Where human performance meets equine wellbeing

There is a quiet truth at the centre of every successful horse and rider partnership: the horse can only move as well as the system it carries. My work sits precisely at that interface.

I am a New Zealand–registered physiotherapist with a career spanning nearly 3 decades across human and animal practice. My pathway is deliberately uncommon. I hold a BSc (HONS) Physiotherapy (1997), a Master’s in Animal Physiotherapy (University of Queensland, 2005), and a Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy (AUT). I am also a founding member of the New Zealand Animal and Veterinary Physiotherapy Association (NZAVPA).

This dual-trained perspective allows me to do something very specific: identify and treat the human factors that influence equine performance, comfort, and longevity, while also working directly with the horse itself.


While my work is well known within the equestrian world, I also treat a broad range of non-riding patients, managing everyday and complex musculoskeletal conditions with the same level of clinical precision and care.



A truly integrated approach

Rider performance and rehabilitation

  • Complex rider impairments affecting symmetry, coordination, and force transfer

  • Persistent pain conditions (low back pain, tendinopathy, shoulder disorders)

  • Biomechanical inefficiencies influencing the horse’s movement

  • Objective strength and performance profiling

  • Rider-specific rehabilitation and performance programming

Equine physiotherapy and movement optimisation

  • Comprehensive assessment of equine movement and biomechanics

  • Identification of asymmetry, restriction, and compensatory patterns

  • Treatment of musculoskeletal dysfunction and soft tissue injury

  • Rehabilitation following injury, time off, or performance decline

  • Supporting comfort, soundness, and longevity in work

Rider Performance Simulator

A defining feature of my practice is the use of a Racewood dressage simulator, an advanced and highly specialised tool that sets this service apart within New Zealand.

This is the only simulator of its kind in the North Island, and the only one in New Zealand owned and operated by a physiotherapist. Its value lies not just in the technology itself, but in how it is clinically applied.

Unlike traditional coaching environments, the simulator allows me to assess and treat rider biomechanics with precision, free from the variability of a live horse. This creates a unique opportunity to combine physiotherapy-level clinical reasoning with high-performance rider analysis.

Using the simulator, I am able to:

  • Identify subtle asymmetries and movement inefficiencies

  • Analyse pelvic control, posture, and coordination across all gaits

  • Assess rein contact and upper limb control in a measurable way

  • Retrain movement patterns with immediate feedback

This level of detail allows for targeted, evidence-informed intervention, whether the goal is rehabilitation, performance optimisation, or refining feel and timing.

For riders, it offers something rarely available:
a truly objective, clinically guided approach to improving performance that directly translates back to the horse.



What sets my work apart is not just treating the rider or the horse in isolation, but understanding them as a dynamic, interacting system, while also ensuring each individual is functioning optimally in their own right.

A central philosophy of my work is simple:
Improving the rider improves the horse, and optimising the horse supports the rider.

By addressing both sides of the partnership, we can:

  • Enhance the horse’s freedom and quality of movement

  • Reduce compensatory loading patterns in both horse and rider

  • Improve communication through the saddle and reins

  • Support effective rehabilitation following injury

  • Elevate performance while protecting long-term soundness

This approach is particularly relevant in dressage and performance disciplines, where small inefficiencies can have significant downstream effects.


A unique clinical perspective

My work has extended beyond traditional settings, including my role as physiotherapist for Burma the elephant, during her time in Auckland and through her transition to Monarto Safari Park in Australia. This experience deepened my understanding of trust, movement, and nervous system regulation across species, reinforcing the importance of calm, precise, and thoughtful intervention.

This cross-species insight informs every aspect of my practice, particularly how touch, movement, and environment influence function and performance.





Originally from Scotland, I now live and work in New Zealand with my family. I have two teenage boys and a lively household that reflects my professional world:  two horses, two dogs, two cats, and even a lizard.

I ride myself, and I understand firsthand the demands, frustrations, and rewards of striving for better performance and connection with your horse. That lived context shapes how I work with every client.

The experience you can expect

My practice is designed for those who value precision, evidence-informed care, and a deeper understanding of performance. Whether you are managing pain, returning from injury, rehabilitating a horse, or refining high-level performance, the goal is always the same:

To create a more efficient, balanced, and harmonious partnership between you and your horse, while ensuring both bodies are functioning at their best.



Lindsey works closely with Wendi and her amazing team of horses and riders at Team Williamson