Leg Stretches
I see many riders pulling on front legs to "stretch" them before riding. It's a wonderful thought and a good idea, it's just the method that is the challenge.
Since working with Jim Masterson and attending his classes I have become a big advocate of the way he teaches riders to stretch or 'drop the shoulder'. His method encourages the horse to "offer" the limb, therefore creating a zero tension stretch, which in turns creates a more elastic stretch and more release. You can see his techniques on You Tube under Masterson Method.
He offers weekend classes for horseowners, and would encourage you to attend if there is one being held near you. Here is the link to his website, check out the calendar if you are interested. Masterson Method
Since working with Jim Masterson and attending his classes I have become a big advocate of the way he teaches riders to stretch or 'drop the shoulder'. His method encourages the horse to "offer" the limb, therefore creating a zero tension stretch, which in turns creates a more elastic stretch and more release. You can see his techniques on You Tube under Masterson Method.
He offers weekend classes for horseowners, and would encourage you to attend if there is one being held near you. Here is the link to his website, check out the calendar if you are interested. Masterson Method
A Tight Back
Many articles and papers have been written about this subject and I encourage you, the reader to research them and continue to educate yourself in all areas of your horse to become true horsemen.
I see many horses with tight backs, sore backs and are just uncomfortable. Let's explore some of the possible reasons your horse has a sore back, how you can tell and what we can do about helping our horses. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but it's a review of some common issues I see every day in the field. Always check with your veterinarian before attempting any exercise for your horse if he has sustained an injury or has a current illness or condition under a veterinarians care. Keep in mind this in no way a medical diagnosis, just an opinion of cases I see everyday. Please consult your veterinarian for a medical diagnosis.
Some sore backs are caused by poorly fitting saddles which cause the rider to come too far back into their saddle, near the cantle, causing undo pressure and stress on the lumbar region of the back. Stirrup bar placement is a major culprit of this problem. Saddle manufacturers are starting to catch on and offer extended or adjustable stirrup bars, so riders have an opportunity to move the bar closer to the center of their pelvis. This helps us to stay closer to the horses center of gravity, riding on the muscles of strength like the latissimus dorsi, instead of all our our weight being thrown back onto the lumbar region, which is not intended to be the carrying muscles. Now the long muscles of the back and pelvis are free to move, lift and articulate the pelvis. Your leg should be able to just hang straight down from your hip without a lot of effort on your part to get it there. If you find yourself struggling to keep your leg under you, and you feel like you are posting uphill or falling to the back of your saddle, have your saddle checked for balance and effectiveness. .
Sometimes training methods can be the issue; over collection, over flexion, over use of draw reins and side reins will stop the forward motion and flow of energy of the muscles, causing a major back ache. Think about tucking your chin to your chest, now drop your shoulders forward and try to bring your legs under you when you walk, like bringing your knees to your chest or stepping high out in front of yourself. At the same time, try to lift your back up ( like an arch). Feel the strain on your back?
Now add to that exercise the element of an unbalanced rider.
Now bring your chin back up, relax your shoulders and do the same exercise. See how much farther you can bring your legs up and out and how easy it is to lift your back up and out? It's very similar for your horse. If you want your horse to bring his legs under himself and lift his back muscles, you can't stop the energy flow and musculature from moving forward. Dr Deb Bennett has a wonderful article about this, visit her site at http://www.equinestudies.org under the knowledge base tab, True Collection, along with other informative information. She along with Dr. Gerd Heuschmann lead the way in educating riders on the harm of over-collection. Okay, I'll get off my soap box now.
Sometimes it's poor trimming or shoeing issues, the horse can't travel straight or evenly because his feet are over grown, trimmed too short or the shoeing is incorrect. If you're not sure how your horse's feet should look, it never hurts to ask your veterinarian for their opinion on the horses movement, gaits and overall health of their hooves.
Other causes such as genetic confirmation faults, injury, etc. can add to the issues of back pain and tightness. A veterinarian, equine chiropractor and/or massage therapist can help you determine what the causes may be and help eliminate some or all of the problem.
What can we do as owners between massage and chiropractic treatments?
I have found a few very simple stretches and activities that most owners can do easily during their daily care routine.
1) backing the horse very slowly with his head lowered stretches the whole topline, from poll to hocks. It's like you touching your toes, but since we can't have our horses bend in half, this is the next best thing. If your horse has trouble dropping the head AND backing at the same time, start slowly by teaching him to drop his head on command. Once he has learned that, make sure he can back slowly, at this point don't worry if his head is up, you're teaching one part at a time. Then when he can do both easily independently, drop his head, slowly ask for him to back and just get one step at a time. Adding a slight incline to the work increases the stretch when the horse is ready.
The goal of the exercise is to get a nice, slow, even stretch of the topline and hamstrings. If you can get your horse to pause during the backing, with one leg under himself, that will get an even greater stretch.
Doing "carrot" stretches is another effective way to get some stretch. Keeping the head vertical, ask your horse to reach down about about 4-6 inches away from the side of each front foot, again, slowly. This will give you a nice lateral stretch. Carrot stretches done incorrectly just have the horse whip his head to touch each rib, that really doesn't do much because he'll twist his head during the stretch and basically "cheat".
"Tummy tucks" or what I prefer are "Chest Lifts", are great for stretching that lumbar out. Just find the pectoral muscles under his chest, they are shaped like a "V", then just press your fingers or curry comb up and around until you see him lift his back or wither area. You may have to press pretty hard the first few times until he understands what you want. Then "tickle" him a few inches toward the middle of his stomach so he lifts the whole back. Be very careful as you go toward the hindend, some horses are very sensitive near the flank and will cow kick. Go slowly and watch for irritation signs, such as ears pinned, tail flicking or stomping. Stop immediately and go slower and not as far back. Keep your elbow tucked in towards your side so a hind limb cannot kick you by accident.
This is like the cat arch in yoga for people.
If you have the equipment, teaching your horse to step up on a box, tub, or a sturdy flat surface so that his front feet are higher than his back, then ask him to lower is head and just hang out is a wonderful way to stretch out the entire back as well. Make sure the object is secure, doesn't rock and it wide enough to support your horse.
These are just a few simple activities you can do to help your horse get and keep a healthy, relaxed, soft back.
Chest and Pelvic Rocks
Some simple things you can do to help loosen the horses core and pelvis:
For the chest area, gently hold the withers and rock the horse back and forth. The long spinous processes of the thoracic vertebrae (which are the withers) run all the way down into the chest which include the ribcage, so you are essentially moving the whole thoracic cavity or core. This helps loosen the scapula from the chest which helps with range of motion in the shoulder, as well as relax the muscles of the chest and back.
Same can be done with the pelvis. Put your hand gently on the top of your horses hindquarters, and just rock his hips back and forth gently. This will help relax those deep pelvic muscles we can't reach.
Simple but effective if done consistently.
