Jenna Churchill - Back In Action

13/06/2024

24/05/2024

21/05/2024

Stretch it out! 🤣

05/04/2024

ThinkTank Oupost

17/01/2024

07/01/2024

Is posture a fundamental factor in the clinical relevance of kissing spine?

This image is powerful! We can clearly see the effects of spinal posture on the proximity of the spinal processes!

But what we might not be aware of is just how much horses live in a “hollow back” posture!

This spinal posture is created by biomechanics, the functional link between the entire topline from the position of the head and neck to the position of the pelvic region.

But also this posture is perpetuated by horses living in a constant sympathetic state and many other factors of domestication, feeding, confinement, hoof balance and human interference on major proprioception centres!

Join Dr Neidhart and myself as we delve into understanding kissing spines

https://equineeducationhub.thinkific.com/courses/kissing-spines

Thanks to Tuskey Dressage for the image 🙌

24/12/2023

Merry Christmas
🎄🥂🎁

08/12/2023

07/12/2023

This might be an unpopular opinion that will rattle some but I think it’s an important one…

The extent to which horse owners feel the need to bubble wrap their horses, I think, stems from how common it is to, well, not let horses be horses…

Horses who grow up having virtually no time in a herd…

Horses who grow up only ever getting to autonomously move on perfectly manicured, flat ground in a small paddock…

Horses who don’t have the space to go faster than a walk or trot unless, of course, it is when they’re under saddle and being piloted by a person…

How can they be expected to NOT be accident prone when they’ve not been allowed to live a life that’s autonomous enough to learn some self preservation?

How are they supposed to know how to move in a way to prevent injury when they aren’t exposed to different terrains, or allowed to self exercise in larger areas?

How can they learn how to coexist in herds without picking fights without developing social skills?

Or, how can they even share fence lines without causing problems if they haven’t learned how to properly communicate with other horses due to being deprived of opportunities to learn how to do so?

Even outside of learned behaviours within the brain, the body (especially the hoof and soft tissues) can’t really condition itself to withstand forces that it was never exposed to.

Movement of the body is absolutely crucial to building soundness in addition to allowing the brain to learn about the environment.

The most accident prone horses I consistently encounter are the ones who have had a history of not being allowed to be horses.

The ones who have existed in herds 24/7 for all of, or most of, their lives tend to have the least amount of issues.

Sure, accidents can still happen, but I would be lying if I didn’t admit that this observation wasn’t becoming exceedingly more obvious to me the more I’ve moved away from being the exact type of person to bubble wrap the crap out of my horses.

The more nice allowed them to learn how to safely exist as horses are intended, the less I find myself worrying about them.

The sight of my horse running across the field, as horses do, used to frighten me because I would worry about imminent injury…

But then I would canter them at courses of jumps and ask them far more physically demanding things, without fear, because I was in control.

And sadly, it’s been far too recently I’ve realized this.

06/11/2023

Epiony….
Treat your horse/dog/cat to a little winter warmer!

Order going in this week if you would like one.

05/11/2023

Benefits of the Epiony heat pad….🔥
Message me for more info 😊

25/10/2023

Winter🥶

Epiony heat pads are very beneficial to our horses to help their muscles and joints.
Message me for more info

18/10/2023

The unofficial clip guide...

I think this might be part 1 of a few! 🤣

©️Emily Cole Illustrations

10/10/2023

Reasons why we do not use side reins
Jean Luc Cornille October 2013
Whatever his body angle, a chicken controls balance maintaining his head and neck perfectly vertical. Hence, stabilizing the horse head and neck with side reins is a chicken theory. The horse instead, controls balance moving his head and neck.

Recently, we had an interesting discussion in facebook involving the use of side reins. It was about a deadly accident due to the use of the system and side reins proponents get offended affirming their faith in the system. Enthrallingly, not a single side reins’ believer ever addressed the effects of side reins. Their only references were, “everybody does it” or “my trainer uses it.” The statement was then followed by a long anthology of the trainer, like if emphasizing the trainer’s value would prove the validity of side reins.
It was of course the usual catch phrases, “engaging the hind legs,” “muscling the back”, “ putting the horse on the bit,” etc., but these stereotypes are part of an equestrian language that is repeated over and over without any understanding of the underlining biomechanics factors. Whatever it is about selling alternative bending of the neck, touching the limbs with one or two whips, lowering the neck, or rushing the horse on the forehand, the same phrases as used promising results that never go beyond the rider’s wish.

