01/06/2024
Horses have never and nor will be ever designed to have beneficial effects from riding
So quite the bold statement and as I watch droves of followers maybe leave because of that statement, but try and stay to read on we must know that there is no beneficial advance to a horse having a rider on its back, evolution has not prepared them for this job it’s the fact that they were probably faster and more willing than other species when we were thinking of a work animal or a battle animal (and when we look back at the horses then some horses today are so far away from what we would consider an animal best equipped for the job)
So, don't leave yet because if you start at this base line then you either don't ride or you make damn sure that your horse is at the peak of health and fitness to be able to do what we want (yes what we want not what they choose)
We need more realists in the equine world who are going to tell you how it is not sugar coat things if we take our rose-tinted glasses off as to why our horses may not be able to perform the task that we ask of it then we might just get longevity and quality to their lives, rather than the fast turnover of horses continually breaking down
Balance ...you cannot ask a horse even to consider balancing another moving force without it or the moving force placed upon it being fit, healthy and balanced and if this means a long time on the ground before you get on then so be it.
Strength... A weak structure and foundation will lead to failure, if your horses haven't the strength to carry itself correctly again add another moving force and the foundation will become even more unstable and weak
Feed...internal health is so important, what we feed on the inside will show on the outside and that doesn't mean fancy smanchy expensive feeds it means you need to meet your horses Nutrional needs and feed it according to the work its doing remember the bacteria in the hind gut will start dying off at around 6 hours without anything passing through so especially in winter where our horses are stabled for long periods of time that amount of hours can be the realism for some horses (don't shoot me if that may different now i was taught that over 30 years ago things may have moved on lol)
Time out...we need to let our horses just be horses for the majority of the day we owe them that much, a horse must be able to have room to move and i mean if they want to gallop they have enough room to build up speed as if a horse is frightened by something yet never has the means to escape then what will it be doing to their nervous system are they forever trapped in flight mode without the ability to reach a peak to then come back down
Time...the last growth plates to fuse at the most important part and usually the most common areas we see dysfunction throughout the horse's life the last growth plate can close as late as 8 years old in some horses, yet we are overdoing things at 2,3 and mostly 4 yrs. old, how many horses do we see with lower neck and lower back issues in later years when coincidentally these are the last areas where the growth plate closes
Teeth and feet. The effect of imbalance or pain in these areas will have ripple effects throughout the body and no amount of bodywork will compensate for continual pain in these areas. In fact, I will say more feet than teeth as i see way more foot pain and dysfunction than I do incorrect dental structures, just pick your horses foot up have a look at the heels are they nice and plump or flat and hard and that is just one area I often see
Pain....changing tack, injections etc will only let us know the area no longer has pain the horse will still think the area may hurt again we go back to time for the horse to process that an area will no longer be in pain, how long I don't know we cannot ask the horse....and with that you may have removed or changed the offending object but do you think that it only affects one area remember one lame leg means the whole body will move differently
We are so lucky in these times we have so much information on ways to help our horses, but we need to listen to our horses after all we are supposed to have a partnership. And f we start at the basis of I am going to help my horse be as fit and healthy for the job I ask it to do then it’s a good starting point. Be a realist if your horse keeps saying no then listen, sometimes we cannot help them all, sometimes you may have got as far as you can and even sometimes, we have to make hard decisions, but we must always have the horses best interests we must never lose sight of the fact we must come second in our dreams the horse must always come first.
A healthy well balanced and confident horse can be more challenging as they may always ask the question why, but much better than a sore, unbalanced horse that may do the job while slowly breaking down
Are you still here it wasn't so bad lol my rants are always rubbish lol
