Inner Soul Equine - Gilly Prime MMCP

18/07/2024

Our horses are not being naughty, they are asking for help. Please listen to them

21/05/2024

Inner Soul Equine- -Gilly Prime
Masterson Method Certified Practitioner Bodyworker
Straightness Trainer Instructor

If you need help with your horse, feel free to contact me
Ask as many questions as you like

03/11/2022

14/08/2022

21/05/2022

This would save alot of stress to the horses and an easy way to check

19/05/2022

Are Ground Poles Really Effective?? 💈🐎

STUDY DEMONSTRATES EFFECTIVENESS OF GROUND & RAISED POLES IN TRAINING & REHAB

Walking over poles is a commonly employed training and rehabilitation tool- but how effective are they really? Researchers set out to understand the effect of ground poles on equine locomotion, particularly joint range of motion.

A recent study assessed the effect of ground poles and raised poles on limb kinematics and poll, wither, and pelvic range of motion at the walk. Researchers hypothesized that walking over poles would increase joint range of motion but have no effect on poll, wither and pelvic range of motion compared to no poles.

41 horses were walked in-hand over no poles, ground poles and raised poles in a crossover design. Limb kinematics were determined via motion capture (240Hz). Poll, wither, and other aspects of range of motion range of motion were determined by inertial motion units.

The study determined that walking over both ground poles and raised poles increased limb-joint range of motion and increased poll range of motion, through increased swing flexion, compared to no poles.

In summary, walking poles appear to be effective at increasing joint range of motion via an increase in mid swing flexion, without vertical excursion of the trunk, compared to normal locomotion.

Given that this is a key early rehabilitation and training goal for many horses it supports the use of poles for these purposes.

Reference: V.A. Walker, C.A. Tranquillle, R. MacKechnie-Guire, J Spear, R. Newton, R.C. Murray,
Effect of ground and raised poles on kinematics of the walk,
Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, 2022.

28/04/2022

Great picture

Pretty cool diagram

31/01/2022

HEADSTRONG!!! - Equine CranioSacral Therapy addresses the horse’s whole body, and can be learned by anyone - Article by Maureen Rogers and featured in Equine Wellness Magazine.

This energy-based modality uses light finger pressure to address the horse’s whole body. Equine craniosacral therapy addresses the horse’s whole body, and can be learned by anyone.
Did you know your horse’s head could hold the key to his wellness? Equine CranioSacral is one of the only therapies that addresses the whole body, but uniquely including the head or cranium of the horse – which, when out of balance, affects the whole body. And it’s growing in acceptance and popularity in the horse community.
Follow this link to read the full article
https://www.equinecraniosacral.com/.../2013-05-head...

Maureen Rogers is a pioneer and leading expert in the field of Equine CranioSacral therapy work. She founded an extensive, international education program - Equine CranioSacral Workshops - in 1999. Maureen travels internationally to teach, lecture and provide private consultations. She has also produced two DVDs: Hope for Headshaking - A CranioSacral Approach to Equine Health, and Conformation vs Posture Myths Unveiled.

Equine CranioSacral Workshops are offering workshops throughout USA, UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Registrations include additional extra online classes at no extra cost.
Our NEW ECS1 online Zoom classes for students registered for our 2022 workshops starts February 7th at 9am Amsterdam time. For other locations check your local time
https://www.timeanddate.com/

For our full 2022 workshop schedule and further information visit our website at www.equinecraniosacral.com
Or contact us via email at [email protected]

22/01/2022

Someone just asked “why do so many riders have anterior pelvic tilt?”

1.) Because so many humans have anterior pelvic tilt! We sit soooo much. Stretch those hip people! Do yoga or Pilates and get in a little cardio!

2.) Because the psoas is “the fear muscle” and it closes the hip angle when we are scared. It’s involuntary. When we get tense, the hip angle closes, which causes anterior pelvic tilt.

