Member of The Horseback Vet Team and Core Conditioning proponent

Could the key to your horse’s long-term soundness be hiding in plain sight, not in the vet’s diagnostic kit, but in the way your horse moves, and the way you ride? It’s a question that’s gaining traction in equine circles, and one that veterinary surgeon Hannah Petrie Hay BVM&S, MRCVS, is uniquely placed to explore.

Hannah qualified from the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, Edinburgh, in 2016 with distinction, but her path into equine practice took a turn she never quite anticipated. It was her own mare who set the wheels in motion – a horse that was, as Hannah puts it, “just not quite right” – and a chance call-out to Dr Rob Jackson of The Horseback Vet that opened her eyes to a whole new way of thinking about equine movement. Years later, she trained with Rob and joined his practice, bringing a rigorous scientific mind to a discipline that sits at the fascinating intersection of veterinary medicine, biomechanics and horsemanship.

Based in North East England, Hannah has since added another string to her bow through her work alongside Simon Cocozza and his Core Conditioning method – a collaboration that regular HQ readers will recognise from our previous feature. Together, these two approaches form a powerful toolkit: one that resets dysfunctional movement patterns, the other that builds the strength to sustain them.

With over twenty years in the saddle herself across dressage, showjumping, hunter trials and endurance riding, Hannah brings a rider’s instinct to every assessment. (When she’s not on horseback, you’re as likely to find her jumping out of a plane or soaring on a paraglider, but that’s perhaps a story for another issue.)

We sat down with Hannah to find out what owners are missing when it comes to back problems, why veterinary education still has some catching up to do, and what all of us – whatever our discipline – should be doing differently to keep our horses sound for the long haul.

Background

HQ: What led you to pursue equine veterinary studies?

HPH: I studied at The University of Edinburgh’s Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies.  I actually pursued small animal work  at university, though I have always enjoyed working with all types of animals. I always kept horses as a hobby until I began working with Rob Jackson and the Horseback Vet.

HQ: How did you come to work with Dr Rob Jackson? What drew you to his approach to movement assessment?

HPH: I first met Rob when I called him out to my own mare who was ‘just not quite right’. As a scientist and veterinary professional, I always say if I hadn’t witnessed his work with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it!  I was fascinated and intrigued but it wasn’t until five years later that I made the decision to reach out and contact Rob to ask about his work. I was incredibly fortunate that he offered me the opportunity to train with him and after my training period, I joined the Horseback Vet. I was drawn to the instant and lasting improvement that I commonly see with this method and find the positive impact I can have for horses highly rewarding.

HQ: And how did you come to work with Simon Cocozza and his Core Conditioning Method?

HPH: I stumbled across Simon Cocozza’s work quite by chance when I found an advert on Facebook for a clinic of his. Within days I’d booked a place on the clinic and purchased and devoured his book. I began putting the methods in the book into practice with my mare and saw rapid results in areas of weakness I’d been chipping away at for a decade. I have since attended three clinics and my mare has gone from strength to strength. I still use Simon’s techniques every time I ride.

HQ: You qualified in 2016 – were you taught about equine biomechanics in vet school, or is this something the profession is still catching up with?

HPH: At vet school, we were given a good basic grounding on locomotion; however, in my opinion, it is an area the profession is still catching up on. Many horses are ridden, and unfortunately, in my opinion, there is a disconnect between the impact this has on horses’ bodies and biomechanics and veterinary medicine.  Good riding and training techniques have the potential to improve and maintain equine physical soundness. The other side of this coin is that bad technique can create pathology.

Working with The Horseback Vet

HQ: Can you describe what a typical assessment with The Horseback Vet involves? How is it different from a traditional lameness evaluation?

HPH: The remit of the Horseback Vet excludes lameness work-ups, so if I deem a horse to be lame during our assessment, I will defer to a colleague whose expertise lies in this area.  For this reason, the first question I ask myself when assessing a horse is ‘is this horse lame?’

Put simply, during an assessment with the Horseback Vet, I am looking to determine whether each part of the spine – the neck, the thoracic spine and the lumbar spine – is working as nature intended so the horse can move freely.  Areas of dysfunction will show up as aberrant movement patterns during the trot up, turns and circles that make up my assessment.

HQ: What are the most common issues you see in practice?

HPH: The most common region of the spine I find to be dysfunctional is the lumbar back.  Over time, this can also cause discomfort in the hamstrings and even result in secondary thoracic dysfunction.  Horses with lumbar spine dysfunction may find it difficult to engage their hindquarters, be resistant during transitions, and struggle to maintain canter, amongst other things.

HQ: What kind of treatments are you usually performing or suggesting for horses with back problems?

HPH: If I identify dysfunction in a horse’s spinal movement, then I can perform adjustments to restore the normal movement pattern.  There are a number of different adjustments depending on the findings for each individual horse. I tailor the adjustments as required until I’m happy that any spasm or tightness has resolved and that normal movement patterns are restored.

Once that ‘reset button’ has been hit, I then put together an aftercare plan. The horse will not yet be strong in their newfound posture and movement, and the correct aftercare exercises help build their strength so that the improvement is hopefully self-sustaining!

HQ: What are the most common signs of back problems in horses? What should owners look out for?

HPH: I would recommend owners look for behavioural changes or areas of resistance in their horses, both ridden and on the ground. Reactivity to touch, grooming or tacking up can suggest discomfort, which should be investigated if persistent. Learn how to identify tension – a bracing of the neck and back, hollowness, unhappy mouth – and work with your horse to eliminate it. When riding, resistance is your horse’s way of communicating that something is difficult or painful. Excluding lameness or medical problems, persistent resistance can be a good indicator of dysfunction in your horse’s movement patterns.

Core-Conditioning

HQ: How does your work with Core Conditioning fit into this picture?

HPH: I was very excited to begin to draw parallels between the Horseback Vet methods and Simon’s work in Core Conditioning.

I see my work with the Horseback Vet as a reset button that I can use to ensure that patterns of movement are as nature intended in a biomechanically correct way.  This being the case, we are still left with the dilemma of ensuring that ridden work does not adversely affect the horse going forward. This is where Core Conditioning comes in – it allows us to condition the horse’s body to the demands of the weight of a rider so they can continue to honour their biomechanics while under saddle.

Personal perspective

HQ: As someone who rides multiple disciplines yourself, what has been your biggest learning from going into this speciality?

HPH: My biggest learning point from going into this speciality is that tension under the saddle must be taken seriously and eliminated. The common theme of any discipline is that we are asking something unnatural of the horse’s body; however the body is incredibly adaptable and can be conditioned to not only cope but thrive.

HQ: If you could redesign veterinary education to include one thing about biomechanics that’s currently missing, what would it be?

HPH: If I could redesign veterinary education to include one thing about biomechanics that is currently missing, it would be to instil a better understanding of the inescapable impact of ridden work on these animals. It is my opinion that ridden work, which works in opposition to a horse’s biomechanics, results in performance issues and lameness, and it is these animals that so often present to veterinary surgeons.

We need to answer this question:

What if, in some equine patients, the primary problem does not lie in their pathological joints but in a straying away from their inherent movement patterns? Or, in a widespread failure to understand and adopt training methods that ensure their body is capable of sustainable movement under the weight of the rider?

I believe a number of common physical ailments could be prevented or reversed by equestrians gaining a better awareness of biomechanics.