Members of the Science of Motion’s course, (IHTC), opposed pertinent observations, proposing better solutions and it was interesting to see how members of the IHTC were comfortable with the evolution of knowledge, while by contrast, side reins proponents were afraid of new knowledge becoming aggressive when they were technically cornered. It was obvious that while many people use side-reins, very few truly understand or even know how the system effects or more exactly affects the horses’ physique. My trainer uses them,” might be sufficient for riders who select their training technique based on faith rather than on facts. The problem with all these restrictive systems, side reins, draw reins, shambon, gogue, etc., is that they theorize a reaction omitting a fundamental fact. A horse does not work a muscle imbalance, reflex contraction or morphological flaw, but instead, protects it. Whatever the system applied, a horse deals with neck posture protecting his actual muscles imbalance, weaknesses, morphological flaw or other issue.

It is understandable that marketing strategies theorize effects that may sell their products. It is the rider’s duty to differentiate marketing strategy and reality. There are, for instance, 21 pairs of muscles that can move the horse head. Hence, there are at the least 21 reasons why the horse reaction might not be the one promised by the advertising. The horse can adapt to the restriction of the side reins bending the neck, twisting the neck, lowering the trunk between the shoulder blades, bending or twisting the thoracic spine, arching the thoracic vertebrae and so on. Side reins proponents will tell you that “this is because the side reins are not properly adjusted.” Truly, this is a preposterous form of denial. Such denial was easy to defend when knowledge of the equine physiology was at its infancy. With todays’ knowledge a much better analysis of the horses’ reaction can be made. Here are the reasons why we do not use side reins.
The combined head and neck segment executes characteristic oscillations at the walk, trot, or canter that are closely linked to the movement patterns of the limbs. The main muscles creating neck movements are the upper neck muscles, the splenius and the semispinalis capitis. The splenius covers the whole length of the neck. The muscle inserts at the level of T3, T5 and is attached at the other end on

(Drawing from Michael A Simmons. [email protected]).
the nuchal crest behind the skull. During locomotion, the splenius exhibits bilateral activity during each forelimb stance. At the trot, the head and neck are at their lowest position in the oscillation cycle half way through the support phase of each forelimb. The splenius decelerates the downward oscillation of the head and neck that is pulled down to earth by the attraction of gravity. At impact of each front leg, the splenius contracts, resisting accelerations of gravity that are created by impact forces. At the walk, splenius activation commences before the head reaches its lower position and continue until after the head has begun rising. When, up and down oscillation of the head and neck are restricted by the use of side reins, the horse will likely compensate for the restricted oscillation of his neck leaning on the bit. Often, horses use the support of the side reins leaning on the bit instead of coordinating their upper neck muscles.
The semispinalis capitis is also inserted on the cranial thoracic vertebrae and ribs
(Drawing from Michael A Simmons. [email protected]).
and is attached on the crest of the skull. The semispinalis capitis is compartmented. This type of architecture allows a large diversity of movements, rotations, bending, etc. The muscle does have an internal central tendon that covers two third of the length of the muscle. There are 7 compartments above the central tendon and 6 compartments below the central tendon. Most of the alternative lateral bending and transversal rotations of the neck occurring during locomotion, are created by the semispinalis capitis. One can easily conceive that any system restricting or modifying the normal cycle of head and neck movements is going to modify limbs kinematics and vertebral column mechanism. The horse’s adaptation can be beneficial, but also damaging. It is true that some good horses are capable of sustaining suspension, cadence, a round neck and round back while working with side reins, but these horses are exception and truly do not need side reins. Bob Hope joked one day, “A bank is an institution that loans you money if you can prove that you don’t need it.” The same can be said with side reins. If a horse can adapt to the restriction of the side reins and remain functional, the horse does not need side reins. Common reactions are illustrated in this picture. The horse’s owner is a member of the Science of Motion IHTC course and, as an experiment; she placed side reins on her horse. The horse adaptation to the restriction of the side reins was very different from the theory promoted by advertising strategies. The horse shortened the neck lowering the trunk between the shoulder blades. He hollowed, arched and contracted the thoracic vertebrae, shifting the forelegs backward underneath himself. The horse became dysfunctional. The side reins were adjusted relatively long. They could have been adjusted slightly longer or slightly shorter and that would not have improved the horse reaction. The horse’s brain adapted to the restriction of the side reins protecting whatever muscle imbalance, morphological flaw or other issue was the horse’s physical situation at this moment.