3.) Because people start out with crappy instruction. The students I start from scratch are not near as prone to it. The first two exercises I do are….
a.) Standing up and open. This rewrites some wiring on our brain to teach the body how to sink down and close the ankle joint, while opening the hip joint, and
b.) Chair seat. Yup. I start riders in chair seat. We all tend to struggle with opening the hip- we are not going to magically fix that on a horse. So if we sit in a chair seat it puts the pelvis into a correct position, even if it does have the leg way too far forward. People say a chair seat is when the pelvis is tucked too far under, but in reality, in a chair seat, the pelvis is often correct, but since the hip angle is still closed, it puts the leg out in front. Too many poopy instructors are so obsessed with getting the leg back and under, that they have no idea that they are totally ruining the rider’s ability to sit down and plugged in, and really move through their hips.

16/11/2021

The Immune and the Nervous system work together to tell our brain about the tissue environment, this is called the Tripartite System.

Astrocytes, a type of Glial Immune cell, wrap themselves around pre and postsynaptic neurons.

Glial cells are considered the equivalent of fascia within the nervous system.

When there is a tissue injury, Astrocytes respond by releasing pro-inflammatory cytokines into the synaptic cleft, such as interleukin 6 (IL-6) and Tumour Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF alpha) causing a facilitatory effect sensitising the nervous system resulting in the experience of pain.

In normal circumstances, this facilitatory effect is a natural response to tissue injury resulting in Hyperalgesia (increased sensitivity) and Allodynia (perception of non-noxious stimuli as noxious) as a protective mechanism. This tells us to protect the injury, slow down and take time out to heal.

However, when nerves are damaged and release increasing amounts of neurotransmitters (Sub P. and CGRP) into the synaptic cleft, Astrocytes respond and release pro-inflammatory cytokines resulting in general tissue inflammation and the perception of pain despite the absence of a tissue issue.

During prolonged stress and the continual activation of the fight and flight response, the Sympathetic Nervous System releases Adrenalin and Noradrenalin into the bloodstream. Astrocytes detect vasodilation and release pro-inflammatory cytokines and neurotransmitters into the synaptic cleft sensitising the nervous system (Tripartite System). This results in the experience of pain in the absence of a tissue issue.

A 2010 study on Myofascial Release showed that light and sustained pressure regulated cytokine production if techniques were held for 3-5 minutes. (Meltzer et al. 2010). (Limitations, In-vitro)

MFR can help to regulate stress and anxiety which can reduce tissue inflammation and the experience of pain.

Train with MFR UK.

Meltzer, K.R., Cao, T.V., Schad, J.F., King, H., Stoll, S.T., and Standley, P.R. 2010. In vitro modeling of repetitive motion injury and myofascial release. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies 14(2): 162-171.

20/10/2021

After seeing multiple videos posted by various breeders bragging about their 2 ½ year olds/recently turned 3 year olds and sharing videos of them cantering around in the arena, I have decided to once again circulate the below article.

First of all, breeders *should* have the knowledge to understand a horse’s fragile and slow maturing musculoskeletal system. Breeders should not condone their own horses let along anyone’s horses being cantered around under saddle at an incredibly young age. Period. This sets a terrible example and is quite honestly animal abuse. Just because a horse does not object does not mean it is right. And quite frankly, most of the videos posted show animals that are already in pain or developing pain…

As breeders, we should strive to produce healthy and sound animals. We should promote horsemanship that produces long term soundness. No, starting a horse later does not guarantee soundness. But it certainly helps.

I am a firm believer in scientifically backed approaches to horsemanship. You can’t argue with science that has been proven time and time again. Let’s dispel some stupid rumors:

1. There is no such thing as a (skeletally) slow maturing horse or one that is fast maturing. No horse is skeletally mature before the age of 6. And that is on the low estimate for age.

2. Growth plates are not just in the knee. Every bone behind the skull has a growth plate. Not every single one needs to be converted to bone before starting. There is a schedule of when bone fuses…this is the information needed to know when to start a horse. Not their outward appearance. It is a known fact that during growth, proprioceptive awareness can regress, greatly increasing the risk of injury.

3. Starting a horse is not the same thing as riding a horse. Starting a horse does not mean cantering it 3-4 days a week in an arena.

4. Injecting a horse that is in pain does not mean you fixed a problem. You masked it.

5. You can build correct muscle and teach a horse how to move their body from the ground. This creates a solid foundation to work from once your horse is ready to actually be backed. Teach a horse to use its body correctly before backing and you’ll save yourself a lot of vet bills down the line.

