Frankie Naylor specialises in helping equestrian athletes to manage chronic and acute sports injuries. She uses a combination of sports massage, ultrasound and taping to improve healing. Frankie uses corrective exercises to both rehabilitate and prevent injuries. The combination of improving muscular strength and flexibility creates a platform from which fitness can be improved for optimal sports performance in this weight controlled discipline.
With an honours degree in Sports Science and a Diploma in Equine Sports Massage Frankie decided to focus her sports therapy business in the equestrian sector. Frankie made the move to Lambourn 16 years ago specifically to work within the racing industry. Since then she has helped rehabilitate and improve the fitness of many clients involved in racing, eventing and other equestrian disciplines. Frankie also regularly treats horses to aid performance, prevent and rehabilitate injury.
In 2009 Frankie was chosen to set up and run the rehabilitation centre in Oaksey House for The Injured Jockeys Fund. During this four-year period Frankie managed a team of therapists and worked with members of the racing community to rehabilitate and improve fitness for riders. She worked on projects to help improve rider safety especially for those coming back to race riding after prolonged injury. She also played a key part in educating jockeys with regard to nutrition, fitness and injury management. Frankie ran seminars for the jockey coaches educating on specific coaching techniques and methods of assessing fitness for riding.
Having coached a variety of sports over the years Frankie’s main focus is trampolining. As a qualified coach for 23 years she has found that understanding the biomechanics of trampolining is a fantastic grounding for assessing and coaching the equestrian athlete to improve performance.
With over 600 clients Frankie now works from both her purpose built studio in Lambourn and within a variety of racing and other equestrian yards. Her main areas of work include sports massage and exercise rehabilitation for riders and equine sports massage.
Frankie has recently conducted three additional qualifications with The American College of Sports Medicine to further her knowledge in the areas of corrective exercise, elite performance and children in sport.
As a work rider Frankie has ridden out for trainers both in the UK and Ireland over the years. Most recently Frankie has been to check out the new gallop for recently retired jockey Noel Fehily and his wife Natasha. It is reported that all horses were feeling well on the new surface!
