Horse and Rider

19/06/2024

15/09/2023

"Lowering the horse's head lifts their back"

This is something I see a great deal, and whilst it's not inherently wrong there is so much more nuance to it than simply lowering the head. And it's the misunderstanding of the nuance that I believe has the power to hurt a lot of horses.

When you look at the horse's thoracic spinous processes, their orientation depicts the range of motion - the spinous processes of the wither are longer and angled towards the horse's tail, the spinous processes of the mid thoracic (where the rider sits) are more upright, and the spinous processes of the late thoracic begin to angle towards the horse's head. This enables greater flexion/extension of the spine through the mid thoracic region.

The supraspinous ligament runs over the top of the thoracolumbar spinous processes (the bright pink line on the picture) this then blends into nuchal ligament - the funicular portion of which attaches to the horse's skull - the lamellar portions fan off in sheets to attach to the cervical vertebrae.

When the horse with a healthy back (and that's the important piece here) lowers their head, the nuchal lig. tractions on the supraspinous lig. and the early thoracic spinous processes orientate slightly forwards, creating space between them and lifting the mid thoracic region. You can see this when a horse lowers their head, the dip behind the wither should lift.

From a ridden perspective, this should be supported by the thoracic sling muscles, which lift the ribcage between the front legs and the horse's core muscles (not just their abs FYI!)

When a horse moves with spinal tension (poor riding/saddle fit/management etc.) The ligament system is restricted - the muscles of the neck become braced, the errector spinae muscles become hypertonic and the back becomes extended - evidenced by the acute angulation at the base of the wither.

When the neck and back muscles aren't free and mobile, the spinal ligs. reduce their range of motion and then potentially shorten. The thoracic processes approximate towards each other and we perhaps put the horse into a kissing spines danger zone.

So if you try to force their head into a lowered position and the horse braces, you create strain.

Their back muscles are tight and to offload the weight of the head, they have to tighten up more. So you are inducing the back into more tension, but then the weight of the rider/saddle/restriction of a surcingle will possibly induce more extension still.

Add pain in here and you create a bigger issue.

If you deal with the pain, unload the horse's back (e.g. no rider/no saddle/no surcingle), help the horse to relax and then lower their head to tolerance without creating a brace, you can help to restore this system.

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There is 30 mins difference between the top photo and the bottom photo. Notice how the horse's withers have lifted in the bottom photo, but also the angulation at the base of the wither is less acute even though the horse's head is higher.

This is the starting point of restoring the activity of the ligament system, the thoracic sling and the horse's core.

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11/09/2023

06/12/2022

Have you ever noticed how one thing leads to another, then leads to another and so on? This episode came about because I fell off a horse and found Warwick Schiller, who teaches people about horses on Facebook. Except he’s really all about persona...

04/12/2022

In this chat, Shea and I discuss the implications of pull back injuries, head injuries in horses, and how these can be addressed. We also look at the effects...

01/12/2022

Clinics Announcement: New locations added & finalised for the 2023 clinic schedule:

9 - 10 Aug - Donard, Co Wicklow, Ireland
12-13 Aug - Putte, Netherlands
15-16 Aug - Ingå, Finland
19-20 Aug - Dorres, France

2-3 Dec - Vail, Arizonia USA

The full schedule for 2023 can be viewed in the pinned post on our page 🙂

01/12/2022

Today I had a phone call with Amber Lydic and her Master Class participants where we talked a bit about compassion, emotions, boundaries, intentions, choices and all the things most of us are working on understanding better about ourselves and our horses.

A topic that keeps coming up in my experience with others is a question around how to help your horse when their body is in dysfunction/sick, and how to be a better leader and provider for your horse during that time.

In my experience, horses don’t view leadership the way humans do. To a horse, a leader is safe and compassionate. As a flight animal, safety is at the top of their list.

I believe that before you experience compassion, and before you can truly feel safe within yourself, you must be willing to experience vulnerability and that’s where the disconnect is (I know it is for me, anyway). It’s difficult to be vulnerable, and a lot of conversations I have with horses are around this topic… humans asking their horses to be vulnerable when they are not willing to let their walls down themselves. If you want to be a supportive leader for your horse the best thing you can do is learn to be vulnerable, to be present in your body, and to create a truly safe space for them to follow you into. You must be able to come to them with an understanding that “All is Well.”

All is well… because this is what they believe. This is what they know. Regardless of the diagnosis.

Where it gets tricky is when we worry. Worry introduces resistance into the experience, and often times they have no choice but to be surrounded by that energy. I’m sure you’ve heard stories of people getting a diagnosis, becoming consumed by it, and going downhill shortly after. In my experience, that’s because thoughts become things, and the world around you will match the vibrational frequency you’re putting out.

