Angela McLeod Equine Veterinarian

17/05/2023

Reiner Klimke told us:
"Contact does not mean that by pulling the reins we will have it. The horse should step into the contact and establish an outline corresponding to the respective pace; an outline within which it can best develop its power. This is the aim of stepping into the contact. The rider's legs, weight and hands bring the horse into a form within which it can carry itself so that it can move most comfortably. Then it will be able to move, when it is muscled up, to the best of its ability." Pic taken by Werner Ernst Read more on good contact:
https://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/2021/10/contact-what-is-good-contact/

21/02/2023

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16/02/2023

BUNGENDORE CLINIC

A rider spot has opened up in my clinic next weekend (25-26th Feb) due to a horse lameness.
The clinic is open to any current EA members. Spectators also welcome to attend the lecture on Saturday evening and/ or watch the lessons. If interested please contact Nynka on 0487 299 539

21/12/2022

It is possible to assess the correctness of a horse’s training by observing his muscular development over time. The neck is the place where we see the most substantial exercise-induced growth of muscles.

Correct work gives the neck a certain shape. The neck should be widest at the base and taper steadily towards the poll.

Stretching of the neck forward and down is a natural consequence of the freedom of the reins given to the horse, and the energetically advancing hind legs which enable an elastically pulsating back.

In this position, the upper neck muscles are continually made to work in a weight bearing role and so they gradually increase in size. On the other hand, the flexor muscles of the bottom of the neck are hardly used, as they should not be actively bending the neck. Consequently, they reduce in size over time and the jugular groove becomes more visible.

Over time as the two supporting muscles of the upper neck lift the lower part of the neck, it gradually loses its S- shape and a convex arch develops; the neck becomes longer.

The cervical (neck) vertebrae are the most mobile parts of the spinal column. Often riders are fixated on making the neck movable and flexible, with ‘carrot stretches’ on the ground or various exercises in the saddle, including bringing the nose to the knee at the halt and in motion. However, observation of horses at pasture will demonstrate how flexible the neck already is; we can see horses are easily able to scratch their rump with their teeth.

If a horse appears to have a stiff neck when ridden, this is caused by resistance due to the unfamiliar load of the rider.

Although the trained horse does need a flexible neck for bending work and later elevation, this needs to be connected with perfect steadiness. The vertebrae of the neck must remain sufficiently connected, so as to transmit the driving aids, as well as the restraining aids. If the neck is bent too much at a particular point so that the contact between the two vertebrae becomes too small, a false bend appears. The horse is said to have a ‘broken’ neck, the aids cannot get through and the horse is stuck ‘behind the bit’.

“Work on the hindquarters and back to secure good results in the neck. Only then will you obtain contact with the bit and a neck correctly shaped to the bit”

Waldemar Seunig, Horsemanship

“The steadiness of the neck, that is, the secure connection of the individual vertebrae with one another and their correct position relative to one another can be ensured only by unweakened and well developed thrust…

Unsteady necks make the development of thrust and the establishment of a reliable contact very difficult and yet can only be overcome by both of these things. “

Steinbrecht, The Gymnasium of the Horse

The above masters of horsemanship explain that in order to improve the musculature of the neck, we must begin by working the hindquarters.

To establish steadiness, the neck is completely reshaped during training and becomes broader at the base. The neck becomes more stable the more its width increases towards the base. If a horse is naturally broad at the base of the neck he will be easier to train (a born riding horse), although some horses may appear this way due to fat deposits.

With correct training, the hollow area in front of the withers disappears and the base of the neck strengthens and grows in size.

The scalenus muscle begins at the lower cervical vertebra and connects to the sternum and the first few ribs. This muscle pulls the ribs, the abdominal muscles, and therefore the hindquarters forward. In well trained horses this is visible as a powerfully developed muscular layer that fills out part of the hollow in front of the withers (wide base of neck).

A rider’s unsteady or sawing hand which pulls the head to the left and right from its base weakens the scalenus muscle so it is unable to do one of its job of holding the ribs and sternum up to the front. This makes it impossible for the abdominal muscles to swing forward fully, and the hind limb action is impaired. This disrupts the activity of the back, which cannot become supple.

