and maintain top physiological condition via a series of lecture demos starring Freddie, a 16.2 novice event horse. Freddie's muscles are painted on one side and his skeleton on the other, and he's able to demonstrate how the musculo-skeletal works in walk, trot, canter and over jumps.
Gillian Higgins, who is already a trained Kinesio Practitioner for humans, is keen to learn about its uses on horses and says: "I'm delighted that Horses Inside Out will be hosting a Kinesio Taping Course for equine therapists. Horses Inside Out aims to teach horse owners, riders and professionals how horses work from the 'inside out' - while the application of Kinesio Taping works along similar principles but helps equine muscle and joint conditions from the 'outside in' by using varying degrees of tension, to either relax or stimulate the muscles underneath. I'm fascinated by the amazing results I?ve seen from Kinesio Taping on humans and am looking forward to learning more about it with horses."
Olympic equine physiotherapist and course leader Lee Clark has been using Kinesio Taping on his own and his clients' horses for a variety of conditions. He gives some examples of its uses in equine physiotherapy:
"I've used Kinesio on an event horse after surgery for 'kissing spines'. This is a fairly common, painful equine condition often caused by an ill-fitting saddle where the bony 'spines' at the top of the horse's vertebrae start to rub together, causing pain and swelling, especially on moving. After treatment with Kinesio taping, this horse is now almost back to normal after around five weeks of treatment.
"I'm often called to racing stables to treat tendon injuries in racehorses. I use Kinesio Taping to protect, support and strengthen the horses' tendons from further injury while they recuperate.
"In another example, a much loved family horse that fractured its pelvis was on box rest for six weeks and lost a significant amount of muscle in its quarters. I used Kinesio Tape in conjunction with electrical stimulation to help this and the horse has now fully recovered.
"A common problem in new born foals is elongated tendons, where they rest their legs (fetlocks) on the ground rather than their hooves, leading to poor gait as they mature. Applying Kinesio Tape can help the contraction of the tendon as the foal grows and I've had several successful outcomes with Kinesio Tape."
To participate in the Equine Kinesio KT1 and KT2 course, Kinesio UK accepts equine qualified Chiropractors, Osteopaths, Animal Therapy Physiotherapists, degree in Veterinary Medicine, Equine Sports Massage, and also any 2nd or 3rd year students in the areas listed above. If you would like to make a booking please email training@kinesiotaping.co.uk and someone will get back to you.
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