Bronagh Daly MCSP BSc Nutrition, MSc Rehabilitation Science

Hello! I am Bronagh Daly.  I am a Chartered Physiotherapist with experience of clinical and sports injury management and sports specific conditioning.  I am also a qualified Equine Physiotherapist.

Horses have always been a very large part of my life.  After graduating from Kings College London, I continued to work at a leading showing yard and some smaller eventing yards while formalising a career in nutrition and human allergy.  During a BSc in Sports Rehabilitation I was introduced to the core(postural) training and rehabilitation of muscle imbalance.  I spent some months at a Championship Cricket Club gaining insights into the specific demands of a different professional sport. I followed this with several years at a Football League club, alongside some leading healthcare professionals, in a similar role. On completion of a Masters in Rehabilitation Science, I took an opportunity to work in clinical physiotherapy on a more extensive range of injuries among a broader range of clients.  The fascination with both physical rehabilitation and horses, however, always prevailed and not unsurprisingly both were latterly combined in a qualification in Equine Physiotherapy.

While I prepared for an extended role in equine physiotherapy I became increasingly aware of the unavoidable influence of the rider on the horse.  It seemed a pointless exercise to treat the horses in isolation: many of the relatively minor but nonetheless significant equine issues appeared to bear close relation to posture and movement patterns of the regular rider.  It also appeared probable that an improvement in rider core control and balance might not only prevent many common problems but possibly improve the horse’s way of going. I worked at my own postural awareness and conditioning and was amazed at what I found. I used off-horse core- and postural conditioning exercises to develop my own core control.  When I transferred this to riding I was amazed!  I loved the result – and so did Seth! He went from being a tense and spooky horse with a very rigid outline to a relaxed and willing partner.  i persuaded some friends to try the same using a similar format and incorporating a few props.  We correlated off-horse exercises with riding movements to create sport specific training with intermittent on horse sessions to review and apply the skills.  My friends were hooked! And it has all developed from there.

I currently event at grassroots level on a grey gelding, Seth. During our three years together we have qualified for BD regional Finals and BE90 regional finals on successive years.  Last year we werer placed in all 3 BE Regional finals each time narrowly missing out on qualification.  This year we have stepped up to BE100 and once again achieved Regional Final qualification.  Training to improve is truly enjoyable and our days at competition, though competitive, are always great fun.

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