05/06/2021
This right here! Many horses I see exhibit many of these issues due to lack of proper cardio and strength conditioning which then shows up in performance, wether it be stiffness, soreness, bracing, refusal, avoidance...... the list goes on and on. I, as a body worker can only do so much for the horse the rest of the change has to come from the rider, horsemanship and the conditioning program.
55 Corrective Exercises for Horses is a great book full of exercises that are done from the ground and ridden that can be easily incorporated into daily routines.
💁♀️ Let's Talk... How your Exercise Program is Crippling your Horse....
Hey you! How would you like to save some money on vet bills? Wouldn't it be nice to not need your bodyworker or chiropractor every time you pull into a race? The answer to saving money does involve some commitment from you as the horse owner....
I always ask people what their fitness program is with their horse and most times I'm met with:
*long pause* "Uhhh.... I try to ride a couple of times a week and I get on and long trot a mile (or 3)... Or I just put him in the round pen for 20 minutes... Or I pony him... Or I put him on the walker...."
You cannot just ride twice a week and expect your horse to go to a three day event and have good performance. Just like you can't ride twice a week and expect your horse to be able to long trot a mile and hold a frame. Most barrel horses I see don't have enough core and hip engagement to stay collected for 10 feet, let alone a mile. But your horse is an honest worker so you ask for a mile, he's going to give you a mile... His body will naturally figure out a compensation pattern that will allow him to do what your are asking, but it's not without consequence. This is where we start to see the body overbuilding muscle around the scapula, shoulder, withers, and poll. His head carriage will gradually start to get higher, his pelvis will start to flatten and tip forward, and his back will start to hollow out.... Why does this matter?
➡️ Hollow backs let the Spinous processes (top) of the vertebrae "kiss" (touch), which over time of them hitting causes damage and pain... commonly known as Kissing Spine. It's also nearly impossible to find a saddle that correctly fits a hollowed back. Then add the weight of a rider and you have back pain that radiates through the entire body causing poor performance, alley issues, anxiety, ulcers... You name it.
➡️ Those high headsets are an issue too. Everyone wants the magic fix of the newest miracle bit, tie down or head setter... Those shortcuts work for awhile, but then they cause their own compensation patterns and soreness, so then you have to look for the next thing and the next thing until eventually you end up with a sour horse that no longer wants to work. High heads cause issues with TMJ, dental alignment, eyesight, and poll alignment which quickly makes for an unmanageable horse. If your trained horse starts pushing on your bridle... That is probably a Pain Response to a weak area.
➡️ Lastly, let's talk about pelvic alignment... Your horse is like your old faithful rear wheel drive truck... You know, the one that can get you through any terrain safely... Let's say you're in old faithful on ice or wet roads, but your tires are bald. What happens when you stomp the gas? The rear end slides out from under you and maybe it's bad enough you can't keep control of the front end either. Have you ever asked your horse to turn and felt his rear end lose power or slip out from under you? That poor sacrum and pelvic alignment. You can use a chiropractor as much as you want, but adjustments will not hold if muscles are atrophied or too tight or if you continue to train with incorrect fitness. The compensation patterns in the muscle will start to pull on the hind legs and put strain on the hocks, stifles, SIs until you are having to inject everything on the horse to control pain.
When the pelvis starts to dip forward, you will see a shorter stride, less power in the turns, unable to push off the hind end, higher tail set, balancing with the tail, lumbar pain, and pain radiating up to the front end. When you have long periods of hind end weakness, we start to see soft tissue injuries happen on the front legs from overloading them with extra weight.
💁♀️ Here's the big takeaway from this.... CORRECT FITNESS AND CONDITIONING PREVENTS INJURY AND SORENESS. Incorrect movement and compensation patterns cause unnecessary problems that will drain your checkbook. Do you want to improve performance and prevent vet bills? Then study correct fitness, set a realistic goal, and be consistent about it. Discipline yourself.... Is entering that barrel race unprepared worth hurting your horse? If your answer is Yes, your equine partner deserves more respect that what they're receiving from you.
