Natural Methods for Equine Health and Performance

Mary Bromiley is a Chartered and Veterinary Physiotherapist. In 1984 she founded, with her daughters Penny and Rabbit Slattery, the Downs House Equine Rehabilitation Centre, a world first for the treatment and rehabilitation of both horse and rider. She has written six books, and has been published internationally in six languages. She lectures worldwide and for 18 years travelled as therapist to the medal winning New Zealand 3 day event team.

Foreword by Monty Roberts vii Preface viii

Dedication and Acknowledgements ix

Part I The Horse 1

1 What Is Natural Horsemanship? 2

2 Understanding The Horse 5

3 Reading Your Horse 22

4 Diet 30

5 Feeding 39

Part II Therapies 69

6 Homoeopathy 70

7 Bach Flower Remedies 74

8 Past-Age Remedies 76

9 Health Maintenance and Healing 81

10 Acupuncture and Acupressure 84

11 Massage 98

Part III Training/Building The Horse 127

12 Terminology Associated With Muscle Activity 129

13 Anatomical Considerations 134

14 Appendicular Skeleton – The Levers 143

15 Training 154

Part IV Exercise Analysis 169

16 The Classical Training Approach 170

17 Surface Anatomy 171

18 Specific Exercises 173

Part V Overview of Training 187

19 Training Overview 188

20 Faulty Movement 189

21 General Considerations For The Rider 192

Part VI Progressive Muscle Loading 195

22 Gymnastic Apparatus 196

23 Artificial Training Aids Explained 210

24 The Addition of Skills 213

General Summary 217

25 The Fundamentals of Natural Training and Husbandry 218

Appendix I Programme Design 221

Appendix II Athletic Horse Versus Athletic Man 223

Appendix III Natural Health Maintenance in The New-Age Horse 224

Glossary 227

General Bibliography 231

Useful Addresses 233

Index 235