Hocks are “late” for maturity. The growth plates on the tibial and fibular tarsals do not fuse until a horse is 3-3 ½. Ever wonder why so many horses seem to have hocks issues?? Horses need to learn to carry themselves and their own weight well before adding a rider.

The growth plates that are LAST to close are at the base of the neck. This area is where we ask a horse to raise the base of their neck and come round. If under too much stress, the growth plates can fracture or be permanently damaged.

There are DOZENS of activities you can do with a young horse to build healthy muscular development. None of them involve a saddle or your weight on their back. Teaching a horse to carry themselves correctly BEFORE adding a rider is essential and cannot be done in a week. A 2 ½ year old horse is a baby. Mentally and physically. We see far too many injured performance horses at VERY young ages - broken down and/or sour from work. It’s wrong. Period. They need slow and steady work and need time to recover from even the slightest of injuries.

PLEASE, if you are considering when you should start your horse and what that work load should look like, please read the below. There are some wonderful things you can do with your young developing horse. Please don’t rush a year out of greed.

http://www.equinestudies.org/ranger_2008/ranger_piece_2008_pdf1.pdf

25/09/2021

Inner Soul Equine - Gilly Prime (MMCP) Masterson Method Certified Practitioner Bodyworker.
The Masterson Method uniquely improves the horses comfort and proformance.
It is a unique form of Equine Bodywork that uses the nervous system to relieve tension in all junctions of the body.
Tension is reduced in deep core and postural muscles releasing restricting tension in the poll, neck, shoulders, withers, back, sacroiliac, and the legs.
When your horse is physically able to succeed in what you are asking of him, training is easier and less frustrating for you and your horse.
For further information or to book an appointment, please message me on Facebook

09/09/2021

09/09/2021

🤔Why don’t humans wear METAL shoes?

Ok this might sound a bit ridiculous because we can’t actually nail metal shoes permanently to our feet... but why do we wear rubber soled shoes and boots and not metal?

What would happen if we tried to walk or run with metal covering the bottom of our shoes?

We wouldn’t feel at all SAFE. 😳

Obviously.

We would be forced to acknowledge that the metal was slippy, non forgiving, unable to flex as we walked.

Do human athletes wear metal on their feet to ‘improve’ performance? 🧐

Of course not, that would be universally recognised as silly.

Oak we’re not comparing horse to human foot anatomy here...

… we’re comparing the EFFECT of the metal to our anatomy.

What would wearing non forgiving, non flexing, hard metal shoes do to our bodies? 🧐

As humans, if we were to wear metal shoes, we would experience a definite immediate IMPACT on our joints and soft tissues throughout our bodies, and anything above a walk would be treacherous.

We would change our gait to compensate.... unnaturally so.

And yet... for some reason.... we feel this is totally acceptable for horses.😔

We have CONVINCED ourselves it’s absolutely fine to nail a shoe to an organic structure, and them completely ignore the negative outcomes.

We justify it over and over.

It’s called cognitive dissonance.

Gone should be the days when people believed that because horses had hooves which were ‘hard’, then a shoe of metal wouldn’t be much different.

It would ‘PROTECT’.

But that shoe of metal, nailed onto the hoof, stops it FLEXING, expanding and working properly, and now we know, without a shadow of a doubt, it causes pathology in hooves, and their bodies.

The evidence is absolutely everywhere. 😱

The fact that we even feel horses need shoes to ‘help’ the horse is a STARK REMINDER of how the domestic world is failing horses by not acknowledging that the reason we use them, is because WE have created the sore foot.

We have FAILED in our understanding that a sore footed horse is our creation not theirs.

We constantly tell ourselves untruths, to justify our narrative.

Eg. A horse ‘needs’ shoes or it’s crippled and that’s cruel.

But why is it crippled?

A horse is a flight animal, and movement and running are paramount to their very existence.

A natural bare hoof has PROPRIOCEPTION... it feels the ground and sends vital feedback to the rest of the body.

Horses are very careful where they place their feet and legs.

They are their biggest asset for getting them out of danger.⚠️

If you are in any doubt about this, watch horses take time to walk around areas they’re not sure about.

They need to FEEL the ground.

It is widely acknowledged that shoes cause horses to SLIP.

So what do us humans do?

We use studs.

Often only on one side of the shoe🤷‍♀️, causing even further disruption to the vital natural form and function of the hoof.

