21/05/2020
HYPERMOBILITY
Do you have a hypermobile horse?
Hypermobility in horses is not well documented or discussed at all, but it exists and can be a significant problem for some horses. People and horses are on a natural spectrum of mobility, from globally 'stiffer' joints through to very flexible joints throughout the body. Hypermobility in humans is defined as 'a condition that features joints that easily move beyond the normal range expected for that particular joint', the same concept can be extrapolated to horses.
There are some horses (notably warmbloods for dressage) that's have been selectively bred for excessive joint motion, as this increases flexibility and potentially performance of dressage movements. Other horses are just a natural variation within their breed, the Connemara for example is actually a breed where I see it quite a lot.
The problem with having joints with excess motion is, that without installing correct functional stability throughout the body the joints are at risk of increased wear and tear. The body more easily loses (or never gain) correct posture, both locally at the joint as well as globally in the body - this leads to asymmetrical loading on joints and increased strain on the associated soft tissues.
Weak hypermobile horses tend to brace their backs to try and stabilise themselves and will typically rush in their work feeling more on the forehand as they find it hard to coordinate themselves at a slower pace. This lack of coordinated strength in the body not only puts the spine at risk of wear but also increased loading and strain on the vulnerable distal limb as the body doesn't help absorb impact force as its designed to.
The key for hypermobile horses (as for people) is to to have a suitable strengthening programme that instills functional strength and promotes correct posture throughout the body (maybe the norm for your dressage warmblood, but perhaps not for your Connie). Be mindful they may be slower to strengthen as their wobbly joints need time to learn to be controlled by their neuromuscular system. Encourage them to work slowly in self carriage with lots of transitions and varied slow paced exercises that challenge their coordination.
Being hypermobile doesn't mean you are free of pain and tension, often parts of the body (poll/ base of neck/ mid back) will often compensate and become rigid, so work with your manual therapist to ensure each joint in the spine is functioning optimally.
Correct foot posture is essential, poor balance from the foot up puts asymmetrical loading on joints and hypermobile distal limb joints easily fall out of posture effecting not only their own health but the kinematics of the whole limb above, going on to affect the rest of the body.
Think you might have a hypermobile horse? Get a professional equine manual therapist to assess your horse and if necessary make a plan on how to keep him safe (correct posture and balanced movement), strengthen him up and make any changes such as foot posture, to ensure a comfortable and injury free horse.