A HORSE WHOSE BACK IS TENSE CANNOT STRETCH FORWARD FULLY AND COME UP TO THE BIT.

If a rider tries to create the desired head set with force, the neck “breaks’ at the weakest point.
The first and second vertebrase are connected to the skull via a solid muscular system. Therefore the ‘broken neckline’ occurs at the second and third cervical vertebrae which is the point of least resistance.

When the horse is ridden in forced over flexion, there is a lot of strain of the vertebrae of the neck and the angles between the vertebrae become too great.

This overbending of the neck results in over flexion of the splenius muscle which then bulges out at the level of the second and third vertebrae.
The smaller stabilising muscles of the head are also overstrained and the muscles bulk up around the poll.

Muscles bulging out at the top of the neck are undesirable and prevent a connection over the back. This can only be corrected with correct training which can take many months of patient work.

06/12/2022

Following on from my previous post about the Thoracic Sling (which got some people a little defensive – although my post was definitely not targeting anyone; it was just meant to educate ), I would like to elaborate a bit on what engagement of the hind legs actually means.

There is some confusion surrounding this as when asked to ride forward, people often equate this to making their horse go fast and end up chasing them onto the forehand.

This is not engaging the hindlegs, in fact it is the opposite.

It isn’t difficult to explain but it can sometimes be hard to do, when both rider and horse are uneducated.

The horse needs to ‘engage’ his hindleg as far under his centre of gravity as his conformation allows.

Initially the weight of the rider will inhibit the use of the hindlegs, as the horse stiffens its back in response to the unaccustomed load. As the back muscles are interconnected with the hind limbs this causes a restricted gait.

If a horse is moving freely forward in all gaits, his hindleg swings forward with all joints flexed. As it sets down on the ground, the hip joint is flexed to the maximum; however, the stifle and hock joints are not fully extended. At the moment the limb takes on the weight of the horse, the entire limb acts briefly as a spring in all its joints, before it begins to extend all its joints as it pushes off.

The “spring” phase of the stride when the joints are bent in the limb supporting the bodyweight is very demanding for the horse, as it uses a lot of muscular energy. The horse would rather avoid this phase completely if he could, as supporting the weight with the limb in a more extended position takes much less muscular effort.

To avoid this phase he can hurry, lifting his legs too early, or set them down too early, raising his croup and falling on the forehand.

A horse that is ridden correctly needs to push off strongly with his hind limbs and bend his haunches during the supporting phase. The extensor muscles are responsible for both tasks and this is the reason that hacking out and climbing hills interspersed with arena work is the best way to strengthen the muscles of the hindquarters.

The more the haunches are bent in the supporting phase, the harder the work is (think about doing squats of varying depths) and as the muscles begin to tire the horse will try to evade the contact so he can straighten the joints of his hind legs. He will either bore down heavily on the bit or move his head around to avoid the contact.

Over time, the horse’s hindquarter muscles will become gradually stronger and he will be able to remain connected to the bit for longer periods of time, but we need to be careful not to ask for too much early on as this will only lead to pain and resistance.

As the horse learns to use his muscles in the
correct way, with active hindquarters working over a supple swinging back and a relaxed neck to a connection with the bit, he will find this is a pleasant way to move. The elastic swinging back will relieve the joints of concussion and the sensitive lumbar area of the back will be protected from injury.

During my presentations and clinics I explain the process of teaching a horse to use his body correctly while carrying the weight of a rider. It involves following the elements of the German Training scale and ensuring your horse is relaxed and supple, using his hindlegs energetically to produce a connection over the back. The rider must notice when their horse is hurrying or holding back and either use stronger leg aids or use the rein to control the horse without a classic half halt.

When the horse is moving actively and energetically forward, he will automatically stretch out and reach the bit. Now the rider can influence the hind legs with carefully timed half halts. This requires that the rider has an effective, supple seat that follows the movements of the horse and that they have a feel for the timing of the aids. This can only be achieved by study and many hours of patient practice.

01/12/2022

As an Equine Vet and Biomechanic consultant I feel the need to address some misinformation such as FB posts that emphasise the ‘importance of the thoracic sling’ while saying the hindlegs aren’t the driving factor in a horse’s correct posture under a rider.

