About Lorna

Lorna's career in horses in began in 1996 as a working pupil at Urchinwood Manor where she gained her first two British Horse Society qualifications. She then pursued her love for art before returning to horses in 1999 to take a degree in Equine Science at the University of the West of England, Hartpury College. After graduating she specialised in rehabilitation, spending two years working at Tilley Farm under the guidance of Sarah Fisher, where she became a Tellington Ttouch Practitioner in both horses and companion animals, as well as completing her BHS training to become an Accredited Professional Coach.

Many of the horses that came to Tilley Farm were referrals from vets that needed postural rehabilitation. By slowly undoing the layers of compensation, the true cause of poor performance or lameness would reveal itself. Then the work to re-educate the nervous system through bodywork, groundwork and ridden exercises would begin.

Due to the successful rehabilitation systems followed at Tilley Farm, which included regular Chiropractic treatments, Lorna trained as a McTimoney Animal Therapist, graduating with an MSc in Animal Manipulation in 2008. She is also trained in Equine and Canine Massage and many other soft tissue techniques including myofascial release and acupressure.

Having worked at a human Chiropractic clinic whilst studying for her MSc, she recognised the value of a multidisciplinary approach to treatment, with Chiropractors, Physiotherapists and Pilates instructors working together for the best possible outcome. This is something she encourages as part of her own work and offers lessons for owners that may need help with rehabilitation exercises for their horses or dogs.

Having researched the incidence of muscle atrophy and asymmetry in ridden horses as part of her BSc dissertation, Lorna has a particular interest in saddle fit and through her work with Sarah Fisher and Tellington Ttouch she is also fascinated the effect the animals posture can have on their behaviour. This led her to investigate the non-musculoskeletal effects of chiropractic treatment in animals for her MSC research and although no specific correlations were found, it was clear that when the animal's nervous system was compromised due to pain/discomfort, there could also be other stress related health or behavioural issues associated with this.

As a McTimoney Animal Therapist she has continued to update her training each year which includes Animal Acupressure, Photonic Therapy (Therapeutic Red Light), Zoopharmacognosy (Animal Self Selection), Kinesiotaping, Myofascial Release (MFR) among others. She is a member of the Mctimoney Animal Association and is a British Horse Society Accredited Professional Coach. Lorna is only able to treat animals where veterinary consent has been obtained. She adheres to the regulations and standards of practice and has professional and public liability insurance.

Lorna is a keen horse rider herself and has an 10 year ex-racehorse called Strong Current (AKA Roger) whom she enjoys training in all disciplines, as well a teaching a few tricks and some liberty work. She gets excited everyday about what she can teach him and tries to instill this enthusiasm in her clients to make training both therapeutic and fun for the horse (or dog) and the owner. She also has a beautiful 6 year old lurcher called Ernie that also enjoys coming out for rides and knows a few tricks of his own!