1 day course at Hartsop Farm, Witney on the 24th May 2008. 9am-5.30pm
We all know the athletic demands we place on our horses, and realise the importance of maintaining a supple and straight moving horse in order to get the best possible results from them.
Horses, like people, are not born totally symmetrical or with perfect conformation (unless you are extremely lucky!) and as a result they can find certain physical movements difficult or working on one rein harder than on the other. We riders then add a several other factors into the mix which can really complicate matters – we use saddles that might not be the best fit (or may have been a perfect fit 5 years ago, but has the horse changed shape since then?), we may not always warm their muscles up enough before asking them to perform very strenuous work, we may not be completely straight ourselves in terms of how we sit on the horse, we are not always able to turn out our horses as much as we would like …. I could go on….
All of this can mean that our horses are not as supple and free moving on each rein as they could be. I can hazard a guess that you know which side your horse works better on, which direction he finds lateral work harder, or on which rein the canter strike off is less smooth. It may be that he has always been stiffer on one rein, but it also may be that there are lots of things that you can do to help him regain suppleness in both directions.
Most riders now use some form of physical therapist to help keep their horses as comfortable, flexible and straight as possible, but I am often being asked if there is anything that the owner/rider can do to help keep them supple and free moving between treatments.
People are also becoming more and more interested in finding out if there are ways in which they can spot potential ‘back’ problems before they become more serious*. If one muscle in the horse’s body isn’t working at full capacity, it very quickly has a knock on effect on the other muscles/tendons/ligaments/joints surrounding that muscle. Other parts of the body have to work harder to compensate for the muscle that isn’t performing at 100%, and over time this leads to all sorts of compensatory issues throughout the horse’s body.
I am running a course at Hartsop Farm, Witney on Saturday 24th May to address this and other issues. It is aimed at riders who want to learn how they can spot potential problems in their horse; what factors and trigger points to watch out for; learn some gait evaluation skills to help them get to know how their own horse moves; some massage techniques to use regularly to help keep their horse supple and get to know what is ‘normal’ in their horse’s body; and a range of stretches to use to help keep their horse flexible and prevent stiffness from occurring. It promises to be a full day with lots of hands on time with the horses at Hartsop. I hope to see you there!
Numbers for this course are strictly limited to ensure plenty of one to one time. The cost of the course is £100 or £95 for British riding club members. You can download a booking form here.
If you would like any more information about the course, please email me at jess@back2form.net or call me on 07789 964181
*The legal bit – This course will focus on basic musculoskeletal issues especially along your horse’s back. Please note that it is in no way intended to replace proper veterinary care, or teach you skills that can be used in any sort of professional capacity. If you have any specific concerns about your horse, your vet is always your first port of call.