Georgie Broom Veterinary Physiotherapy

Georgie Broom Veterinary Physiotherapy Offering canine and equine physiotherapy throughout Notts, Leics, Derbs and Lincs.

August has been wonderfully busy - lots of lovely horses and dogs treated, with a great mix of new faces and returning r...
26/08/2026

August has been wonderfully busy - lots of lovely horses and dogs treated, with a great mix of new faces and returning regulars. I also managed to get my own girls out competing, which always reminds me why I love this job.

September is already filling quickly, and weekend spaces are especially limited. If your horse is due a check‑in, now’s a good time to get booked in.

September availability:
• Tuesday 1st — AM
• Wednesday 2nd — AM
• Saturday 5th
• Tuesday 8th — PM
• Thursday 10th — AM
• Monday 14th — AM
• Tuesday 15th — AM
• Monday 21st — AM

I’ll be out of office 22–30 September, so appointments around that time will be tight.

Looking forward to another month of helping everyone feel their best

Here’s a couple of pictures of my girls doing what they do best 😎

AUGUST AVAILABILITY Morning! I’m catching up on messages throughout today - if you’ve been waiting to hear back from me,...
22/07/2026

AUGUST AVAILABILITY

Morning! I’m catching up on messages throughout today - if you’ve been waiting to hear back from me, you should now have some dates. If I’ve accidentally missed you (very possible, my inbox currently resembles an explosion), just give me a nudge.

August is already looking pretty chocka, especially mid‑month, so if your horse needs a check‑in, try to get booked in sooner rather than later

Tuesday 4th lunchtime
Friday 7th after 2pm
Monday 10th AM
Thursday 13th AM
Tuesday 18th PM
Thursday 20th PM
Wednesday 26th PM
Friday 28th AM
Saturday 29th AM / PM

27/06/2026

There is a phrase I see constantly in the horse world ESPECIALLY on social media:

“Medical issues have been cleared.”

People use it as if it means the horse has been fully assessed, fully understood and confirmed pain free. I have even seen it followed by things like

“This horse has been cleared of pain. It is just behaving like a pig.”

That kind of statement shuts down the conversation before it even starts. Once someone believes the horse is “cleared,” every behaviour afterward gets interpreted as a training issue, a character flaw or a lack of respect instead of a possible sign that something in the body still needs attention.

But pain does not work in neat, simple categories. And neither do horses.

A single appointment can absolutely rule certain things out. It can give important direction. But it cannot confirm that a horse is not experiencing discomfort. Many physical issues are not visible in a basic exam, a static scan or a straight-line trot up. Some do not even show clearly on imaging until the horse is moving or loaded in a very specific way.

We see this even in post mortem diagnostics.

A static image alone is not enough to tell the full story. Tissue changes, joint function, muscle compensation patterns and micro injuries often only come to light when the structures are examined dynamically or from multiple angles. If that is true after death, it is certainly true in a live horse whose behaviour is part of the diagnostic picture.

This is exactly why pain ethograms exist. They give us a structured, research backed way to identify behaviour patterns that correlate with discomfort long before imaging can. Without a behavioural component, our understanding of equine pain is incomplete.

There are three major things that equine pain research keeps showing us:

——

First:

Many pain related behaviours are subtle, inconsistent or suppressed when the horse is stressed or excited. Horses compensate far longer than people expect. A lack of dramatic lameness does not mean a lack of pain.

——

Second:

A horse can present “normal” in a basic exam and still be uncomfortable. Low grade or multi site pain can be missed in standard checks but becomes obvious under saddle or during specific movements that recreate the problem.

——-

Third:

Behaviour changes are often the earliest and most reliable indicators that something is going on. Hesitation in transitions. Shortened stride. Loss of softness. Increased tension. A shift in posture. These patterns usually show up before imaging does.

This is why the phrase “the horse has been cleared” is misleading. What we actually have is a snapshot of what was ruled out on that day, under those specific conditions.

A more accurate and welfare centred approach sounds like:

“When these behaviours show up, we ask what the horse is communicating and whether the pattern aligns with known pain indicators, instead of assuming defiance.”

That mindset keeps the horse’s communication open instead of shutting it down. It keeps the door open to understanding rather than labelling. And it acknowledges that pain is far more complex than a single visit, a single scan or a single moment in time can capture.

