11/06/2022
While lateral work might not look like it is a powerful exercise it is crucial to helping develop proper muscling and body movement. Start by asking for small movements or working in hand on lateral moves. Make lateral moves a regular part of your horses work!
No matter your discipline, proper 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 is an important tool for your toolbox, both for training and therapeutic purposes.
Lateral movement is a type of gymnastic exercise that helps create flexibility, suppleness, looseness, and balance through the horse. Not only that, it is a great tool for establishing, creating, assessing and re-establishing good posture.
Your horse 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 by, most simply put, adduction and abduction: Adduction (moving leg toward/across midline) and Abduction (moving legs out and away from the body). This movement targets muscles of the front end (think thoracic sling), hind end and the pelvis. 𝗛𝗼𝘄? 🧐
During this movement, the hips intervene to move the hind legs to or away from the body, since the stifles and hocks cannot rotate inward. (Think of our knees: if you want to bring your foot back behind you, your knee can't bend in, the hip rotates to bring your foot inward). This movement causes rotation and movement of the pelvis and recruits hind-end muscles to work.
Similarly, this applies to the front end. The lower limb of the horse has minimal to no side-to-side bend. Because of this, during adduction (leg toward midline), the pectoral muscles (chest) for example, are pulling down on the shoulder and crossing the midline. When the front legs go through abduction (away from body), the trapezius and rhomboid muscles, for instance, are recruited to do so.
Aside from strengthening and mobilizing, these movements are equally as important for training purposes. Being able to move your horse laterally is involved in many different maneuvers across all disciplines.
𝑇𝑜 𝑠𝑢𝑚𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑧𝑒, 𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑙 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘 ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑝𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ:
🥕 Mobilizing the back and pelvis
🥕 Strengthening & stretching the upper forehand & hind-end
🥕 Strengthening the core, further supporting the back, helping with topline
🥕 Improving lateral spine suppleness and flexibility
🥕 Improving coordination, proprioception, control and balance
🥕 Creating straightness, stability and hind-end engagement
🥕 Preparing for and developing collection
🥕 Improving hindlimb protraction
🥕 Improving bend and posture
🥕 building the thoracic sling
Lateral work can be done in-hand as well as under saddle. Remember, always work toward new exercises slowly and be sure your horse is fit and ready for the tasks you ask of them.
𝐾𝑒𝑒𝑝 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑛𝑠 𝑚𝑜𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 & 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑏𝑒𝑠𝑡🦄 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲!
