Riding With Touch

18/09/2022

The equine thoracic sling is a hot topic at the moment, but what exactly is it and what is all the fuss really about?

Unlike us humans; horses (and many other quadrupeds) lack any bony attachment (collar bone) between the forelegs and the thorax (body). Instead, the thorax is suspended between the forelimbs by a ‘sling’ of muscles, known as the ‘thoracic sling’. Exactly which muscles should be included under this term is an area of some debate. In future articles I will take a more detailed look at the most commonly discussed structures; how they should function to aid efficient and healthy locomotion, and how disfunction may be impacting our horses.

The thoracic sling is made up of various muscle groups, these include:
• Muscles of the chest including deep and superficial pectoral muscles
• Muscles of the shoulder including omotransversarius, subscapularis and subclavian
• Muscles of the ribs including ventral Serratus and latissimus dorsi
• Muscles of the wither and upper neck including rhomboid and trapezius
• Muscles of the lower neck including the brachiocephalic and sternomandibular

When conditioned effectively these muscles enable the horse to elevate the thorax (body) independently within the shoulder girdle. This much coveted phenomenon can make the difference between a horse who appears croup high / ‘on the forehand’, and one who floats effortlessly with their withers and back raised, and freedom through the shoulders.

While for some horses this may seem to come naturally, conditioning of the thoracic sling requires regular activation of the correct muscles. Many horses develop poor or weak posture from a young age, this may be due to conformational weaknesses or injury; but I believe that lack of active engagement of the thoracic sling muscles in daily movement is also a significant factor.

Modern management practices often leave horses stood for prolonged periods in stables or small paddocks, with limited variation of terrane and forage. This can result in horses who no longer use their bodies as nature intended; to balance up and down hills, stretch to reach browse nor walk for vast distances in search of food.

Over time muscles which are not regularly used will weaken and atrophy, resulting in overall postural changes and reduced performance. It is therefore essential that we assess the impact modern husbandry may be having on the development of our horses, and consider the implementation of environmental enrichment where ever possible; as these can have a greatly beneficial impact on long term movement patterns and postural development.

The muscles of the thoracic sling enable the forelimbs to move inwards or outwards from the body, shifting the centre of mass or balance from one forelimb to the other. This allows the horse to turn and manoeuvre efficiently at speed and when effectively conditioned, enables the horse to perform lateral movements from a basic leg yield, to the canter half-pass and pirouette.

In addition, these muscles control the movement of the scapula; both forwards and back, up and down (as well as towards and away from the body), while maintaining the integrity of its connection at the wither, absorbing concussive forces from limb impact and (in the case of the thoracic serratus ventralis) storing and returning elastic energy to aid efficient movement. It is therefore of vital importance that the thoracic sling is able to work effectively; without restriction or discomfort.

Regular assessments from a qualified body worker can help pick up any tension or restrictions which may be occurring through the muscles of the thoracic sling. Addressing issues early on will reduce the risk of injury occurring, and enable the horse to build healthy posture and maintain long term soundness.

11/08/2022

11/08/2022

05/08/2022

Enter and you could win this awesome trip.

Automatic entry into the R150 000 holiday giveaway

02/08/2022

Ttouch is magic.

Would you like to know more about your horse's posture, and how it can affect behavior? ❤🐴❤

"The Tellington TTouch respects animals as sentient beings and acknowledges the connection between physical, mental, and emotional balance.

Two common expressions among TTouch instructors are “Change your Mind; Change your Horse/Dog’ and ‘Change the Posture, Change the Behavior”. This seems abstract or perhaps basic however it is telling about how many behaviors are interpreted and how difficult it is to remove a label once it is applied.

This philosophy applies to many species but it is extremely obvious when working with horses.

Many people see and label a horse who crowds their handler as “disrespectful” or just “how they are”. This can also be seen in dogs with undesirable on leash behaviors. Another way to look at this behavior is to consider the issue of balance. Because so many horses are crooked, often on the left shoulder, where they have been lead for centuries, using exercises to improve the horse’s self carriage and balance will often result in a miraculously “respectful’ horse.

A horse that is out of balance physically will often manifest as more emotional, and vice versa. Since it’s difficult to have a horse start counselling sessions on a couch to talk about their fears, it makes much more sense to help improve their physical balance as a means of improving emotional and mental balance.

Improving a horse’s balance, or self-carriage, generally means they feel safer, when they feel safer they can practice self-control, and when they are in self-control they are able to act instead of react to new situations.

This is an example of how the Tellington TTouch Method does not rely on instinct, meaning it’s really not Natural Horsemanship at all, and helps to teach horses how to go beyond their instinctive reflexes and think through situations.

31/07/2022

30/07/2022

Oh course they do

28/07/2022

Centred Riding by Sally Swift is the first book of riding using awareness and imagery that I own. I still refer to many of the teaching in it.
I also have the Ride With Your Mind books and the Connected Riding Ttouch book.
All are so useful in teaching riding lessons, and in my own riding journey.

23/07/2022

Yup, horses are capable and clever.

TOOL USE CONFIRMED IN HORSES

A new German study has confirmed that horses do use tools, however the researchers say this is a rare phenomenon.

Scientists once considered tool use one of the features that set humans apart from other animals and a sign of higher cognitive abilities. A ‘tool’ could be defined as any object manipulated by an animal in order to perform a specific task. Use of a tool can be very simple, for example manipulation of a stick to scratch the animal's back, or an animal waving a stick at another to chase them away.

Tool use has never been shown in horses, but research has found many animals use tools quite adeptly – including birds, elephants, primates, rodents and dolphins.