Put on a slippy object... then add something to try and stop it slipping.

Hmmm 🤔

Shoes HARM horses. Period. They are metal.

We have the evidence.

If we wore metal shoes 24/7, how long do you think it would be before we started to feel the seriously painful effects?

The ATROPHY of our soft tissues over time.

And the continual damage to our joints from constant, unyielding concussion.

If you don’t believe it… think of why there has been an unprecedented rise of the massage therapist and body workers.

Horses are broken everywhere.

Horses feel it. There is not one single shod horse on this planet that is not experiencing the NEGATIVE effect of the metal shoe.

Not one single horse.

But because horses can’t ‘talk human’ we don’t ‘hear’ it. But those who know how to read BODY LANGUAGE can SEE it!

Shoes are nailed onto the foot. The foot grows CONTINUALLY, so immediately it is applied, the shoe is working against, not with, the hoof.

And yet even though we know all of the above... we still shoe horses with metal and nails.

Saying that it helps horses, and is a kinder option than letting them walk on their own feet.

Really? 😳

If we walked around with metal on the soles of our shoes for long, we’d experience a huge lack of confidence and the painful REALITY of the devastating impact it would have on our bodies... and minds.

It would soon negatively impact our behaviour and our MENTAL HEALTH.

That’s why we wear rubber soled shoes and boots. Because frankly, metal would be RIDICULOUS.

So if you’re going to put hoof protection on a horse, why would you even contemplate metal over a flexible, forgiving, shock absorbing, hoof boot?

Or better still, give the horse the ability to grow its own healthy, sound hooves. Free of pain. Free of pathology.

The EXCUSES can only go on for so long. 🙊🙉🙈

Here at this magazine, we don’t make any excuses, because we believe in empowering owners to give horses their own hooves back 💪

Issue 31 OUT NOW!

👉ISSUE 31 IN PRINT or DIGITAL👉https://bit.ly/BHMIssue31

👉or SUBSCRIBE and never miss an issue👉http://bit.ly/ANNUALsub

Metal shoes WILL be obsolete one day... why not help your horse sooner rather than later!

The BHM Team ❤️

08/08/2021

A stretch is not just simply moving a part of the body from A to B and back to A. It is the careful repositioning of a body part from neutral (A) gently to correctly mobilised (B), held for 10-15 seconds before a controlled return back to neutral (A).

A common stretch that is struggled with is a lateral cervical mobilisation stretch. In the left photo you can see the stretch being incorrectly carried out, with the tilting of the head and neck to get the treat without stretching the muscles of the top of the neck and poll region.

In the right photo, the ears remain vertical to the ground and you can see a clear stretch of the muscles around the body of the handler.

If you are using stretches for your horse, ensure your physiotherapist has seen you conduct them to make sure the desired result is being achieved. ✨

Vet Physio Phyle
📍Surrey, Hampshire, Berkshire, West Sussex
💻 www.vetphysiophyle.co.uk

03/08/2021

06/07/2021

17/06/2021

***Headshaking in horses***
Join us for a live webinar presented by European & RCVS Specialist in Equine Internal Medicine, Dr Veronica Roberts, whose research into headshaking is world leading. Veronica will cover what is known about trigeminal-mediated headshaking in the horse and and highlight what isn’t yet known. She’ll also look at what to do if your horse starts headshaking. To register, go to: https://bit.ly/2RQJRlq
We are also delighted to announce that from 1st July, Veronica will be available to carry out full investigations of headshakers at the B&W Equine Hospital, followed by treatment if appropriate.

15/06/2021

This is so true and needs to be taken into consideration all the time

Posture----Conformation
Posture----Training
Posture---Bodywork
Posture---Pain
Posture---Enviroment
Posture---Feet
Posture---Teeth
Posture---Rider
Posture---Natural Assymtry
Posture---Tack
Posture---Owner

We all know that correct posture is essential for things to be easier for the horse in day to day life, but you can see from the small list above that it is essential that everything and everyone is on board to help the horse.

And what may be correct for one horse may not be right for another, as anatomy and injury can influence the list above.

But each section in the list needs to be addressed as a whole or else like a domino effect one aspect will influence another

As a therapist I will ask about each of the above list as for me I need to know at what stage I am entering the horses phase of training, and then throughout we can keep assessing and see what may need adjusting as time goes on.
Pictures are a great diary of how things are changing (or not changing) and often can see things what we may miss as we can look back in them.

