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Helen Robartes

Veterinary Physiotherapist

Helen The Physio

Service Regions: Hawkes Bay, Manawatu, Whanganui, Taranaki, Wellington, Nelson

Helen enjoys the challenge to understand what problems her patients face, & working with them to overcome these. This gives her a genuine thrill & professional satisfaction.


"I love working with animals & their humans to help them move better & lead their best, happiest lives, for performance, recovery & quality of life."


Helen's background

  • Growing up in South Africa with multiple pets & sharing ponies with her sisters, Helen adored animals & wanted to be with them all the time. Her Dad, being a surgeon, taught Helen a fascination with how bodies are put together, how they move, & how to make them well.

  • Physiotherapy for animals wasn't well-known then, but when her Dad suggested it as a career, Helen knew this was the perfect fit. Helen studied BSc Physiotherapy at Stellenbosch University, then moved to the UK to do her Masters in Veterinary Physiotherapy, which she achieved with merit in 2012.

    • Helen was awarded first in her class for her thesis, looking at rider- & circle-induced asymmetry in horse movement using inertial motion sensors. She presented this study in Sweden at the International Conference in Canine & Equine Locomotion, & it was published in The Veterinary Journal in Dec 2012.

  • Helen has worked as a veterinary & human physiotherapist in South Africa, UK, & Denmark, before joining Sarah Cruickshank, Vet Physio in Auckland, New Zealand in 2014.

  • 2020 saw Helen join her fiancée in the Hawkes Bay, also with the intention of returning to research & gaining a PhD.

  • Primarily, Helen works in the Hawke's Bay region, however she does a treatment tour of the Lower North Island every 4-6 weeks, & Nelson approximately every 4 months.

  • She treats horses, dogs, some humans, the odd cat (& recently, a little blue penguin!).

  • Although the PhD is currently on the 'later' list, Helen is still interested in research. She is very enthusiastic about ongoing professional development, supporting students, sharing her passion, & developing the profession of animal/veterinary physiotherapy in New Zealand.


Her dog, Rhubarb, who somewhat resembles a skinny hyena, enjoys accompanying her to work, & Helen often receives photos from clients who have identified her ute on the road by his head out of the back window....barking!


Helen's qualifications include;

  • Master's Science Veterinary Physiotherapy (Merit) (MSc Veterinary Physiotherapy) - Royal Veterinary College London, UK (2012)

  • Bachelor of Science Physiotherapy (BSc Physiotherapy) - Stellenbosch University, SA (2007)

  • Member of Physiotherapy New Zealand (PNZ)

  • NZ Physiotherapy Board registered (NZPB)


https://www.facebook.com/helenthevetphysio

P: 022 019 8090

Helen The Physio provide the following services;

Physiotherapy & rehabilitation for...

  • Equines

  • Canines

  • Felines

  • Exotic animals

  • Farm animals

  • Riders

  • Human sports injuries

Helen Robartes
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