Poor Performance
“When I see a horse it's my case – and we don't like to let go until we've got an answer” – GR
Our passion is your horse's welfare, and we offer a wide range of expertise in poor performance, lameness, internal medicine and routine work.
We know what we’re good at and we focus on providing the very best care we can in poor performance and internal medicine. We have particularly close links with Pool House Vets as they provide advanced imaging (MRI) and surgical options for our patients when necessary.
Gil has many years’ experience in investigating poor performance in horses. Whether you are aiming for the Olympics, or your lifelong four-legged friend isn’t quite as athletic as he used to be, Gil can help.
What is poor performance?
There are many reasons as to why your horse may lack the performance it once had.
These may include lameness, back soreness or other musculoskeletal issues such as kissing spine or sacro-iliac problems; medical problems such as anaemia, viral infection, gastric ulceration or respiratory disease; gynaecological problems; dental or bitting issues, ill-fitting tack, rider or training issues, temperament problems or may be because a horse is being asked to compete at a level out with its natural ability.
One or a combination of these issues often contributes to a decrease in performance.
What should I do if I feel my horse has a poor performance issue?
The first step is to call our friendly office and they will explain the client journey and answer all your questions about our poor performance investigations (PPI).
Once we have a detailed history of your horse, a date will be booked to meet with Gil.
We have two options: an initial PPI for an hour, or a full day PPI work up.
Initial PPI: This takes around one hour where Gil will examine your horse and advise on what he would like to do and can offer an estimate as well, either at our base or at your yard.
Full PPI: your horse comes into the clinic and after a consultation with Gil and our rider, we will start the investigation. Your horse is left with us (and given lots of treats!) and Gil will give you a call once we have got the answer.
Sometimes the findings are straight forward while in other cases we find multiple reasons your horse may not be performing.
This may mean your horse has a sleepover where there is always another hotel guest to keep your horse company!
Gil uses his vast experience, our lovely facilities, and his valuable professional rider, Lauren, to determine what the most likely cause of your horse’s poor performance is, and how to treat it.
This normally involves using nerve blocks to numb, starting at the feet and moving up, to locate the source of pain.
If a problem higher up is suspected, then he may choose to investigate the back, sacro-iliac, or neck areas.
Horses who show no lameness but are still struggling may be suffering from an internal medical issue.
We are fortunate to have Renske, who is our go-to internal medicine expert, having earned the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice (Cert AVP) in Internal Medicine. Gil can bring Renske in to help should there be a medical issue involved.
Once Gil has his answer, you are invited back to the clinic and have a cup of coffee and a meeting with Gil.
He will go through all of his findings, show you x-rays, scans and before and after nerve-blocking videos.
Clients always have lots of questions which he is more than happy to answer, and he won’t stop until you have a full grasp of any problem.
Once discharged, there will be a plan of action to follow which may include rehab, rest, remedial shoeing, operations and/or an MRI.
We continue to work with our clients until the horse has reached its peak performance potential. This is done with regular updates through videos, or sometimes in-house reassessments.
Click here to request an appointment online today, or call our team for a chat about your situation on 0115 778 6997.