But it takes a team to make it work and everyone in that team needs to be achieving the same goal

Horses come first
I am just a link in a chain

10/06/2021

05/06/2021

This is just the same for horses

Your tongue acts as a rudder and support system through a fascial line that runs right down to your toes!

In nearly all my patients, I see poor tongue posture, and the links to bad spinal posture, breathing, and other issues are felt right throughout the body.

The simplest way we can see how the tongue is so influential is how it supports proper head posture. When the tongue is down and forward, forward head posture and mouthbreathing occurs.

Over time this associates with a narrow jaw, crooked teeth, and sleep disorders.

But… you guessed it, as always the mouth is a gateway for so many other systems in the body.

The tongue is an extremely complex muscular and fascial rudder system.

It guides all the structures of the myofascial continuity that runs from the inner arch of the foot all the way up through the middle of the body to the tongue and jaw muscles.

Isn’t that amazing?

Actually the tongue is potentially more important for core stability than turning on your actual core.

Our core begins deep under the arch with the insertions of the tendons from the lower leg, especially tibialis posterior.

To find its insertion, feel just under the inside arch of the foot, just underneath and forward of protrusion of the navicular bone you can feel a bit over an inch in front of your tibial malleolus on the inside of your ankle.

This point will respond to a soft-but-energy-rich touch that is held, and also to a more firm and direct fascial release. Pressing here can make a flow of feeling run up the fascial line.

So for better core support, spinal, hip and leg strength, you need to work on your tongue posture.

During exercise practice sealing the tongue to the roof of the mouth, this turns on the fascial rudder to the toes. It takes time and you need to work on making the BACK of the tongue connect to the soft palate. More on this to come.

29/05/2021

29/05/2021

23/05/2021

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗢𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲?

Written by Caroline Larrouilh, ProudHorse Connections

Here is how Manolo Mendez explains how a well horse feels to his students:

"A well horse's flesh looks and feel like a round and full orange with fresh pulp bursting with juice and energy. It is plump and elastic and it has a shine that comes from within, a healthy glow."

What does it mean?

If a horse's body looks and feel like an old orange, greyed and shrunken by dehydration and time, the juice long evaporated, leaving behind dried up fiber, the muscles are no longer getting good blood flow, oxygen and energy.

These muscles wont work very well, they will tire and tear more easily, and when you touch them, they will be lackluster, dull, dry, flatish or hard and the horse will avoid being touched or stand stoically, waiting for the hand to move away.

𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗷𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗻𝗲, 𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲. 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘁𝘆, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝘆.

Horses want to please us and if a horse refuses to work for us, we have to consider that he may be in pain, does not understand what is asked of him, or is physically not able to deliver.

Manolo stated that he has ridden thousands of horses over fifty five + years, and I can count on the fingers of one hand the times he met a horse who truly did not want to work because of his character.

However, he could count many times over the horses who he found to be in pain, sore, or confused.

The more we work with horses the more we learn that muscles and bones do not lie and neither does the horse.

In the past, we have talked on this page about how "Touch Means You are Not Alone" and what touch communicates to our horses, how it can:

💠 Soothe
💠 Calm
💠 Reassure
💠 Encourage
💠 Welcome
💠 Shelter

but also:

💠 Reward
💠 Vitalize

𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝗕𝗢𝗡𝗗 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗖𝗧 𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿.

By the same token, when you touch your horse carefully and pay attention to how the muscles feel under your hand:

💠 Soft
💠 Knotty
💠 Stringy
💠 Hot
💠 Cold
💠 Clammy
💠 Jelly-like
💠 Wood-like
💠 Alive/Present
💠 Dead/Dull

you get all kinds of clues about how his body and mind feels.

💠 Does your horse flinch?
💠 Pin his ears?
💠 Turn to look at you with curiosity?
💠 Lean into or away from you?
💠 Does his eye soften, dulls or winces?
💠 Does his breath catch or deepen
💠 Does he refuse the bit and move away from the saddle?
💠 Does he move around the mounting block even after years of training?
💠 Does he look around with interest or is he shut down?

Do you enjoy touching him? or are you wary and worried you are about to be bitten or kicked? A part of you always on the lookout.

