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Laura Payne meets The Sheepgate Team
Whilst attending an Equinenergy ‘Stretching and Range of Motion’ course in 2008, little did I realise then where my first introduction to Laura Payne would lead to...only a year later and after much discussion I welcomed Laura to Sheepgate to offer her services to my horses and a small number of my clients for a one day clinic. After only a short while, one client spoke to another and so on and Laura now visits Sheepgate for 3 or 4 days at a time each month.
The results speak for themselves and the Sheepgate Horses are in better form than ever before thanks to Laura’s expertise.
My own body has never felt so good and my clients agree that Laura’s services compliment the Sheepgate experience.
What more can I say except ‘Thank you Laura’ and I am delighted for your support of myself and The Sheepgate Team.
Sarah Payne |
Photo by kind permission of Mark In Time Photography |
LAURA PAYNE, BSc – Equine Science
Equine Body Worker – EBW, Human Sports Therapist – HSMT, Canine Sports Therapist – CMFR |
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Background
Laura has owned horses and dogs all of her life and worked in the industry within many disciplines; showing, international dressage and show jumping, racing, eventing and hunting as well as now competing in British Dressage.
What does Laura do?
In simple terms Laura works on the soft tissue, muscles, tendons, ligaments and fascia that intertwine throughout the body enabling the skeleton to move and hold its 3D shape.
Dealing with Issues
If restrictions set up anywhere in the body due to repetitive use, injury or tiredness, sometimes the body is unable to release these themself and as a result compensate in some way showing either a physical, behavioural or performance changes.
Team work
Many issues are secondary symptoms to other pathologies and that is why Laura only works with vet permission or referral.
Laura’s work doesn’t substitute for veterinary attention but she works closely with them to aid them in building up a picture of your horse or dog’s muscle health, that can then help to piece together the puzzle and diagnose any ongoing issues causing muscle discomfort.
Laura also works closely with saddlers, dentists, farriers, osteopaths and trainers, as well as doctors and other care professionals in all three species. |
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Laura’s Knowledge
Laura’s passion for her work is clear for all to see and the wealth of experience that she has gained by working alongside and training with some of the best clinicians in the world in their individual fields is impressive.
Gait Analysis – Dr. Hilary Clayton, MRCVS
Myofascial Release – Ruth Mitchell-Gollady, Physiotherapist
Saddle Fit and Farrier Science – Dr. Kerry Ridgeway, DVM
Equine Sports Massage – Debranne Pattillo, MEBW
Cranial Sacral Therapy – Gail Wetzler, Physiotherapist
Farrier Science – Simon Curtis
Sports Science – Dr. Dave Marlin
Further Anatomy – Narelle Stubbs, Physio to Australian Equine Teams
Lameness and back related injuries – Dr. Chris Colles, MRCVS
Rehabilitative Stretching – Nicole Rombach, MSc
And many more...including vets and other professionals that Laura works alongside on a daily basis, gaining the information connected to every animal she works with to gain a full history of the situation. |
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The Techniques Used
Sports Massage
The hands on application used to assess the physical condition of the muscular system. This is used as a check list of each muscle group, feeling for temperature, tension and texture of each muscle, noting any difference from side to side. The priority is to locate the tension, release it and restore the circulation to the tissue in order to restore the mobility. The main priority is then to prevent it happening again. |
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Myofascial Release
This works at releasing the fascia that is a three dimensional web that surrounds every bone, muscle, nerve, organ and vessel down to the cellular level from head to toe. It is responsible for the body’s 3D shape and holds restrictions which can create pain, swelling, misalignments, decreased range of motion and therefore strength. It differs from massage in that a sustained pressure is applied into the fascial system, sometimes holding stretches from 90 – 120 seconds or more. This length of time affects the body substances to soften and become more pliable, taking the pressure off the pain sensitive areas and helping increase the motion. |
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Rehabilitative Stretching
Once tension in the soft tissue is addressed and released it is essential to restore range of motion. Various stretching methods are used in order to achieve this and owners and patients are encouraged to carry these out themselves. |
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Gait Analysis
It is always noted how each patient moves, whether it is a horse, dog or human. This indicates where the tension is being held and how each individual is compensating for any discomfort.
Personal History
A full history is taken, as it is not what happened yesterday that has caused today’s problem. Muscular issues are cumulative and any past injuries, illnesses or surgeries could indicate the start of an issue.
Vet Permission
When working on animals, under the Vet Act, Laura can only work with vet referral or permission and as such is not a substitute for veterinary attention but a complement to it. |
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