Having heard about a hydrotherapy centre for horses in Nottinghamshire, we went along to see what it was all about.



Right in the heart of the Vale of Belvoir, Emma Hawthorne runs Flawborough Equine and Hydrotherapy Centre, which specialises in offering treatments to aid the recovery and rehabilitation of horses. Emma had always worked with horses, ranging from working at the National Stud in France to setting up a livery yard on her husband's family farm, but it was only when her best and most expensive horse got injured a few years ago she came across the type of spa treatment she would eventually start offering herself.


Emma Hawthorne in her kitchen

The horse had a deep digital flexor tendon injury and, having gone down a more traditional route of trying to cure him, she had been told that he was a write-off. Failing to believe there was nothing that could be done, she did some research and found out about an Australian-designed spa that had been proven to help horses. To her surprise, a local farmer had one of the spas and she sent her horse there for a few months. She was so impressed with the remarkable recovery he made that, when the farmer decided to sell up, she jumped at the chance to buy the spa from him.


The spa at work

Although the spa is often mistaken for a swimming pool or treadmill, it is not actually designed for exercising horses. Instead, they stand still in temperature-controlled (2-4C) aerated salty water, which has a number of health benefits. For example, the coldness of the water can reduce inflammation, the salt has a natural healing effect on wounds and the bubbles in the aerated water have a massage effect. As a result, the spa can effectively treat a number of problems, including tendon and ligament injuries, sprains, strains, swellings, joint problems, some fractures, lacerations, infections, arthritic pain and laminitis.


Lucy testing the water: brrr!

Each session lasts between 10 and 20 minutes at a cost of around £20 and a typical treatment lasts about six weeks, starting with five sessions a week and gradually decreasing the number. Some clients will drop their horse off for each session (on the way back from a competition, for example) but for long-term treatments the horses are generally left at the yard.

As Emma points out, we have long since been using sea water and cold water for the treatment of inflammation and injury (even the knights used to lead their horses to cold streams and rivers after battle), so it makes sense that a further developed and controlled technique should work well. Her clients seem to agree and bring anything from £200 ponies to £200,000 dressage horses for her to treat.

The biggest challenge when she launched in 2005 was winning people (especially vets) over to the idea the spa could really help horses. However, as time has passed, word has spread and most of her clients come from vet referrals or other people's recommendations.

As well as hydrotherapy, Flawborough Equine also offers electro-magnetic pulse treatment, ultrasound, infa-red therapy, deep oscillation and muscle stimulation. For more information, call 01949 850332 or visit www.flawboroughequine.co.uk.

Arrow Farm Shop

We popped into hundreds of farm shops on our travels, ranging from lean-to sheds to supermarket-style food emporiums, so we were really pleased to add a proper family-run farm shop visit to our itinerary in the last week of our Marathon.



Dinah and Richard Blagg opened Arrow Farm Shop on their farm near Worksop in 1991, but they have been selling their home-grown potatoes direct to the public for a lot longer than that. Encouraged by their success with the potatoes, they decided to convert an empty potato store into a shop selling fresh fruit and vegetables. Over time, this has continued to grow and they have started to sell eggs, preserves, pickles and hand-baked biscuits and cakes, as well as opening up a butchery department and a delicatessen counter. Their potatoes, however, are still a huge draw for customers and they sell about 350 tonnes through the shop a year. Apparently they sell about 20 tonnes in Christmas week alone!

What's nice about it, is that it is still very much a working family farm and, despite its impressive growth, the shop still has that family feel to it. Much of the meat they sell is from a local relative's farm and, if they can't produce it themselves, wherever possible they try to source their products from neighbouring farmers and local producers.

Some farm shops get so big, adding a novelty gift section here and a clothing line there, that they begin to feel like just another retail outlet and seem very far removed from farming. Whilst the Blaggs have lots of plans for the future, they know that farming and the local community are central to their success and are keen to keep it that way.

Arrow Farm
Steetley
Worksop
Nottinghamshire
S80 3DZ
www.arrowfarmshop.co.uk
01909 721782

Open 7 days a week.

Malton Relish

Following on with our entrepreneurial theme, Sophie Legard opened the doors to her new delicatessen and catering business on 12th December and we went to visit her a few days later to find out how she was getting on.

Previously, she worked as a cook at a local prep school but had always dreamt of opening her own deli. It turned out that a nasty broken arm and some time off work to recuperate was the impetus she needed to bite the bullet and follow her dream.

Having lived and worked around Malton for a long time, and finding that she always had to drive to York to get any slightly unusual products, she decided that there was a definite need for a shop like hers in the area and that she had the knowledge and connections to do it. She had also found the perfect location in a beautiful old building in Malton's Market Place.


Sophie's new shop: Malton Relish

Things seem to be going really well. She sent out 350 invitations to her opening night thinking only about 100 would turn up, but found that over the course of the evening more that 200 people had squeezed through the doors to come and take a look. In the run up to Christmas, with its beautiful decorations and a giant gingerbread house, it was the perfect shop to get in the festive spirit (and buy a few stocking fillers).


Two Sophies: Sophie Legard on the right and her friend Sophie

As well as sourcing rare meats, cheeses, wines and other goodies from around the world, she specialises in making ready-made 'spoil yourself' dinners and wholesome children's meals using fresh, local produce. She'll cater for large dinner parties and, if you want to make a romantic gesture, you can buy or hire a basket from her with all the essentials for a champagne breakfast.

At the moment, she is only using one floor of a three-story building and has great plans as to how she can develop her business, both on site and online. If you're passing through Malton, it is well worth popping in.

Malton Relish
58 Market Place
Malton
YO17 7LW
www.maltonrelish.co.uk