Due to their more lateral attachment on the proximity of the skull, the spenius muscles are effective for lateral bending. 59% of the muscle’s fibers are slow oxidative fibers implying that postural support is a large part of the splenius’ function. These two peculiarities explain that quite often, horses strongly developed one side of the splenius as an adaptation to the side reins. A horse dealing with natural imbalance between right and left splenius will likely react to the side reins aggravating the already existing muscle imbalance. The same protective reflex mechanism can of course involve one or both semispinalis capitis creating torsion of the neck.
The horse on the picture restricts his neck afraid of the side reins unsophisticated contact. Many horses at the contrary push heavily on the bit. To do so, the upper compartments of the semispinalis capitis, which is inserted on the crest of the skull, contracts concentrically pulling the upper end of the skull backward and consequently, moving the nose forward. The skull is then pushing backward on the cervical vertebrae hampering forward transmission of the thrust generated by the hind legs through the thoracic and cervical vertebrae and causing quite often a deepening of the cervical vertebrae’s lower curve. Virchow already pointed out in 1915 that the S shape of the cervical remained whatever the neck posture. “In the dorsal direction, the cervical vertebral column can be stretched only so far that the vertebrae are lying in straight line.” Slijper (1946), added to the comment that a further dorsal flexion is chiefly prevented by the ligaments. The combined action of the skull pushing backward on the cervical vertebrae and the thrust generated by the hind legs transmitted forward through the thoracolumbar spine, (blue arrows), will likely deepens the lower loop of the cervical column, (red arrow and black circles)
CLICK LINK TO READ ON (do not post a comment unless you read entire article please) http://www.scienceofmotion.com/reasons_why_we_do_not_use_sidereins.html

18/09/2023

COLLECTION TO COMBAT KISSING SPINES

Kissing spines seems to be the lameness du jour these days. I’ve seen a bunch of posts and articles on the subject lately. Here are a couple of my observations. Nobody in those posts talks about training proper collection by engagement of the hindquarters. Most only mention lowering the head/neck. The thoracic sling is not, does not, and can not lift up the front end of the horse. That’s the job of the hindquarters.

10/09/2023

CAN YOU FORCE A HORSE TO DO SOMETHING THEY DON’T WANT TO?

I often hear "If he didn't want to, he wouldn't do it”. There seems to be a growing number of people on social media saying that you can’t make a horse something they don’t want to do. These comments could, for example, be in response to a film showing a horse displaying behaviours that indicate they are stressed (rushing, nipping, fidgeting, licking and chewing, showing the whites of the eye etc) when they are asked to jump, load, stand still or hack out alone.

It is clear many people don’t recognise the subtle (or even not-so-subtle!) signs of stress or fear in horses and they believe that if their horse didn’t want to do something there is no way anyone could make them, but it is not that straightforward.

It is actually very easy to make a horse do something they don't want to do. That's one of the reasons we can do so much with them, they are very tolerant of us and more often than not do as we ask. Therefore it's extremely important that we consider whether what we ask is right for them or not, that we learn to read our horses behaviour and body language and make sure they are confident and well-trained before we ask too much of them.

How a horse behaves in any situation depends partly on his past experiences. For example, a frightened horse who tried to escape being clipped for the first time could have been hit, then been tied fast in a pressure halter. So now their fear of experiencing pain is greater than their fear of clippers and so they stand still – they freeze.

Sadly, this is an all too common way of training horses. Rather than teaching the horse the clippers aren’t going to hurt by introducing them gradually and rewarding them for trying, increasing pressure is applied to force them to stand still.

