The Equilibre Logo
A logo can be a label or it can be a statement. The Equilibre logo was designed to be the latter. Each element was chosen deliberately – to reflect the dual clinical foundation of the practice, the philosophy behind the name and the values that inform every consultation.
This is the story behind it.
The logo took several years to evolve. Despite working with designers, the final mark was ultimately created by Lorna herself – who learnt design and publishing software in order to realise the vision precisely as she intended it. Every element is where it is because she put it there, knowing exactly what it meant.
Horse heads | Rod of Asclepius | Stethoscope | Acupuncture needle | Flowing manes | Balance beam | Heart | Name
The elements
Two horse heads – dual qualification
At the heart of the logo, two stylised horse heads face inward toward one another – a visual representation of the dual qualification at the foundation of the practice. Lorna Brokenshire-Dyke is both a veterinary surgeon and a veterinary physiotherapist: two distinct disciplines, two complete bodies of training, two clinical perspectives brought simultaneously to every assessment. The composition is precisely symmetrical. Neither head leads. Neither recedes. They meet in conversation, equal in weight and presence, held in perfect balance around the central axis of the staff – two disciplines of identical clinical validity, neither subordinate to the other, both directed toward the same purpose. Look closely and the symmetry is not quite complete. The graduation of tone across each mane is deliberately individual – a quiet reminder that whilst the clinical framework is constant, every horse the practice serves is not.
The rod of Asclepius – rooted in veterinary medicine
The central staff is the rod of Asclepius – the ancient symbol of medicine and healing, carried by the Greek god of medicine and adopted by the medical and veterinary professions worldwide. In its veterinary form, a single snake coils around the staff: precise, purposeful, unambiguous. Its presence here is a statement of foundation. Equilibre is a practice rooted in veterinary medicine – not adjacent to it, not informed by it at a distance, but built from within it.
The stethoscope – listening, clinical precision
Woven around the staff is a stethoscope – the instrument most immediately associated with clinical medicine. Here it carries a dual meaning: the clinical tool of the veterinary surgeon, and a symbol of truly listening – to the patient, to the client, to the whole clinical picture that emerges when you pay close attention. Good clinical practice begins with attention. Assessment before assumption. Listening before treatment.
The acupuncture needle – integration of disciplines
Look closely at the staff and you will find that it is an acupuncture needle – fine, precise, purposeful. This reflects the integration of veterinary acupuncture within the Equilibre clinical offering: not a separate service bolted on, but threaded into the very structure of what the practice is. It speaks to a broader clinical perspective: that restoring internal balance can have meaningful effects on comfort, function and performance – and that the most effective intervention is not always the most forceful one, but the most precisely placed.
The flowing manes – movement, freedom, energy
The manes of both horses sweep inward in long, layered lines – the most visually dynamic element of the logo. Fluid but structured, they suggest movement contained within form: the controlled power of the equine athlete moving well, not wildly. They also echo the name. Libre – free, unrestricted. The manes are the visual expression of what treatment is working toward: a horse that moves freely, without restriction, without compensation, without pain. And like every other element in the composition, they converge. Everything in this logo moves toward the same point. That is not coincidence. It is the whole philosophy of the practice made visible. This same language – curve, flow, controlled energy – extends even to the wordmark. The Q in EQUILIBRE was hand-crafted: a single sweeping stroke that echoes the movement of the manes rather than sitting apart from it.
The balance beam – equilibrium as a clinical goal
At the crown of the composition, subtly present, is a balance beam. It is easy to miss – which is intentional. Balance, when achieved, should feel effortless and natural. The beam represents the equilibre of the name: equal, symmetrical. It was present in the very first paper draft of the logo – its origins inseparable from the name itself. Equilibre. Balance was always going to be visible. Look more closely and something else emerges. The jowl of each horse forms the pan of the scales – the horse's own anatomy becoming part of the symbol. It is a detail almost no one spots, and it was placed there deliberately. The scales are not imposed on the subject. They grow from it. It is also the clinical goal of every rehabilitation plan. Not just the absence of pain, but the restoration of true balance – in the musculoskeletal system, in the way of going, in the relationship between horse and rider.
The heart – care, integrity, respect
Look at the logo as a whole and a heart emerges – formed by the sweep of the mane, present but unhurried. It was not placed there by design. As the logo evolved, the form became apparent, and it was leaned into deliberately – because it fit the narrative in every way. It does not announce itself. It does not need to. It represents the values that underpin everything at Equilibre: genuine care for each patient and each client, integrity in every clinical decision and the deep respect for these animals that has driven Lorna's career from the beginning. Equilibre is not a practice that counts its patients. In every consultation, the horse in front of her is the only horse that matters – regardless of breed, discipline or level. The heart in the logo is a quiet but deliberate reminder of that.
The name. The philosophy. The mark.
Equilibre is built from Latin roots that arrive at a French word. Equi – equal, balanced, and the equine patient in the same syllable. Libre – free, unrestricted. Equilibre – balance restored, movement regained, freedom returned. Every element of this logo points toward that: the converging heads, the clinical staff, the structured sweep of the manes, the scales holding balance. Our strapline says it plainly – promoting movement through freedom and balance – but the logo has been saying it all along. This is a mark that does not just represent the practice. It reveals its purpose. The name and the mark were built from the same intention. The goal is the same – to support and restore horses to move as nature intended: freely, comfortably and in balance.
In Lorna's own words
"When I set up Equilibre I wanted every element of the brand to mean something – not just look professional. The logo took time to get right because I wanted it to tell the whole story at a glance. If you look closely enough, it does. The heart was the last thing I noticed. It wasn't designed – it emerged. But when I saw it I knew immediately it had to stay, because everything it represents is already at the centre of everything I do. People who encounter the logo will see some elements and miss others, and that is fine. It is a detailed mark and it was never designed to be decoded at a glance. What matters is that I know what is there and why – and as a clinician, I have the capacity to weave every one of those elements into each service and each patient as required. The logo is not decoration. It is a clinical philosophy made visible."
Lorna Brokenshire-Dyke | Founder, Equilibre Vet Ltd