Equine behaviour scientist Konstanze Krueger and her colleagues have identified 13 unambiguous cases of tool use in equids by twelve horses and one mule. As this subject is difficult to research with conventional methods, the team used crowdsourcing to gather data.

From 635 reports, including 1014 actions, the team found 13 unambiguous cases of tool use. Tool use was associated with restricted management conditions in 12 of the 13 cases, and 8 of the 13 cases involved other equids or humans.

The most frequent tool use, with seven examples, was for foraging, for example, equids using sticks to scrape hay into reach. There were four cases of tool use for social purposes, such as horses using brushes to groom others, just one case of tool use for escape, in which a horse threw a halter when they wished to be turned out, and one case of tool use for comfort, in which a horse scratched his abdomen with a stick.

Krueger said it is important to be aware of possible biases in owner reporting when crowdsourcing. “Collecting data with crowdsourcing methods may introduce biases into the data set. We took care to exclude unreliable or biased reports.” The horses’ current or previous caretakers may have unintentionally reinforced behaviour which may not be obvious to those reporting. “Therefore, we take our findings at face value and provide interpretations that would be appropriate for an unbiased data set.

The team concluded “that horses have the potential to develop behaviour involving tool use, particularly to improve their situation when management conditions are restricted, for example for foraging and improving social contact; however, this remains a rare phenomenon.”

I’m sure we’ve all seen horses that take brushes or feed bowls into their mouths and manipulate them, however for this behaviour to be considered tool use it would need to be used to perform a specific task, without the horse having been trained to do this. Is this something you have seen your horse do?

The study is free to access and very interesting, well worth a read: Krueger, K.; Trager, L.; Farmer, K.; Byrne, R. Tool Use in Horses. Animals 2022, 12, 1876. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12151876

14/07/2022

IS YOUR HORSE USING THEIR FIELD SHELTER MORE IN THIS HEAT?

What are you doing to keep your horse cool in the hot weather? Please ensure they have access to shelter and water at all times. Restricting exercise to the cooler times of the day is vital but you may also consider stopping exercise altogether. Are you making frozen treats for your horse?

This is the time of year when horses tend to use their field shelters the most, have you found your horse using their shelter more at the moment? A study looking at shelter use in horses and donkeys found significant differences between the two species. Donkeys were much more likely than horses to seek out shelter when it was windy, rainy or cold, while horses were more likely to use the shelter on hot sunny days.

Donkeys sought out shelter significantly more often at lower temperatures whereas horses tended to move inside when the temperature rose above 20°C. Donkeys were more affected by precipitation, with the majority of them moving indoors when it rained. Donkeys also showed a higher rate of shelter use when wind speed increased to moderate, while horses remained outside.

Horses appeared to be more affected by insect challenge, moving inside as insect harassment outside increased. There were also significant differences in the use of natural shelter by the two species, with donkeys using natural shelter relatively more often to shelter from rain and wind and horses seeking natural shelter relatively more frequently when sunny. These results reflect donkeys’ and horses’ adaptation to different climates and suggest that the shelter requirements of these two equid species differ, with donkeys seeking additional protection from the elements in temperate climates.

‘Shelter seeking behaviour of donkeys and horses in a temperate climate'. Leanne Proops, Britta Osthaus, Nikki Bell, Sarah Long, Kristin Hayday, Faith Burden. 2019. Journal of Veterinary Behaviour.

12/07/2022

Just putting this here

Showing judges must place overweight horses down the line, it has been said, as joint efforts continue against the equine obesity epidemic. At the Showing Council summer conference on 28 June, the Horse Trust’s Jan Rogers and researcher Tamzin Furtado gave a presentation on their “Weigh to Win.....

11/07/2022

It's the cup of coffee image that works, riders hands are stabilized immediately.

To help you stabilize your hand position...

Imagine that you are holding a coffee mug with two handles and direct your horse’s energy through those handles. Holding the mug helps your hands stay a reasonable distance from one another and work as a unit with your thumbs up. Be sure that you don’t tip the mug or the coffee will spill!—Michelle LaBarre

LaBarre trained at the Reitinstitut Von Neindorff after graduating from college. After returning to the U.S. she met her trainer and mentor Carel Eijkenaar, a student of Georg Theodorescu, who she has worked under for over 15 years. LaBarre operates her business, LaBarre Dressage, LLC, out of Voltra Farm, owned by Carin Mei and located in central New York. She trains horses of all levels and is an active clinician throughout the Northeast.

Illustration by Sandy Rabinowitz

09/07/2022

Just putting it here

06/07/2022

Well worth attending

Aloha friends,

Join Robyn Hood at 10 am PST on Saturday, July 9th with Jillian Kreinbring, to talk about Dynamic Posture, Finding the Balance

Each horse is an individual with specific needs. Jillian’s approach is to support horses in achieving their highest and best. She does this by applying classical principles combined with current knowledge of equine functional anatomy, posture, and psychology. Jillian has committed herself to blend the best of these worlds over several years by studying both past and modern day masters. She is passionate about carrying forth this wisdom.

With a vision to train and ride horses in accordance with sound functional anatomy and posture principles, Jillian Kreinbring's goal is to balance the natural and anatomic forces within and between the horse and human for healthy movement and vital longevity.
To register for the talk Saturday Visit:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_H124NMcyRRi9CNiswyeeLg

As always, this session will be recorded so if you cannot make it live, you can catch the replay in the community library. To access the Tellington TTouch Community Library and join the community visit www.ttou.ch

31/05/2022

Yawning 😮🤭😴😃 is such a great release of tension.