The result is that the horse is still frightened of the clippers, but they are now also frightened of the pressure halter, the handler and perhaps even the environment they were clipped in. They will also have learned that their attempt to escape meant they would be hurt, so they may be less likely to try that tactic again in future and instead put up with the situation. The horse may actually end up in learned helplessness and give up trying to escape from other difficult situations too.

If we humans are frightened and don’t want to do something, surely we understand that adding extra pain, discomfort or fear to force us to face that situation won’t magically fix our original fear? So why do we believe it will fix a horse's fear?

Learning to recognise the early signs of fear/stress/anxiety/discomfort in your horse is vital. Potential Indicators of acute stress can include a raised head and neck position, tail swishing, pawing at the ground, shying, whinnying, increased oral behaviours (eg. mouthing the leadrope when led), the four Fs (flight, fight, freeze, fidget), tension in the facial muscles, showing the white of the eye, triangulation of the upper eyelid or an inability to concentrate.

If your horse starts to perform an unusual behaviour, take note! If the behaviour occurs because of something you do, does it stop when you stop, and then start again when you resume your behaviour? Watch your horse to see when it happens, notice what you are doing and what is going on the environment.

Always consult a vet if your horse’s behaviour changes suddenly and if they are clear of any physical issues then a certified behaviourist can help you.

04/09/2023

The amazing superman velcro in the horses foot- the lamellae. The whole area is formally known as SADP - Suspensory apparatus of the distal phalanx.

Did you know that the horse is suspended off the hoof wall by these trampoline like structures. The whole weight of the horse at a gallop is suspended on one foot!

That approximately 67% of the impact vibrations that occur during initial ground impact are dissipated by the lamellar region. This protecting the distal phalanx and the phalangeal joints from concussive damage.

That without glucose (via the circulation) the laminar connection will fail.

Below is a case of supporting limb laminitis.
The mare had a catastrophic accident to her right fore and could not weight bare on that foot. Subsequently the left failed with laminitis. Note the air gap between the lamellae and the coffin bone. It’s basically a rip.

Do you know why that happened ?
Why would the good foot fail?
Was glucose starvation of the lamellae to blame?
Have you experienced this?

More info and answers later.

http://www.patreon.com/hoofstudies

RIP Ms. M. You will live on for ever educating others.

My sponsors for September 2023 ❤️. And I’m looking for more sponsors to keep me funded in my equine studies.

Melissa LaFlamme; Equine podiatrist and teacher.
https://www.espacechevalmoderne.com/ecm-parage

Holistic hoofcare for horse owners-
Hoofcare professionals and educators specifically for horse owners:
http://www.holistichoofcareforhorseowners

Light foot mud control

Fix Your Muddy Horse Paddocks Forever with Lighthoof Mud Control Grids

23/07/2023

The idea of keeping horses stalled for much of their daily time budget is a common one amongst the horse world. It is arguably more common for people to stall their horses than not, oftentimes even being depicted in the media as the ideal living situation for the horse when we're viewing equestrian movies and TV shows.

The beliefs pertaining to stalling in the horse world are largely outdated with many horse people seeing absolutely no concern with horses spending the majority of their daily time budget (12+ hours) isolated in a stall that averages in size at about 12x12ft. The lack of awareness of the costs of such living environments contributes to many behavioural and physical health problems we see in horses today.

For decades, there has been a known correlation between stereotypic behaviours or "vices" and time spent stalled. Stereotypic behaviours are repetitive and largely functionless behaviours that serve the purpose of relieving stress. They are not seen in wild and feral horses. They are seen at a far greater prevalence in horses who spend more time stalled and isolated and studies have found a very clear link between stalled live and such behaviours.

On top of this, there is also a demonstrated link between extensive time spent stalled and risk of colic. Colic is every horse person's worst nightmare, the #1 cause of mortality outside of old age related death with a ~10% rate of death in horses who suffer from it. Increased risk of colic is directly correlated with stalling due to stalled horses exhibiting a greater degree of stress and having a lowered ability to move about and practice natural behaviours. Movement is crucial for proper digestion for the horse in addition to living in a low stress state, stress increases risk of digestive upset.