Are there parts of your horse that are routinely not easy for you to touch?

💠 His poll for example or girth area?
💠 Is there a leg he wont give you?
💠 Does his back drop sharply to his ribs or is it lined with plump long and round muscles?
💠 Does he let you lift and move his tail around or clamps it down sharply?

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲'𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗮𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁?

What does how much or little he/she allows you to handle him/her mean?

𝗔 𝗳𝗲𝘄 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗳𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲. 𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱.

To learn how to develop a well muscled, supple and balanced horse you can purchase a streaming version of Manolo Mendez three hour introduction to in-hand work DVD and start watching now.

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/inhandlessonswithmanolo

PS: This handsome horse belongs to Robin and Stefan who did a phenomenal job of bringing him back into wellness and trust.

© Caroline Larrouilh, ProudHorse Connections 2013

16/05/2021

Why is your horse difficult to shoe?
Is it a sign of pain?

Similar to Dysons ethogram, Mannsman et al. (2011) suggested a pain ethogram for the shoeing process. The study expressed that the behaviours can be the result of bad training, improper handling, or the recall of past pain/punishment but its findings correlated with Dyson and concluded that pain must be considered first!

When shoeing horses we can be asking them to make unnatural body compensations to facilitate our work. The image below shows how shoeing the hinds can affect all the way along the dorsal myofascial line. Horses presenting with pathology along that line will struggle. A common "behaviour" can be hopping around, also snatching or slamming the leg down. Something I have experienced often in horses presenting with negative plantar angles. However, often these horses can have great feet and we are experiencing the effects of higher pain.

Very often the amount of difficulty can be proportionate to how poor the feet are, as they improve with remedial farriery the signs of pain reduce.
In the meantime simple considerations can be made. A horse with very thin soles or pr*****ed frogs, leave the opposite shoe on and do one foot at a time, for example.

As farriers we are well placed to note these "behaviours" as possible early signs of otherwise unrecognised discomfort, or even reactions to obvious poor hoof conformation. Not label the horse as "bad"!

In my experience, and supported by Mannsman et al. (2011) these behaviours desist with the improvement of the feet or higher issues.
Horses, in general, are genuine animals. Recognising pain in the horse is an obligation for anyone working with them and mentioning shoeing observations can be the first step in saving horses from unrecognised higher issues.

Further reading at this link..
https://www.theequinedocumentalist.com/post/recognising-pain-in-the-horse

12/05/2021

05/05/2021

Unlike humans, horses are designed to run on a full stomach. Feeding your horse 2-3L of chaff or a biscuit of hay prior to exercise has two benefits :
1️⃣ The chaff will form a ball of feed in the stomach, which will help prevent acid from splashing up from the lower part of the stomach to cause gastric ulcers.
2️⃣ Blood is normally diverted away from the stomach during exercise, which reduces some of its normal protective mechanisms. Research has shown that feeding your horse before exercise actually reduces the amount of blood that is shunted away from the stomach and also increases the amount of blood delivered to the skeletal muscles and muscles of the chest. So not only are you helping to protect the stomach, you also might be improving your horse’s performance.
For more information : http://ow.ly/CfYy50Dmwnh

30/04/2021

Why we should ride young horses forward and down...

It is a commonly accepted training principle that we should encourage young horses to have a low head carriage. But why is this?

The muscles of the horses back are still immature at 3,4 and even at 5 years old. This is a combination of being developmentally (age related), and physically immature, in the sense that they lack the muscle condition which comes from years of training-induced exercise. Of course the maturity of their muscles will come naturally with time, and as we work them through groundwork and under saddle. But how can we get to this point, while protecting these fundamentally weak muscles and avoiding musculoskeletal injuries further down the line?

By utilising the passive ligament mechanism, we can allow the horse to support the back and carry the weight of the rider with very little muscular effort. This allows the epaxial muscles of the back to be free to perform their primary functions in movement, rather than acting as weight lifters.

The passive ligament system of the back is primarily composed of, well ligaments, the nuchal and supraspinous ligament to be exact.

The nuchal ligament is a strong, collagenous structure, originating at the extensor process of the occiput (the back of the skull), forming attachments to the cervical vertebrae, before inserting on the spinous process of the fourth thoracic vertebrae. Here the nuchal ligament broadens in the region of the withers, before continuing as the supraspinous ligament running along the top of the spinous processes of the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae and terminating in the sacral region of the spine.

