Healing hands

The world’s fastest men may be landing in the kingdom for the coming F1 extravaganza but equine-lovers in the kingdom will be just as happy with the arrival of their own star performer whose hands can transform the well-being of horses and ponies.

Genevieve Amy Joyce will be visiting Bahrain from March 28 until April 3. She is a licensed horse chiropractor who has been treating horses in the Middle East for many years.

With a wealth of knowledge and certificates in several aspects of the treatment, Genevieve can help get your horse back to its top form.

Does your horse show signs of discomfort? Does he buck, rear, head-shake, refuse to jump, flinch when being groomed or tacked up? Is he difficult with the farrier, having a hard time picking his feet up, or just plain unhappy?

If the answer is ‘yes’ to any of these questions, then it’s a good sign he is trying to tell you something.

Genevieve can help you find out what that problem is. As a horse owner, I’m sure you know your horses inside and out. And, considering the kingdom doesn’t have an equine hospital or qualified large-equine veterinarian on the island for the public to use, Genevieve is probably your best source to fixing any horsey problems, or will at least point you in the right direction to get the help you need.

Osteopathy combined with sports massage therapy often provides an effective holistic treatment of the horse as a whole.

Symptoms of pain in one area may stem from a problem in another. With treatment you will see improved performance, improved flexibility and suppleness, improved muscle-tone, reduced recovery time following an injury and reduced restriction.

Osteopathy views the body as a whole, and recognises that all systems in the body are interrelated. Gentle techniques are used to relieve restriction, maintain range of motion in joints and improve blood supply, whilst removing points of pain and discomfort.

Genevieve will begin with an initial assessment which will require a background history to be taken on the horse, following which the horse will be seen walking, trotting and turning. She may require the horse to be lunged so areas of pain and discomfort can be noted, along with the case history.

Genevieve will usually treat the horse in the stable, or wherever the horse is most comfortable. Treatment usually takes between 45 minutes to an hour. The treatment isn’t painful for the horse and most find it very relaxing.

Following treatment, she usually recommends that the horse is rested for a couple of days and will offer advice on exercises to carry out with your horse to enable the treatment to be most effective.

Genevieve has been riding horses since she was two years old. She has competed in various disciplines and has been working with horses since the age of 15.

She has extensive experience in dealing with ‘problem horses’ and those with behavioural issues.

Her background as a competitive rider aids her in the diagnosis of the problems each rider describes. In addition, Genevieve can offer advice on training methods and exercises as a useful follow-up to treatment.

She has wide experience in dealing with performance horses in many disciplines, to include but not limited to, advanced dressage horses, Grade A show jumpers, advanced eventers, endurance horses, driving ponies, as well as the all-round/PC and pleasure horses.

Genevieve has competed three years of training in animal osteopathy and boasts a diploma in equine sports massage therapy. She also regularly undertakes further training.

She has recently added a Deep Oscillation Physio Pod to the therapies offered. The physio pod is state-of-the-art technology using electro-static oscillation to reduce inflammation, improve circulation and speed up recovery of damaged inflamed tissues.

The treatment is painless and has proved immensely successful in cases such as laminitis, splints, inflamed tendons/ligaments and damaged muscles.

Genevieve is based in Staffordshire and works between England, Europe and the Middle East.

Upcoming events
*BREEF will be hosting a show jumping event on Friday, starting at 9am. It will be held at the BDF Equestrian Centre located in Sakhir.
*Twin Palms Riding Centre will be hosting its first open Dressage show on Saturday starting at 9am. Entries must be submitted today.
*The Dilmun Stables will start its popular pony camp on Wednesday, March 23. Timings will be from 10am-1pm Sunday-Thursday. It will include a long hack outside and stable management. Also, a hot lunch from the Dilmun Club kids menu will be provided alongside use of the playground facilities and the swimming pool. The cost is BD10 for members and BD12 for non-members. Call 33309972 or email dilmunstables@gmail.com