Name: Jen Hyland

Company: Full Spectrum Equine

Based: I work all over the country either treating horses, teaching or riding horses.

What is your business?

I’ve recently ventured into doing equine physiotherapy full-time. I got my qualifications almost 10 years ago but I was running a yard and eventing full-time up until the Covid-19 crisis hit. Then I felt I needed to diversify. It was something I always had tipping away in the background but I never could bring myself to stop competing to concentrate on it properly.

Qualifications: I studied Equine Science in University of Limerick. This gave me the foundations needed to go on to further studies in physiotherapy. I went on then to study Veterinary Physiotherapy at Harper Adams University College in the UK.

Experience in the equine Industry: I’ve been involved in horses for about 30 years. I had my first riding lesson when I was five years old in Kill Equestrian Centre, to my first pony at 10 years old and my first job riding out racehorses at 15. I was 15 years eventing and working with young horses and I’ve been lucky enough to have been able to base in the UK for eventing which really helped bring on my riding career. At the moment, I am also an instructor in the Irish Farrier School working with apprentice farriers where I cover topics such as conformation, gait and foot balance.

Why did you opt to start this business?

I’ve always had a passion for working with horses and helping bring out the best in them. For some that means keeping them comfortable and pain-free in their daily life; for others, it’s identifying limiting factors that are affecting them in their ‘athletic career’. The main driving force behind my work though is to reach as many horses and owners as I can and help them to improve their horse’s well-being through education and awareness of the importance of doing all the little things right. So many people say to me that they wish they knew more about what to look for or how to tell if there’s something amiss with their horses before it becomes a bigger issue.

How long have you been in business?

I’ve only recently set up my new business, Full Spectrum Equine. The idea behind it comes from a conference I was at in the UK where the emphasis was put on working together as a team for the betterment of the horses in our care. “Find five things you can make a 3% improvement in and you will have made a 15% improvement in your horse.”

With this in mind I work very closely with vets, saddle fitters, farriers, nutritionists, owners, livery yard owners and anyone who is responsible for the care of your horse. I feel very strongly that if you are exchanging money for a service that person is responsible for their role in your horse’s care and should be held to the highest standard.

What do you enjoy about the job the most?

My favourite part of the job is working with the horse itself. I usually spend at least an hour with each horse and the reactions and responses I get from them as they start to feel the relief and enjoy the treatment is so rewarding. I don’t think I’ve ever left a horse where I wasn’t smiling from ear to ear. I also love getting messages from owners saying their horse feels amazing or they are doing something they haven’t been able to do for ages.

What is the most challenging part of your job?

The biggest thing with me is preventing burnout. I think it’s the same for a lot of people working in the horse industry. It is a 24/7 job and it’s hard to switch off and take some rest for ourselves. I have to be quite strict with myself to allow time to recharge after a few intense days travelling and seeing a lot of horses. Each horse deserves your 100% so I try to keep that in mind when I’m planning my workload.

Who should use your service and should a horse be checked every year?

Every horse would benefit from an assessment and treatment. As part of my assessment protocol I look at the horse and its environment and management as a whole. We look at conformation, gait, foot balance, saddle fit, nutrition, behaviour, management, ridden work and anything else that needs attention. For most horses, once or twice a year is sufficient, for horses with underlying conditions such as arthritis, kissing spine, conformational predispositions to poor movement, etc. I would see these horses more regularly as part of their maintenance programme. It really depends on the horse.

Is it just for competition horses and horses that are showing problems all of a sudden?

Part of what your equine physiotherapist is trained to do is to notice subtle changes in posture and gait that may be precursors to more serious problems. Anyone with competition horses knows that the margin for error in the ring is miniscule and in order to compete to their fullest potential your horse must be pain-free and have a musculoskeletal system that is performing optimally. Another key role of physiotherapy and one I am passionate about is promoting longevity and soundness over the entire life of the horse and not just for the young horse or one in its prime.

What signs should you be looking out for to identify if you have a problem?

There are plenty of ways to identify if you may have a problem but I guess the main ones I tell my clients to look out for are:

1. Posture: how the horse chooses to stand. Do they stand square or are they always standing preferring a diagonal? Are they ‘camped under’ in front or behind?

2. Behaviour: Do they resent being tacked up? Have they suddenly become spooky, nappy, stopping at fences, changing legs behind, reluctant to walk down hills?

3. Subtle/obvious signs of lameness.

I would also encourage owners to talk to other professionals responsible for their horse’s well-being, ask the farrier are they happy with the horse’s foot balance, shoe wear, gait. Ask the saddle fitter do they think the horse is comfortable, ask your livery yard owner is your horse prone to sitting on feed pots, packing its bedding under its feet, etc. All these things are valuable clues when trying to figure out if your horse has a problem.

Do you work alongside vets and others? Absolutely. I get a lot of referrals from saddle fitters, farriers, instructors, among others, and I work closely with vets where I would send referrals if I had identified an area that needed further investigation. Treating horses is a team effort and everyone needs to be on board, each bringing their individual skill set to the table.

Is the treatment in anyway painful to the horse?

Horse’s love getting treatments, this is one of the most rewarding parts of the job! I have noticed that horses that are in a lot of pain can be a bit fidgety when you are starting off but as soon as you get a few releases and they start to feel the benefit of the treatment they really open up and enjoy it.

How many times do you usually have to visit the horse before you are happy?

Treatments can be like peeling an onion, sometimes a horse presents with so many compensatory issues that a second treatment within a week or fortnight is needed to find the primary cause of the issues they presented with. My rule of thumb is generally that if I need to see your horse more than twice, I usually recommend you go to a vet for a more in-depth diagnosis.

Usually, in this case, the veterinary intervention allows us to work on building the horse back to full functionality and the underlying cause has been treated. For most horses, those without underlying conditions I usually see them every three to six months depending on their workload.

Jen Hyland was in conversation with Emer Bermingham.