Despite there being such a clear link between these rather substantial health issues and stalls, there has been very little movement in the horse world to adapt the architecture of stalls and discuss ways we can modernize horse husbandry to make it more horse friendly.

While urbanization and lack of space does complicate things, I don't believe this is a sufficient excuse for not even making the effort to try to improve lives of horses and utilize modern research to do the best we can to emulate the most natural lifestyle and avoid substantial physical and mental health issues.

Many behavioural issues that disrupt horses use as riding horses are also correlated with time spent stalled due to there being a decreased ability to self exercise on the part of the horse. Horses who are stalled more are more likely to exhibit excitatory behaviours and respond with flight to novel stimuli. Improving living conditions could not only improve the wellbeing of horses, but also the safety of their humans.

Structured and controlled exercise also does not sufficiently replace the autonomous exercise that horses need for optimal wellbeing. While riding and working horses who have limited capacity to self exercise is better than nothing, it doesn't allow for autonomous movement on the part of the horse. Autonomy is highly reinforcing and imperative to adequate welfare. Horses need to be given the opportunity to explore and exercise of their own accord, not just only when they're being piloted by a human.

In addition to limited movement in the stalled environment, the isolation aspect of the traditional stabled lifestyle is incredibly damaging to equine welfare. As social herd animals, horses need to be able to socialize. Many of the problem behaviours we see, such as aggression to other horses, stem from environmental frustration and lack of development of social skills due to chronic isolation.

The ability to interact and socialize with other horses should not be viewed as an optional aspect of horse care. It is a standard the industry absolutely MUST move towards achieving on a global scale.

We can do better by horses. The common nature of these care practices does not mean it is healthy or ideal care for horses and despite the decades worth of replicated research depicting the same problems, it is not uncommon to see horse people deny the existence of such facts and make up excuses for why these aspects of care do not apply to their horses.

It is a difficult thing to accept, but once we start the conversation and start creating realistic solutions to improve the lives of horses, we will all benefit, but mostly, the horses will.

This is not a topic that is up for debate as there is substantial evidence behind it. We either accept the facts surrounding horse management or reject factual evidence to appeal to our own comfort. The latter is much more detrimental for horses and is, at its core, a selfish decision.

Most of the horse world loves their horses and means well, but we need to develop a more selfless love for them and do better by them. Love isn't always easy and convenient, sometimes it requires difficult self reflection and sacrifice.

Demonstrate your love for the horse by doing the difficult work that is undoing of personal biases and accepting the merit of information that may challenge the beliefs you held before. You and horse horse will both be better for it.

Shareable blog post link: https://milestoneequestrian.ca/blog/2023/7/23/the-industry-perception-of-stalls-needs-a-massive-overhaul

Supporting Evidence:

Christensen et al, "Effects of individual versus group stabling on social behaviour in domestic stallions," Applied Animal Behaviour Science, Volume 75, Issue 3, 2002, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0168-1591(01)00196-4.

Cooper & Albentosa, "Behavioural adaptation in the domestic horse: potential role of apparently abnormal responses including stereotypic behaviour," Livestock Production Science, Volume 92, Issue 2, 2005, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.livprodsci.2004.11.017.

Cooper, J., McGreevy, P. (2007). Stereotypic Behaviour in the Stabled Horse: Causes, Effects and Prevention without Compromising Horse Welfare. In: Waran, N. (eds) The Welfare of Horses. Animal Welfare, vol 1. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-306-48215-1_5

Goodwin, D. (2007). Horse Behaviour: Evolution, Domestication and Feralisation. In: Waran, N. (eds) The Welfare of Horses. Animal Welfare, vol 1. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-306-48215-1_1

Hausberger et al, "Lower learning abilities in stereotypic horses," Applied Animal Behaviour Science, Volume 107, Issues 3–4, 2007, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2006.10.003.

Heleski, et al, "Influence of housing on weanling horse behavior and subsequent welfare," Applied Animal Behaviour Science, Volume 78, Issues 2–4, 2002, Pages 291-302, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0168-1591(02)00108-9.

