Sophie Wallace takes her physio skills from two legs to four

Sophie Wallace is training to be an animal physiotherapist.

Sophie Wallace's love of horses was probably her main motivation for wanting to transfer her human physiotherapy skills to animals.

Sophie is a physio at Te Puke Physiotherapy, and is half way through a two-year post graduate diploma in veterinary physiotherapy through Liverpool University in England.

The course prerequisites include human physiotherapy training and experience.

''If, when I was 17, someone had said do you have to do human [physiotherapy] before you can do animal, I would have said 'that's stupid, why? They are so different,'' she says.

''But now I've studied human and had a few years' experience, it's your clinical reasoning, it's knowing what you are feeling as well. Yes, you are going from two legs to four legs and that's a little bit confusing for some things, but 100 per cent, I can see how being a human physio and having a few years' experience really does help you.''

She says the biggest difference will be in communication.

''I'm going to get kicked or bitten because they can't tell you where they are sore, so you are losing that. But sometimes people can confuse you as well.''

Sophie qualified in 2011.

''I heard about how you could then go on to be an animal physio and I thought that sounds right up my alley because I've always been into horses, but didn't think too much about it at that stage.

''I ended up working for a couple of years and then going to do the OE thing.''

When she returned home in 2016, she discovered there was nowhere in New Zealand to study animal physiotherapy.

''Then I got talking to another physio who said you can do most of it by correspondence now.''

She started studying a year ago.

''I've had quite a few injured horses in my time. I'd have to drive my horse to Auckland to have physio and I thought how nice would it be to have the convenience of having it here.''

While Sophie thinks there are only around a dozen animal physiotherapists New Zealand, many animal owners, especially horse owners, are aware they exist.

She hopes to set up as an animal physio in the Bay of Plenty.

''I have to maintain my human physio registration, but the vision is to predominantly work with horses and horse and ride combinations.

''They are doing a lot of study now on how, if people are unbalanced and they sit in the saddle unbalanced, there are going to be issues with the horse as well so trying to treat both together would be my dream.''

She would also like to work at (equestrian) events.

''Sport horses I would imagine is probably going to be quite big around the Bay of Plenty. Show jumpers, dressage, eventers - and also race stables - they are all going to be needing someone.''

Animal physiotherapists in New Zealand can register with the UK's Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Animal Therapy (ACPAT) but Sophie says the hope is for the establishment of a New Zealand professional body. She will travel to England in a year's time for her final exams.