A lot of times we block our own intuition, and feel, and receptivity with our animals by believing that we are only on the outside looking in. By focusing on their external bodies, or diagnosis, or issues, rather than the essence of who they are, (and who we are together) we block what they’re telling us.

** It’s okay to learn, to help, and to see the problem, but don’t get so wrapped up in the problem that you become the problem.
**
All is Well.

30/11/2022

On the trail I meet a lot of riders that tell me they want to buy a mule for trail riding, hunting, packing, etc. Here are some of the things I find myself saying to them on a regular basis.

1. Mules will always keep you humble.

If you have a big ego and you end up buying a mule, your ego will be knocked down a few notches. Does your mule load into every trailer, no matter what, and do you like to boast about it? Do it in front of someone you just met and watch in disbelief as your mule suddenly forgets how to load. They will take every opportunity to make a fool out of you, so you better have a good sense of humor since you will be the brunt of all their jokes.

2. Mules will always keep you safe… if you can stay on their back, that is.

A lot of people have the misconception of a mule being their 1200-pound babysitter that will keep them from all harm. The thing is, mules are very smart and have a great self-preservation instinct. They DO NOT at any circumstance want to get themselves hurt or to put themselves in a situation where they could die. They will keep themselves safe, whether you’re on their back or not. That includes jumping 30 feet sideways at a potential mule-eating bush, or bolting away at a dead run from an angry water bottle/bicyclist/plastic bag/dog/whatever else could kill them. If you have a really good seat, you may not get hurt, but if you’re a rider getting back into the sport because you’ve been hurt/lost your confidence/lost your stirrups and confidence at the same time, you might be unpleasantly surprised.

A horse will jump off a cliff for you, but a mule will watch as you go plummeting off the edge while he’s sitting high and dry.

3. If you end up getting a mule so you have a pack animal that you can use for hunting, you might be disappointed when that said mule is petrified of the smell of blood.

Some mules will pack anything, some mules will lose their minds when they smell blood. Yes, most of them can be trained eventually to get over this but for the guy/girl that only rides twice a year: one to leg their horse up for hunting season and two for the actual hunt, you might be very frustrated and let down and you might even lose your cool so much that you will have the urge to hunt your mule instead of that deer.

4. Mules are not stubborn.

They are extremely smart and will a lot of times outsmart their owner. If you own a mule you will constantly have to be one step ahead of them and constantly be in a state of trying to outsmart them. It’s like conquering a video game, mastering an instrument or something of the sort to me. Once you figure one out, each one will be easier and easier.

They keep me thinking and always impress me when they outsmart me.

5. Once you figure out your mule and your mule figures out you, you will realize why so many people have mules.

They become extremely loyal and trustworthy and their personalities are so enjoyable. Their surefootedness and brains under saddle will ease you even in the trickiest of trails. They will keep you laughing and bring a smile to your face even if you’re having a terrible day.

28/11/2022

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/3zeF6ChThe history of our country has always been told from the colonizers’ perspective. One mythology is th...

28/11/2022

So True

17/11/2022

I had the tremendous honor earlier this year to attend a dissection here in the states with Sharon May-Davis put on by -soma.com. For me this was a career bucket list experience and overdelivered in so many ways.

Our instructor was a 2013 OTTB who had 26 starts on the racetrack and then did some eventing. After multiple colics, some tough behavior and lameness he was diagnosed with ECVM and became our teacher. What an honor it was to work with these two groups and the pathology that this horse lived with was deeply troubling - besides the 18th rib coming off L1 and raising all kinds of havoc in the lower back this horse had fusion of intertransverse joints ( between L6-L5 ) and other L5-4 ( red stars ). He also had ECVM and fusion of the 1st and 2nd rib. He had large bony callouses on the scapula right where a saddle might be and so on.

The audience was mostly comprised of lay body workers and educators with a few veterinarians- the people who really needed this IMO. When we realized the extraordinary amount of pathology I tried to call in some of the local vets to have a free demonstration. I tried hard to emphasize the gravity of what this horse was trying to show us. Unfortunately I could not get them engaged - ( I consider this resistance to learning things outside the mainstream educational organizations with agendas funded by drug companies to be a huge issue in our profession. )
You don’t know what you don’t know.
Horses don’t have ‘attitudes’

24/07/2022

https://mastersonmethod.com/In 1998, while Jim was grooming horses on the U.S. hunter-jumper show circuit, he noticed while watching physical therapists work...