By PhysioTom

Wow what another Spring Carnival it has turned out to be! It seems to get busier each year and the pressure seems to increase and let me tell you it becomes addictive. Head Trainer for Godolphin Mr John O'shea is the ultimate professional and demands the best from his horses and his staff and he gets it!

John O'shea and I watching the horses going through their paces at Flemington's breakfast with the stars.

For the month preceding Derby Day it becomes a juggling act for me as I divide my time between Sydney and Melbourne. Godolphin have 2 bases in Sydney; Crown Lodge at Warwick Farm and their own private training facility know as Osborne Park. In Melbourne they have a base at Flemington named Carbine Lodge. John will send horses to Melbourne to settle in for their respective races whilst at the same time the Carnival is in full swing in Sydney.

Godolphin had an amazing Spring Carnival in Sydney this year with impressive 3 year old colt Exosphere winning the stallion making Group 1 Golden Rose at Rosehill in sensational fashion. Then it was off to Randwick and John O'shea had a day out to remember. No less that 5 winners for the day at Royal Randwick with the stand outs being promising juvenile filly Caliope winning the Gimcrack in unbelievable fashion and one of my favourites Magic Hurricane winning the Group 1 Metropolitan. That is a day I will never forget and it was amazing to be a part of it.

Trainer John O’shea loves to watch his horses recover from their trackwork. Here glamour cold Exosphere returns looking outstanding.

The Carnival then moved to Melbourne for a host of big races such as the Caulfield guineas, Caulfield cup, Manikato, Cox Plate, Derby, Melbourne Cup, Oaks and finishes with a bang with the Darley Classic on Emirates stakes day. Godolphin had a good Melbourne carnival however with a bit of luck could have had a great one. A number of winners however some frustrating placings in the major races this year. The exciting horse to follow next Autumn is one called Bow Creek. Look out for him!

4am start with the Godolphin team a few days before the Melbourne Cup.

This time of year a typical day for me commences with track work in the morning. An early start at 4am however I love this time of the day. It is a great opportunity to watch my patients do their thing. You get to see them literally go through their paces and see their actions at the trot, canter and gallop to get a great understanding of how they are moving and areas you might target when you are treating them. It is also a good opportunity to speak to John in his 'outside office' when he is allowed to focus purely on the horses. John has an incredible knowledge of gait assessment and lameness so he makes my life very easy when you need to discuss certain horses you might be concerned about. This is also the time when I can speak to the track riders. A good track rider is invaluable and I take very seriously what they have to say about how the horses feel.

Track work riders heading out to the track at Flemington.

After track work we do what's known as trot ups. This is literally trotting up every horse that has galloped or has had a rider complaint to assess for any lameness or movement dysfunction. I cannot stress enough how important this is to my assessment and treatment plan. It is here that you ask yourself questions like, 'is this normal for this horse? 'What secondary problems could this horse be experiencing? ' Is this horse stiff, not lame? ' Did it warm up on the track? Should we think about altering his/her training, etc, etc, etc.
 

Watching trot ups with the team, stable staff, John O’Shea and resident vet, Crown Equine.

Once trot ups are finished it’s on to assessment and treatment. A head to toe assessment is performed starting at the head, neck and shoulder, continues on through the back and over the large hind limb muscle bulk. I look for quality of movement, pain responses, muscle symmetry, areas of swelling etc. Treatment includes modalities such as TENS, acupuncture, heat, soft tissue release, manual therapy, stretches, muscle stimulation and ice. I get to know each horse intimately and know what treatments they respond to best and what treatments they may not. Obviously a horse does not speak to you however they do communicate with their eyes, lips and ears. As long as you know what to look for you can easily determine how they are responding to your treatment. From this assessment I will formulate a daily physiotherapy routine that the staff will carry out; this involves stretches, icing, heat packs, core stability exercises, application of gel pads to name a few. These athletes are under such high stress that they need constant management so the role the staff play is hugely important to a positive treatment outcome.

Like any equine discipline there are common areas in the thoroughbred that require treatment depending on age and distance required to run. A sprinter ( up to 1200m ) is usually muscle bound as they utilise more of the anaerobic component of the energy system. They become very tight through the powerful muscles: shoulder and neck muscles and also the hamstring muscle group. Middle distance and stayers (1400-3200) are more like a marathon runner; have less fat and experience tightness through the back and gluteals. They exercise for much longer so their muscles may demonstrate muscle spasm and weakness as a result of fatigue.

Treatment Time! It is easy to see Magic Hurricane loves his Physio treatments, he tells me what to stretch and how to stretch it!

I hope you have enjoyed an insight into my role as an equine physio in one of the most largest racing corporations in the world. I really enjoy working with a team of equine professionals who care about the horses' welfare and treat each patient as an individual athlete. It is so fantastic that trainers like John embrace the concept of equine physio as part of a horses' training program because it is so rewarding to see the outstanding results in the horses' performance and overall condition!

#PhysioTom

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