26/05/2026

Baited stretches: brilliant but only when done right

Most problems come from how the stretch is set up, not the stretch itself. The big ones-

• Head tilting- when the horse tips the head or rotates the poll, you lose the even cervical and thoracic engagement you’re aiming for. It becomes a neck trick, not a postural change.
• Snatching the food - fast, grabby movement switches off the core and switches on the compensation patterns. If your horse snatches you’re training enthusiasm not mobility. Swap the carrot for a lick so the movement stays slow and controlled.
• Too much too fast - dropping straight into deep ranges just loads the forehand and encourages bracing. Build range gradually so the thoracic sling and abdominals can actually engage.
• Too many reps - more isn’t better. After 3–5 good reps, the quality drops and the horse starts guessing, leaning, or fatiguing. Aim for every other day to avoid making the tissues sore

Baited stretches are great for creating controlled spinal flexion, thoracic lift, core activation, and better proprioception, they shouldn’t be a frantic snack hunt.
Slow, symmetrical, and deliberate always wins.

23/05/2026

Four poles. Four layouts. Four completely different outcomes.
Changing the pattern changes the neuromuscular demand, even when the number of poles stays the same. Here’s what each setup targets:

• Straight poles - rhythm, stride regulation, and even loading through both hind limbs.
• Fan poles - lateral suppleness, inside–outside hind engagement, and ability to shorten and lengthen the strides
• Star layout - proprioception, coordination, and hindquarter organisation as the horse adjusts foot placement every step.
• Labyrinth - slow, careful navigation that improves body awareness, balance, and parasympathetic “down‑regulation”.

Same four poles, completely different conversations with the body.
Great for rehab, strength building, or just giving the brain something useful to do.

Last call for May appointments!May is almost fully booked, and I’ve only got a couple of spaces left before the diary mo...
19/05/2026

Last call for May appointments!

May is almost fully booked, and I’ve only got a couple of spaces left before the diary moves into June.
If your horse or dog is due a check, showing signs of discomfort, or you’d like to support their performance as we head into summer, now’s the perfect time to get them seen.

I’m a driven veterinary physiotherapist with a strong focus on animal welfare and evidence‑based rehabilitation. I offer a full range of treatments including PMFT, laser therapy, thermotherapy, manual therapy, exercise rehabilitation and tailored programmes to support comfort, mobility and long‑term wellbeing.

Send me a message to secure one of the final May appointments.

A quick heads-up that May appointments are booking up quickly! If your horse is due a follow-up, needs a new assessment,...
01/05/2026

A quick heads-up that May appointments are booking up quickly! If your horse is due a follow-up, needs a new assessment, or you’d like to keep on top of things with a maintenance session, please get in touch as soon as you can to secure a slot.

I’ll also be out of office from 3rd–9th May, so I won’t be available for treatments during that time - another reason to plan ahead if you think you will need an appointment.

Lastly, just a note that there will be a pricing update coming into effect from June. More details will be shared soon, but I wanted to give everyone a little advance notice.

Thank you as always for your continued support

24/04/2026

Vigorous brushing with a soft, dense body brush isn’t just a post‑ride tidy‑up.
That mechanical stimulation increases superficial blood flow, supports lymphatic clearance, and helps move metabolic by‑products out of the tissues after work. Better circulation means better oxygen delivery, faster recovery, and a more efficient environment for muscle repair and adaptation.

It also harks back to the old showing‑days strapping - not the hour‑long elbow‑grease marathon, but the principle behind it: targeted, rhythmic mechanical stimulation to improve circulation, skin health, and muscle tone. The physiology is still the same.

I focus the brushing on the areas I’m actively trying to develop, I’m adding micro‑stimulation to the exact fibres that have just been loaded. That sensory input improves local circulation, enhances neuromuscular awareness, and supports the early stages of hypertrophic change. It’s creating the conditions those fibres need to remodel and grow stronger.

This five‑minute routine genuinely improves skin health, coat quality, and tissue elasticity, all of which feed into better comfort, better movement, and better long‑term muscle development.

I stack it with her balance‑pad time.
While she’s on the pads, her stabilisers and postural chains are already firing to keep her organised. Adding brushing creates another stimulus

• Circulatory boost → improved recovery
• Targeted micro‑stimulation → supports growth in key muscle groups
• Proprioceptive challenge → deeper engagement of stabilising muscles
• Sensory integration → movement + touch processed together
• Skin + fascia health → improved glide, elasticity, and comfort

‼️ Appointment Availability next week ‼️Monday 13th @ 4.30 location dependentTuesday 14th @ approx 3pmBetween 11am and 2...
12/04/2026

‼️ Appointment Availability next week ‼️
Monday 13th @ 4.30 location dependent
Tuesday 14th @ approx 3pm
Between 11am and 2pm on or near route below
Friday 17th AM appointment(s)

I provide hands‑on physiotherapy for horses, combining soft tissue work, mobilisation, stretching, LASER, and PMFT (where suitable) to support comfort, soundness, and performance. I am Notts based

Please get in touch to discuss how I may be able to help

07879663836

Address

Nottingham

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm

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