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Starting
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Holding
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Cold Weather
Warm Up
Expect
the Unexpected, 1
Expect
the Unexpected, 2
Bad Attitude
Horse of
a Better Color?
Power of
Exercise
Importance
of the Herd
Bath Time
Even Up
Choosing
a Martingale
Showmanship
A Good Night's Sleep
Alternative Therapies, Part One
|
Alternative Therapies
and Horse Training
Part Two
Doris Eraldi
(read Part One)
When a horse begins training, it is much like us beginning
an exercise program. There will likely be a certain amount
of aches and pains as the muscles become used to the new
movements and work. While we can rationalize (“No Pain,
No Gain!”) and take action to address our own sore
muscles, the horse cannot. If the horse’s level of
soreness becomes persistent, then he will likely try to do
something to alleviate it – and unfortunately for us
riders his attempt to avoid the painful situation might lead
to behavior that we’d rather not have.
I find that the three most common soreness situations involve
the upper neck, the lower back, and the rib cage area. A
horse with tight, sore muscles in the first third of his
neck (behind the ears) will often resist bending in response
to light cues on the reins, or might lean into the bit or
refuse to give. This is both the most common soreness, and
one of the easiest to identify. Standing on the ground next
to the horse, use the pads of your fingers to palpate or
rub along the top of the neck, starting a few inches behind
the ear and about 2 to 4 inches down from the root of the
mane. A horse with sore muscles in this area will often flinch
away from firm pressure. You may also feel a “rope” of
tight muscles running down the neck parallel to the mane.
Starting at the top near the ear, gently massage the sore
area. Often you will be able to feel the muscles relax – the “rope” will
soften, and the horse will lower his head, and sigh or lick
and chew. Massage the area for 2 to 4 minutes and then repeat
on the other side. Sometimes one side will be definitely
more sore than the other, and often this horse will turn
one way just fine but resist the other side. When the horse
is relaxed try riding again, with the motive to keep the
neck relaxed. Bitting a horse up, using severe training aids,
or demanding long periods of flexing work can contribute
to the muscle soreness. Especially with young horses, break
up the training session often and allow the horse to walk
on a loose rein so that he can stretch and relieve the tension
that comes from working on the bit.
A horse that hollows his back away from the pressure of
the saddle may be sore in either the lower back area (lumbar
and sacrum) or throughout the rib cage. Soreness in the rib
cage often results in cinchiness and holding the breath.
These horses will often resist moving forward freely, or
move with short strides. Before saddling your horse, run
your hand under the girth area, and encourage him to raise
his back by tickling or pinching the skin. When he lifts
his back, quickly smooth the girth area with a gentle stroke – a
reward for raising his back. Most of my horses learn to raise
their back a bit when I stroke the girth area, and I repeat
this again when I begin to girth up, and when I remove the
girth after the ride. With a sensitive colt, be sure to girth
up slowly and give him time to take a breath before leading
him away or mounting up. If he is holding his breath, try
acupressure or stroking the front of the chest (about where
the breast collar crosses) until he is breathing normally
again. Proper saddle fit, girthing technique and having adequate
padding (saddle pad) can greatly help avoid rib cage pain.
Pain in the lower back generally comes from the horse having
to work while carrying a rider when his back and abdominal
muscles are not sufficiently toned. Developing strong topline
muscling takes time – years – and often the young
horse in training is asked to learn more advanced moves than
he is truly conditioned for. When the back becomes sore the
horse will move away from the pressure of the saddle, raising
his neck and not bringing the hindquarters up underneath
himself. Try to include under-saddle exercises that specifically
strengthen the target muscles – the topline and abdominals.
Free-moving forward walk and trot on loose reins, encouraging
the horse to step up as he strides forward, and as he gains
strength asking for him to trot with his neck lowered can
all help build up this important muscle area. The back lifts
described above are helpful for this too, and you can do
a similar “lift” exercise farther back to encourage
the horse to raise his lower back – but be careful!
Many horses are sensitive about touch to the belly or flanks
and will kick. For horses who are suffering from lower back
pain, I like pelvic tilts. Standing directly behind the horse,
place your hands under the bony knobs of the horse’s
butt bones and the push up and forward until he arches his
back upwards, then release. Sometimes a gentle pinch will
be more effective. I will do this exercise several times,
while grooming, walking around to the other side when saddling,
and again when removing the saddle. The motion seems to relieve
much of the stress and tension that develops in the sore
area.
When working with your horse, be aware of the signs of developing
muscle soreness. A horse that is grumpy about heading to
the arena, cinchy when girthed up, or that clenches his jaws
might be trying to tell you that he is anticipating an uncomfortable
situation. Under saddle, he might hollow his back, raise
his neck and move forward with tight, short strides. Stiffness
or refusal to bend the neck is also a common clue. If you
suspect that your horse is becoming sore from work, address
the situation right away; a horse that begins to “know” that
being ridden will be uncomfortable might take further action – bucking,
balking, or running off – to avoid it. If he is successful,
the behavior could become ingrained enough to be a long term
problem.
Doris
Eraldi of Eraldi Training in Potter Valley, trains horses
and riders of all ages. She specializes in Pleasure,
Showmanship and Equitation events. She can be contacted
at 707-743-1337, or by e-mail dyan@eraldi.net.
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