Of course the horse has to hold its thorax up in order to move correctly but it does this when trained correctly, working over the back. When the hindlimb steps well underneath the body, this causes the joints of the hindlimb to flex more, as they are taking more weight.

As the muscles of the hindlimb (the gluteal muscles) are connected to the long back muscle this raises the back from behind, thus causing the horse to stretch his neck forward and down in order to keep his balance. This pulls on the spinous processes of the withers and raises the back from the front. These spinous processes are also attachments for the serratus muscles which raise the rib cage. Thus the thoracic sling is elevated!

It is quite simply not possible to do this without the engagement of the hindlimbs.

If anyone is keen to learn more accurate information and would like organise a group of intelligent, motivated riders for a lecture and clinic I would be pleased to hear from you.

Edit: I have been alerted to the fact that the serratus muscle doesn’t in fact attach to the withers, although it does attach to the vertebrae directly in front of the withers and the ribs so the principle remains the same. I have never concerned myself much with the thoracic sling as although it is important that these muscles work, the mechanism is as I explain quite clearly here. Some have claimed that the thoracic sling a new discovery and a result of current research but it has been known about for hundreds of years. Just not focused upon.

11/11/2022

Just finished up two days of speaking at Equitana Melbourne. Today was my demonstration with a horse and rider. My rider, Maree, did amazingly and I had some great questions from the audience.
I enjoyed a rider demo from Sabine Shut-Kery yesterday - her approach is based on sound biomechanical laws.

10/10/2022

Can anyone help?

I am in need of a demo rider for my equine biomechanics presentation at Equitana on Friday 11 November.
Either someone who is competing there already or lives locally and can bring their horse for the day.
My aim is to explain the way to train a horse to work correctly with a raised back, seeking the contact. Riders with some experience in dressage or showjumping preferred. OTTBs welcome. Please PM me if you can help. Thanks!

09/09/2022

Loving the way she sat on a horse in her 90‘s.

05/07/2022

The cause of all problems encountered during the training of horses (assuming the horse is in good health) boils down to a lack of suppleness. This refers to the mental and physical relaxation that is required before any serious work can be asked of the horse.

For instance, if the horse resists turning to the left, or goes above the bit, if he takes tense or uneven steps, or kicks out at the rider’s leg, or even bolts! -there is a lack of suppleness. Trying to solve any of these problems using force will impede the achievement of suppleness even further. Although the horse may appear to comply (turn to the left/ drop his head/ stop running away etc) he will not be relaxed in his mind and therefore cannot be relaxed in his body. Any work carried out in this way will not be of benefit to the development of the horse’s musculature or mindset and will actually lead to the overdevelopment of the wrong muscles and potentially eventual lameness.

The time it takes to achieve suppleness depends on many factors; the horse’s education and temperament, the rider’s skill (and temperament), the weather, the surroundings, whether the horse is tight and sore from previous work or from standing in a stable, and so on.

According to some of my old riding bibles, some very talented riders could achieve suppleness immediately by riding a few steps of piaffe.

For most horses a good place to start is an extended period of walk on a long rein at the start of the training session. As long as it is safe to do so, this is a good time for the rider to work on their own suppleness (and therefore seat), by doing various exercises in the saddle.

As trot work is started it is important to have only a soft connection to the horse’s mouth, and to not place importance on the position of the head. The important factor is the development of thrust and the engagement of the hindlimbs further underneath the horse’s body, which will lead to the ‘falling down’ of the head and correct contact with the bit.

The horse must go forward.

Oftentimes riders confuse forwardness with speed which results in the horse running and falling onto the forehand. The horse is not engaging his hindquarters underneath his body (they are strung out behind) and his weight falls more onto his front legs, and onto the bit.

The rider then tries to ‘half halt’ or resist with the bit but as the hindquarters aren’t engaged underneath the back and ready to carry the weight, it falls to the lumbar vertebrae (the weakest part of the horse’s back) which collapse under the pressure, and the horse may even knuckle down with one of his hindlimbs.

For a horse to become supple, it is important that the rider’s weight does not disturb the horse’s movement, but instead follows the movement with a supple seat. A good rider can encourage a stiff back to become supple via the massaging movements of their pelvis in time with the horse’s strides.

