For my undergraduate dissertation I decided to investigate the relationship between a novel joint supplement and the stride length of horses with veterinary diagnosed osteoarthritis. I chose this subject as it would allow familiarisation with abnormal gait patterns in horses and how they can change with appropriate supplementation. This experience led to lots of reading and studying of lameness in horses and how it is impacted by various factors. It also provided knowledge of objective lameness detection equipment. In this case I used Quintic video analysis software which is frequently used in field to analyse various biomechanical factors. 

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I also gained experience with handling unfamiliar horses. I had handled many horses at my time at Stockdale Stables Riding School, however these were all well trained schoolmasters who knew their job and did it well. In the case of my dissertation, I was handling horses I did not know and had not handled before the first visit when I went to assess suitability for the study. Due to this, I had to conduct a risk assessment for each horse and each yard visited, this is also something that will need to be done once I start practicing as a Veterinary Physiotherapist and so was a valuable learning experience for myself. 

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Before starting my dissertation I was fairly unfamiliar with correct PPE and handling procedure for horses that were not my own. While I had always worn a helmet and correct footwear whilst handling horses, I rarely wore gloves when not riding and often did not wear long sleeves unless it was a colder day. These precautions were clearly needed in the case of my dissertation, not only for my own safety, but for that of the horse and those around me. I recognise more so now than before, why these measures are needed and will be sure to always follow them throughout my learning and my career. 

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Another part of my dissertation that can be related to the career of a Vet Physio is the travel and biosecurity that was involved. I was unable to locate enough horses on a single yard to avoid travel between yards and so had to implement my own biosecurity measures and factor in travel time to ensure I had enough time in the day to go to all the yards and assess all the horses. From this I gained essential time keeping and organisation skills as I had to ensure I had all the equipment I needed before setting off to my first horse and had enough of the equipment to prevent delays from having to travel back and get it. The biosecurity measures were critical not just for my subjects safety, but also my own horses. Ensuring proper sanitation between subjects, and in the future my clients, means that I will minimise the risk of spreading diseases around the area I cover. 

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Overall, my dissertation experience was invaluable and provided much training and allowed me to gain many skills that I will need to implement over my career as a Veterinary Physiotherapist, and while I recognise that my dissertation was not perfect and had many holes in some of my procedures looking back, I also am glad that I have this experience to build on and am not starting this course from scratch and completely blind as to the requirements and sacrifices needed to be a Vet Physio. 

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