Hothersall, B. and Casey, R. (2012), Undesired behaviour in horses: A review of their development, prevention, management and association with welfare. Equine Veterinary Education, 24: 479-485. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2042-3292.2011.00296.x

Houpt, K., Houpt, T., Johnson, J., Erb, H., & Yeon, S. (2001). The Effect of Exercise Deprivation on the Behaviour and Physiology of Straight Stall Confined Pregnant Mares. Animal Welfare, 10(3), 257-267. doi:10.1017/S0962728600024039

Lesimple et al, "Stall architecture influences horses’ behaviour and the prevalence and type of stereotypies," Applied Animal Behaviour Science, Volume 219, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2019.104833.

Löckener et al, "Pasturing in herds after housing in horseboxes induces a positive cognitive bias in horses," Journal of Veterinary Behavior, Volume 11, 2016, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jveb.2015.11.005.

McBride, S.D. and Long, L. (2001), Management of horses showing stereotypic behaviour, owner perception and the implications for welfare. Veterinary Record, 148: 799-802. https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.148.26.799

MCGREEVY, P.D., CRIPPS, P.J., FRENCH, N.P., GREEN, L.E. and NICOL, C.J. (1995), Management factors associated with stereotypic and redirected behaviour in the Thoroughbred horse. Equine Veterinary Journal, 27: 86-91. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2042-3306.1995.tb03041.x

Park, Sang-Kook & Jung, Hee-Jun & Choi, You-Lim & Kwon, Oh-Sub & Jung, Young-Hun & Cho, Chung-Il & Yoon, Min. (2013). The Effect of Living Conditions on Stress and Behavior of Horses. Journal of Animal Science and Technology. 55. 10.5187/JAST.2013.55.4.325.

Sauer FJ, Hermann M, Ramseyer A, Burger D, Riemer S, et al. (2019) Effects of breed, management and personality on cortisol reactivity in sport horses. PLOS ONE 14(12): e0221794. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0221794

WATERS, A.J., NICOL, C.J. and FRENCH, N.P. (2002), Factors influencing the development of stereotypic and redirected behaviours in young horses: findings of a four year prospective epidemiological study. Equine Veterinary Journal, 34: 572-579. https://doi.org/10.2746/042516402776180241

Werhahn et al "Competition Horses Housed in Single Stalls (II): Effects of Free Exercise on the Behavior in the Stable, the Behavior during Training, and the Degree of Stress"
Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, Volume 32, Issue 1, 2012,
Pages 22-31,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2011.06.009.

Yarnell et al, "Domesticated horses differ in their behavioural and physiological responses to isolated and group housing," Physiology & Behavior, Volume 143, 2015, Pages 51-57, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2015.02.040.

10/07/2023

Would anyone like to order an Epiony heat pad?
Message me 😊

30/06/2023

Link here to read this brilliant response by Dr Eva Van Avermaet - published in an easy-to-read blog: https://concordiaequestrians.org/dr-eva-van-avermaet-replies-to-anna-ross/

Published by the Concordia International Equestrian Magazine and supported by the Alliance for Horse Welfare in Sport (AHWS) https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092105391896

20/06/2023

Salt salt salt !!!
I’m not preaching ( well I am really 😂) I’m just reminding you guys 🙏

10gms per 100kg of salt per day is what’s recommended

🛑Check with your vet first especially if your horse has any underlying health issues 🛑

Horses NEED salt all year round.

More so this time of year.
Salt licks are naff ( they’re good as a boredom breaker but that’s about it) horses have smooth tongues so can’t get enough salt unless they bite it, if they’re biting it then you’ve got serious issues going on!!

Offer a salt water bucket alongside there plain water so they can choose freely ( I just throw a handful into a normal size bucket)

OR Add to feed so you definitely know they’re getting it ( I add 3tbs once a day split between 2 chaff only feed )

If they’re sweating then have a look at electrolytes to replace lost minerals ( READ the ingredients!!! So much sugar in alot of them ) aim for the least amount of sugar especially as the grass is super crazy at the moment.

I can’t emphasise enough that horses need to be drinking more.
Horses that are dehydrated are prone to colic!