It takes time for a rider to develop this feel and it is easiest on a circle, concentrating on engaging the horse’s inside leg with the rider’s inside leg and seat bone at the moment the limb is about to leave the ground and enter the swing phase. When done correctly the horse will set down his inside hindleg further forward and more underneath the body so that it takes more weight and is caused to flex more.

This lowers the horse’s inside hip which makes the rider naturally sit lower with their inside seat bone. The inner side of the horse is shortened which means the outer side is lengthened and the horse takes up the rider’s outside rein.

The horse is now connected from the inside leg to the outside rein!

04/07/2022

Are you frustrated with a lack of progress training your horse?

You get regular lessons but can’t put it together at home?

Some days you get a good feeling but you don’t know how you got it and can’t reproduce it 🤷‍♀️

An understanding of equine biomechanics will help you!

When you understand the theory of training and muscle building in horses you can pinpoint the causes of problems encountered in training and make logical steps to resolve them. 😁

Check out my website biomechanicsofthehorse.com to learn more

09/06/2022

20/03/2022

https://youtu.be/ugqmef7z__w

My name is Angela McLeod. I am an equine vet and a keen rider with a specialinterest in biomechanics. I am an honorary member of the IAEB and have writtensev...

04/01/2022

FACEBOOK ADVICE

I am in several horse related groups on FB and I frequently see posts where people are asking for advice with their horse. For example;

My horse is fine on the lunge but under saddle he kicks out at the leg and won’t go forward…

My horse rushes in the canter and goes hollow, fighting the bridle… he is fine in trot

There are always many helpful people offering advice on these posts; the most common advice being… Get your vet to go over the horse. Have you checked for ulcers? He may have kissing spines, get a body worker out, have you had his teeth checked?

I am not going to argue with any of these answers, particularly as I am a vet and I like earning money!

But the truth of the matter is, although your horse could have ulcers, and may have developed back pain, these are the symptoms and not usually the primary cause of the problem.

The primary cause is poor training due to a lack of understanding of how a horse needs to be trained so he can carry a rider and perform comfortably.

When we ride horses we are asking them to be athletes. This means we must train them as such.

We need to show them how to use their muscles in the correct way and gradually strengthen them so they can comfortably carry a rider.

There is a severe lack of theoretical knowledge of the sport of riding in riders today. Most commonly, someone who wants to learn to ride will have a few riding lessons and then purchase their own horse (most often said horse is young or poorly trained as to be affordable) and continue lessons on this horse.

An unbalanced rider is sitting on an unbalanced horse and asking him with clumsy aids to walk, trot and canter underneath them while they disturb his balance with each step. This is going to lead to problems.

In an ideal world, an inexperienced rider would have lunge lessons on a well trained horse to develop their seat, then continue lessons on this horse before attempting to train their own. Even in this case, a knowledge of the theory of riding and basic biomechanics is important and these lessons are given at the German School of Riding in Warendorf, Germany, where professional riders receive their training.

This knowledge makes it possible to understand what we are feeling, to diagnose problems in training and find ways to remedy them thus preventing many physical issues further down the track.

I advise anyone wishing to ride or train horses to endeavour to study riding theory and biomechanics.

I encourage you to check out my website www.biomechanicsofthehorse.com
Feel free to email me with questions and enquiries about running a clinic in your area

02/11/2021

Equitana is running a virtual event this year due to Covid. I am giving two presentations. If anyone is keen, tickets to the event are only $27 and you have access to all the presentations for two weeks after the event!

⭐ It's HERE!! ⭐
The Ticket Booths are OPEN! EQUITANA 2021, is going Virtual! This is the event you thought you had missed out on!
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2 Days, 2 Stages, 50+ Sessions with 24 Fabulous Educators including live Q&A!
EQUITANA Virtual Event 2021 - 13th/14th November!

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17/05/2021

I will be giving a lecture at Equitana on 8 and 9 July outlining the biomechanical laws governing the correct training of the horse so he is a happy, healthy athlete and remains sound for many years. I talk about the German Training Scale and it’s basis in biomechanics. I believe the information is essential knowledge for anyone who rides and trains horses. Hope to see you there!