29/11/2024
For the sake of your horse ๐
๐๐ต๐ผ๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ช๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ข๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐๐ฒ๐
๐๐บ ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ช๐ญ๐ฉ, ๐๐ณ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฅ๐๐ฐ๐ณ๐ด๐ฆ ๐๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ค๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด
I was thinking of this photo I took over 15 years ago when I wrote the post below about choosing a trainer wisely. This rider was not only a trainer, he was a very much admired one. This is an updated version.
Knowledge is power, especially when it comes to caring for and training horses and ensuring their well-being, both physically and mentally. To assist you in this endeavor, here is a practical checklist to help you visually assess a horse's body and identify signs of good or poor training.
Before diving into the checklist, here are some recommendations I have shared in the past regarding selecting a trainer:
๐ Watch numerous lessons.
๐ Focus on lessons that align with your and your horse's level of experience.
๐ Observe the horse's facial expressions, postures, and overall body language not only in the arena but also in their stalls, paddocks, and other environments.
๐ Pay attention to how the horses are cared for, groomed, turned out, and fed.
๐ Pay attention to feet shape and balance, to tack condition and fit. To bit and bridle choices.
๐ Pay attention to warmups and cool down and to how horses are handled before and after a ride.
If a horse appears in pain, miserable, confused, or resigned, it is best to walk away from that facility and trainer (do document and denounce abuse if you encounter it).
Be cautious of the following:
๐ Horses ridden with their necks curled and noses positioned behind the vertical, or alternatively, horses ridden with their necks raised like giraffes, backs dropped, and hindquarters disengaged. Both positions are unhealthy.
๐ Horses ridden with draw reins, side reins, and similar devices.
๐ Green horses ridden in double bridles.
๐ Green horses ridden in postures typical of advanced levels.
๐ Advanced horses ridden exclusively in collection or only in double bridles.
๐ Horses ridden with punitive bits and tight nosebands.
๐ Trainers who restrict neck and head movement and ride with clenched fists, elbows buried into their sides, biceps bulging.
๐ Trainers who rely solely on 4-track work for lateral movements.
๐ Trainers who demand excessive lateral work and frequent changes of flexion without providing moments of straightness and rest in between.
๐ Trainers who attempt to solve issues by making the work harder for the horse instead of easier.
๐ Trainers whose students watch as if it completely normal while their horse is being yanked, hit, whipped, spurred.
๐ Trainers who blame or yell at the horses.
๐ Trainers who shame riders.
๐ Trainers who always end up riding the horse themselves instead of giving a lesson.
๐ Trainers who fail to recognize that each horse has their own unique rhythm, cadence, and tempo, and instead impose their uniform movement standards across all the horses in their care.
Feel free to contribute to this list in the comments section!
It is our responsibility to become the best equestrians we can be and make informed decisions based on research and observation. Developing a keen eye and expanding our knowledge base is how we protect our horses.
The following checklist, which we have also shared in the past, can help evaluate the effectiveness of a training program with the caveat that you have to take into consideration different variables such as how long the horse has been in training with that person, the medical history of the horse, and its previous training.
Here are some things to look for that should give you pause or encourage you. While it is understood most amateurs aren't trained as bodyworkers, a simple pat can also give you a lot of information:
๐ Musculature: Look for full, elastic, and even muscles (swimmer's muscles) as opposed to bulgy and hard or stringy/ropy and dry ones.
๐ Sensitivity and Receptiveness: Does the horse's body have areas that are abnormally hot or cold, and how does the horse react to touch? A flinch or avoidance may indicate discomfort.
๐ Neck Shape: Note whether the horse's neck is wider at the base and gradually narrows towards the poll. If there are hollowed spaces on both sides of the neck and the neck is thinner at the base and wider behind the ears, it suggests the horse has been ridden with unforgiving contact and without being allowed its own balance.
Note that riding in a rigid and restrictive frame often leads to rider complaints about a horse's uncooperativeness and a hard mouth. This often results in an escalation in bit severity and harsher aids instead of an evaluation of the training, unfortunately.
๐ Neck Muscles: Examine the long muscles that run from the head to the shoulder on the sides of the neck, as well as those from the head to the chest. Poor training that forces the horse to hollow its back while raising and bracing its neck can cause poor muscle development and result in the horse appearing ewe-necked. These horses will lack independent balance and tend to fall forward the moment the rider stops carrying them.
๐ Hollow Spaces: Hollow spaces behind the shoulders instead of a continuous apron of elastic muscles linking the shoulder to the back and hind end indicate poor horse conditioning and training.
๐ Unharmonious Bodies: Horses with large bodies but either pencil necks or short and thick necks, horses with weak or hollow backs, horses with underdeveloped hindquarters with hunters bumps, and croups with ski slope angles often reflect poor training.
๐ Back Muscles: Examine the muscles that run from the withers to the croup alongside the spine. A protruding spine, sharp declines towards the ribcage, and flat, hard muscles lining the spine all indicate training issues and/or saddle fit issues.
Educated riders understand that forced postures, such as excessively rounding or riding inverted, hinder the horse's ability to develop an elastic topline and engage the back correctly.
Remember, riding the whole horse in a good posture with the right rhythm, a soft, upside U shape throatlatch, supple poll and nose IN FRONT OF THE VERTICAL is key to developing a healthy musculature in general. Strive to promote impulsion (healthy tempo and rhythm), suppleness, straightness, and balance during every training session and choose your trainer wisely.
Here as some recommendations for useful information because when you know better, you can train better.
๐ข๐ฝ๐๐ถ๐บ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฌ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฒโ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐๐ป๐ฒ๐๐, ๐๐ฎ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐ฟ. ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ด๐๐ฎ๐ & ๐๐ผ๐น๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ๐น ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฒ
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/improvedhorseperformance
๐๐พ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐๐๐ฒ๐๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ & ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฏ ๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐ฒ๐: ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ โ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐ฟ. ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ด๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ผ๐น๐ผ ๐ ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/equinewellnesscourse2013
๐๐ป-๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ช๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ผ๐น๐ผ ๐ ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐: ๐๐ป ๐๐ป๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ผ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ป-๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/inhandlessonswithmanolo
Online:
www.drkerryridgway.com
Crookedness and fascia:
https://ivcjournal.com/fascia-and-why-its-so-important/
Low Heel/High Heel Syndrome:
http://www.endurance.net/blogger/RidgewayLowHeel.pdf
The Crooked Horse Syndrome:
https://cms.arr.de/uploads/pdf/DrRidgway_Laterality.pdf
Streaming Videos
๐ง๐ฟ๐๐๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ๐: ๐ฆ๐ถ๐
๐๐๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฐ๐๐น๐๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐บ๐๐๐๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฟ๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ผ๐ฝ ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ป๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ต๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ
https://learn.kathleenaspenns.com/courses/TrustedPartners
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ก๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ: ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ต๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐
๐ถ๐ผ๐๐, ๐๐ฝ๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ๐ ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ณ๐๐น? ๐๐ป ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ป ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ต๐ป๐ถ๐พ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ต๐ฒ๐น๐ฝ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ต๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฝ๐ต๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐, ๐ฒ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐น๐น๐
https://learn.kathleenaspenns.com/courses/the-nervous-horse