Helps to Reduce colic which is also rife at the moment ( I’m going to do a video of some gentle exercises to do on your horse to help get things moving, gas or blockage while your waiting for your vet)

Im not a fan of table salt due to the caking agents that are present. But if you can’t find any sea salt then I’d rather use table than nothing. B&M do sea salt at a good price

Keep your horses hydrated 🙌

16/06/2023

https://www.scienceofmotion.com/reasons_why_we_do_not_use_sidereins.html
Reasons why we do not use side reins
Jean Luc Cornille October 2013

Whatever his body angle, a chicken controls balance maintaining his head and neck perfectly vertical. Hence, stabilizing the horse head and neck with side reins is a chicken theory. The horse instead, controls balance moving his head and neck.

Recently, we had an interesting discussion on a forum involving the use of side reins. It was about a deadly accident due to the use of the system and side reins proponents get offended affirming their faith in the system. Enthrallingly, not a single side reins’ believer ever addressed the effects of side reins. Their only references were, “everybody does it” or “my trainer uses it.” The statement was then followed by a long anthology of the trainer, like if emphasizing the trainer’s value would prove the validity of side reins.

It was of course the usual catch phrases, “engaging the hind legs,” “muscling the back”, “ putting the horse on the bit,” etc., but these stereotypes are part of an equestrian language that is repeated over and over without any understanding of the underlining biomechanics factors. Whatever it is about selling alternative bending of the neck, touching the limbs with one or two whips, lowering the neck, or rushing the horse on the forehand, the same phrases as used promising results that never go beyond the rider’s wish.

Members of the Science of Motion’s course, (IHTC), opposed pertinent observations, proposing better solutions and it was interesting to see how members of the IHTC were comfortable with the evolution of knowledge, while by contrast, side reins proponents were afraid of new knowledge becoming aggressive when they were technically cornered. It was obvious that while many people use side-reins, very few truly understand or even know how the system effects or more exactly affects the horses’ physique. My trainer uses them,” might be sufficient for riders who select their training technique based on faith rather than on facts. The problem with all these restrictive systems, side reins, draw reins, shambon, gogue, etc., is that they theorize a reaction omitting a fundamental fact. A horse does not work a muscle imbalance, reflex contraction or morphological flaw, but instead, protects it. Whatever the system applied, a horse deals with neck posture protecting his actual muscles imbalance, weaknesses, morphological flaw or other issue.

It is understandable that marketing strategies theorize effects that may sell their products. It is the rider’s duty to differentiate marketing strategy and reality. There are, for instance, 21 pairs of muscles that can move the horse head. Hence, there are at the least 21 reasons why the horse reaction might not be the one promised by the advertising. The horse can adapt to the restriction of the side reins bending the neck, twisting the neck, lowering the trunk between the shoulder blades, bending or twisting the thoracic spine, arching the thoracic vertebrae and so on. Side reins proponents will tell you that “this is because the side reins are not properly adjusted.” Truly, this is a preposterous form of denial. Such denial was easy to defend when knowledge of the equine physiology was at its infancy. With todays’ knowledge a much better analysis of the horses’ reaction can be made. Here are the reasons why we do not use side reins.

The combined head and neck segment executes characteristic oscillations at the walk, trot, or canter that are closely linked to the movement patterns of the limbs. The main muscles creating neck movements are the upper neck muscles, the splenius and the semispinalis capitis. The splenius covers the whole length of the neck. The muscle inserts at the level of T3, T5 and is attached at the other end on


(Drawing from Michael A Simmons. [email protected]).

the nuchal crest behind the skull. During locomotion, the splenius exhibits bilateral activity during each forelimb stance. At the trot, the head and neck are at their lowest position in the oscillation cycle half way through the support phase of each forelimb. The splenius decelerates the downward oscillation of the head and neck that is pulled down to earth by the attraction of gravity. At impact of each front leg, the splenius contracts, resisting accelerations of gravity that are created by impact forces. At the walk, splenius activation commences before the head reaches its lower position and continue until after the head has begun rising. When, up and down oscillation of the head and neck are restricted by the use of side reins, the horse will likely compensate for the restricted oscillation of his neck leaning on the bit. Often, horses use the support of the side reins leaning on the bit instead of coordinating their upper neck muscles. Click Link Read on https://www.scienceofmotion.com/reasons_why_we_do_not_use_sidereins.html