This creates an inverse relationship between the position of the head and neck and the balance between flexion and extension of the spine.

Generally speaking, lowering the head induces flexion in the thoracic region (the back is lifted) and conversely, raising the head creates extension in the thoracic region (the back hollows/drops). This is because the elongation of the strong and elastic nuchal ligament created when the head is lowered, creates a forward traction on the high spinous processes of the withers, and travels through the supraspinous ligament to lift the thoracic region of the spine. Comparatively, shortening of the ligament raises the head.

This system has provided an evolutionary advantage to the horse, as while they are grazing, the weight of the thorax and abdomen is supported passively by the ligament with very little muscular effort over long periods of time (up to the 16-19 hours per day they can spend grazing in the wild). Equally, because of the stored elastic potential energy in the liagement when it is stretched for the head to be at ground level, the horse can quickly raise its head to gallop away at the first sign of a predator.

Furthermore, lowering of the head and neck, stretching downwards and forwards, straightens out the natural S curve of the horse's spine. This lifts the bottom of the S curve, the cervico-thoracic junction and the ribcage, which creates lightness in the forequarters when the horse is moving. Further back, flexion in the thoracic region, increases the spacing between the dorsal spinous processes as the most dorsal aspect of the spine is stretched out. This posture is particularly therapeutic for horses with kissing spines.

In fact, the degree of flexion of the back is most marked between the 5th and 9th thoracic vertebrae, but is also significant between the 9th and 14th. Consequently, the arching and lifting of the back takes place directly under the saddle and therefore works to support the rider.

This is particularly useful in young horses; it allows the young horse, whose muscles are not mature enough to carry the rider, the chance to support its back and lift the weight of the rider by moving the head-neck axis rather than using active muscle contraction.

This means that the horse can use its muscles solely for movement; creating a loose, swinging back, free of tension, and suppleness in the gait.

Here we have the opportunity for us to slowly develop and condition the epaxial musculature of the young horse. Which will create a foundation of strength and suppleness of the back and the core to support more advanced movements later in their career.

Comparatively, if this system is not used, and the young horse is pulled into a shortened outline, it is the Longissimus Dorsi muscle which takes up the role of supporting the weight of the rider. But theLongissimus Dorsi is not designed for weight carrying, it is primarily a movement muscle.

Muscles act in the direction through which their fibres flow; the Longissimus Dorsi works in the horizontal plane, originating in the sacral and lumbar region of the spine and inserting through the lumbar, thoracic and ending in the cervical region. The Longissimus Dorsi primarily acts to extend and stabilise the entire spine, while also acting unilaterally to induce lateral flexion of the back. You can see the Longissimus Dorsi in action when watching a horse moving from above; the large muscle contracts alternately on each side of the back in the rhythm of the gait to stabilise the movement.

Once the Longissimus Dorsi is required to lift the weight of the rider, the muscle becomes blocked and stiff. Muscles are designed to work through a process of contraction and relaxation; held too long in contraction (to carry the weight of a rider, or support a shortened outline) and the Longissimus Dorsi will fatigue. This will lead to muscle spasm and pain within the muscle. Not only will the horse lose the strength to carry the rider, but they will also lose the natural elasticity of the back which will reduce the fluidity of their gaits.

Over time with greater overuse and fatigue, the Longissimus Dorsi muscle will atrophy, requiring the recruitment of other muscles, such as the Iliocostalis, to take up the role of stabilising the back and supporting the weight of the rider. Other muscles which are equally not designed for weight lifting. And so the cycle continues and the performance of the horse suffers.

With this knowledge in mind, we can understand why it is so essential to make use of the passive ligament system, by striving for that forward and down head carriage. Furthermore, that we also allow our young horses regular breaks, working on a loose rein to allow our horse to come out of the outline, stretch out, and reduce the risk of fatigue.

I always marvel at the intricately designed systems of energy conservation to create efficiency in the horse's way of going. It is our role as a rider to have an awareness of and make use of these systems; to allow our horses to go in the most efficient and beneficial way for them possible, upholding their standard of welfare.

Image credit: Tug of War, Gerd Heuschmann