Equestrian physical therapists?

[awolffphotog]

I’m not sure exactly where to post this, but I was hoping this section of the forum would have some good insight. Without going into too much detail, I’m researching the possibility of going back to school and different degrees. At the top of the list is physical therapist, specifically one that deals with athletes. A search on the Internet only revealed a few physical therapists that are advertising specifically to the equestrian community. I’m an avid dressage rider, and I think I could fall in love with this career path if I was able to work with other equestrians.

So my questions are: Has anyone worked a physical therapist that had experience as an equestrian or treating equestrians? Is this more prevalent than I realize? Did it make any difference compared to a PT without horse experience? Any input would be appreciated, and I would LOVE to e-mail more with someone about this extensively if anyone is up for it

[Vegas_Sky]

I think that you would be very successful in this career path.

I’ve never worked with a PT who has extensive experience with horses, but my current PT is 1) amazingly awesome and the best PT ever, and 2) very willing to learn about and hear about riding and eventing and how it influences my training and development as an athlete and 3) willing to put up with the problems that riding causes in my recovery…or rather, the problems I cause in my recovery by doing too much riding and being around horses too much in general.

Having worked with other PTs who couldn’t care less about horses because riding “isn’t a real sport”, having someone who is open to Horseland is amazing. The only thing that could make my PT better is if she had extensive knowledge of eventing, so when I say “I have no strength to put my leg on” or “it kills my back to do the sitting trot” or " I can’t coordinate my aids in the shoulder-in", she would actually know what I’m talking about and I wouldn’t have to explain every little thing.

To my knowledge, there are very few PTs who do the kind of work you are interested in, but there seems to be a large demand for it.

Go for it! I think you will be very successful. If you end up practicing in Oregon (because Oregon is the best state in the union!) I’ll be your first patient

Feel free to PM me any questions!

[betsyk]

Certainly sounds like an interesting and useful aspect of the career. You might do some research on how many PT’s are self-employed or freelance or whatever, versus how many are employed by HMO’s, hospitals, rehab centers, etc. Unless you were in a major equestrian area, I suspect you’d have to have a general sports med position with a major insurer in order to support yourself, and then you could promote yourself as the go-to person for riding injuries. I bet the trick would be to get yourself in with whatever insurer covers most of the riders in an area, and also to figure out somehow if most of the riders are recreational (getting their insurance from their day job) or professional (maybe different insurance options or none at all) in figuring out which insurance carrier to align yourself with.

Speaking out of my hat here, since I don’t work in health care and don’t really know what I’m talking about. Love my HMO with one-stop shopping, but if you weren’t part of it, I couldn’t see you!

[awolffphotog]

Insurance is the part of the job I know I would dread the most, but a necessary evil. I’m glad you reminded me of that. Thank you, both of you! Your responses help! I feel like riding is such a unique, specific sport that you really have to know the biomechanics of that sport to know why your back would hurt from sitting the trot, etc. Riding has both hurt and helped my own body, which led me to thinking about this job in particular.

First step is taking my ACT again and sitting down with the two local colleges, but I think I’m going to go ahead and do it and see where I could go with this. Seven years of college is a daunting thing. Vegas Sky, if more questions come up, I will definitely PM you!

[whicker]

I have such a P.T. I think you should contact her if you are serious about researching the field. It is hard to get into P.T. school. There is quite a bit of strategy to be prepared for the strongest application.

I’ll send you a p.m.

[Stacie]

I live in a horsey area and tried to find a pilates trainer with horse experience and couldn’t find one. I was pretty shocked. PTs often moonlight as personal trainers, so that’s something to think about.
As an aside, a friend is working as a massage therapist (i think for whicker’s Pt, actually) and works on so many people with injuries from Foxhunting that she has decided to stop foxhunting herself.

[pony4me]

A friend I ride with (who is a PT) and I were discussing the exact same thing yesterday. It seems like a promising career path. Pick which horse show circuits you’ll be at, put an ad in COTH, make sure you can file insurance, etc. and you’re all set.

[Hunter_Newbie]

Its a great idea. Im sure there is a niche to be found there.

However, the working shows idea that some brought up would not work. PTs and OTs cannot treat patients without a doctors prescription for therapy.

Im a OT working in nursing homes btw. Its an extremely rewarding career, you wont regret it!

[awolffphotog]

[QUOTE=Hunter_Newbie;5392495]
Its an extremely rewarding career, you wont regret it![/QUOTE]

That’s what I’m hoping Thanks, everyone, for the input and encouragement!