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Juli's love of animals has always been part of her life. She started riding at the age of five and has had a variety of pets, from dogs and cats, mice and rabbits to horses and lambs, even a pukeko. This love of animals and a devotion to their welfare led her to go to the UK, from New Zealand, in 1993 to pursue a career in complementary therapy.
She has extensive experience with competition horses, having worked in a variety of disciplines both in the UK and New Zealand and competed in eventing, dressage and showjumping, specialising in training and bringing on youngsters from backing onwards. During her initial years in the UK she obtained her British Horse Society Assistant Instructor certificate. Juli trained and competed her two working cocker spaniels in agility and kept them active during the UK winter beating at a local shoot. This and working with her mother's farm dogs in New Zealand has provided a first-hand insight into the competitive and working demands placed on dogs. Before setting up practice in the UK, Juli studied for a BSc (Hons) in Equine Science at the University of the West of England (Hartpury College) graduating in 2003 with an upper second class degree. Juli used her dissertation to study the pressures occurring at the saddle/horse interface in relation to the stride kinematics at walk and trot. This was followed by a two- year postgraduate course at the McTimoney College validated by the University of Wales, graduating in 2006 with a PGDip in Animal Manipulation. To provide a flexible and complete range of therapy techniques, Juli has completed a course in equine sports massage run by Equinenergy, becoming qualified as an Equine Body Worker. Additional to this she has completed a course in the Marsterson technique of integrated equine massage therapy and Spectravet training to utilise photobiomodulation (cold laser) therapy. Juli is a member of the McTimoney Animal Association and the International Equine Body Workers Association. As part of the association requirements she undertakes at least 20 hours of career development study annually. After graduating from Hartpury College Juli worked at one of the UK's leading orthopedic referral centres, the Animal Health Trust, as part of the equine department's clinical yard staff, where she gained invaluable experience in the fields of orthopedic injury, imaging and poor performance. As one of the senior riders, she was involved in diagnostic assessment of horses from pleasure hacks to elite dressage, event and showjumping horses. Juli then worked as part of the research team at the Animal Health Trust, in association with British Dressage and European Technologies for Business, looking into new methods of assessing gait for lameness and performance evaluation, and was involved in the ongoing study of the training surfaces used by performance horses. She was the principal author of a paper describing the management and training practices of dressage horses in the UK, published in Comparative Exercise Physiology. She was co-author of other papers investigating risk factors for lameness published in The Veterinary Journal. Now returned to New Zealand, Juli aims to continue helping animals and their owners to a healthier lifestyle. |
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