55 Corrective Exercises for Horses. Jec Aristotle Ballou
Читать онлайн книгу.
hill should be adequately sloped so you feel the horse working his way down it, but not so steep that he is scrambling.
3 After 10 or so strides, ask for an abrupt halt transition (fig. 1.6). Be sure the horse stands straight and does not swing his hindquarters to the side.1.6: Diamante learns to flex his hind joints and balance his weight on his hindquarters when I ask him to stop quickly while walking downhill.
4 Stand still for 5 seconds. Then proceed in walk again. Remain perfectly straight.
5 Repeat, walking 10 strides and making an abrupt halt.
When you stop your horse, keep your rein contact. It’s important that he stays in a good posture rather than sticking out his neck or lifting his head. As soon as you ask for the halt, you want him to stop abruptly. This causes him to sink downward with his sacrum and hold the flexion of his hind legs so he can lighten his front end.
EXERCISE 5: Back Up with Good Form
| PURPOSE: | Helps “unlock” the horse’s back. |
Recommended by body therapists as a prime core conditioner, backing up a horse strongly recruits the abdominals and muscles of the flexion chain. Additionally, it stretches and lengthens the flexor tendons and hamstrings, thus allowing the hind legs to swing forward more freely. This result often causes riders to experience it as “unlocking” the horse’s back. For horses with back issues—soreness, stiffness, or kissing spine—it is preferable to perform without weight on the back.
The following tips should be followed for best results.
1 Keep your horse in a correct posture the entire time (fig. 1.7 A). If he lifts and braces his neck, stop moving backward until you can encourage him with your lead to return to a horizontal position (fig. 1.7 B). His head should be on a vertical plane, the same as when you ride.1.7 A: Siobhan keeps Star in good form as she walks her backward. Her topline is round, her front- and hind-stride lengths are equally measured, and she moves backward without restriction.1.7 B: If your horse resists or braces his neck, stop backing up until you can restore his balance and posture.
2 If the horse curls his head toward his chest and overly rounds his neck, stop going backward, draw his chin forward, and restart.
3 The horse must stay straight! If he persistently shifts his hips to one side, place him alongside a fence or wall to hold him in alignment.
4 If the horse drags or scrapes his toes back instead of lifting and stepping back, it is often helpful to back him a few sessions on hard surfaces like pavement. This can awaken his proprioception.
5 Travel backward at least 30 steps per day.
6 The backward steps should be rhythmic, steady, and smooth. Do not rush; faster is not better.
Observe, observe, observe. How the horse backs up tells you a great deal about where in his body he is currently weak or restricted. Does he spread his hind legs wide? Does he take larger steps with one leg? Does he try to hollow his back, or drop his neck too low?
EXERCISE 6: The Schaukel
| PURPOSE: | Strengthens the core and promotes equal use of both hind legs. |
Appearing in high-level dressage competitions, this motion of rocking the horse back and forth is a test—and improvement—of the ring of muscles circling his entire topline, abdominals, and thoracic sling. It vacillates between the muscles needed for propulsion and those for balance and posture. In addition to strengthening the core, it proves immensely useful in equalizing the effort and use of both hind legs.
1 Beginning in a square halt with the horse in a rounded posture on the bit, ride four to six steps backward (fig. 1.8 A).1.8 A: Diamante remains stretching forward to the bit while backing up.
2 Immediately close your legs and walk the horse forward four steps, then halt again (figs. 1.8 B & C).1.8 B & C: I ask Diamante to take one last step backward, while keeping my rein contact steady and my hands closed, preparing to move him forward immediately afterward (B) … and he steps forward with his right hind leg, with which he took the final step backward (C). Here, he shows a nice big step with his hind leg and he remains steady throughout the rest of his body.
3 Ideally, the last hind hoof to step backward in Step 1 is the first to move forward in Step 2.
4 If the horse is not square, take a few steps to square him up. Right away, back up again for four to six steps.
5 Repeat this sequence as long as the horse is staying straight and not tilting sideways.
6 Aim to create the feeling of a carousel horse cycling forward-backward, forward-backward.
Without becoming frenzied, work toward achieving quick responses. You want the horse to step backward brightly and then immediately spring forward. In Step 2, you want him to surge forward promptly when you ask. His movements should be quick and light rather than lumbering or sluggish. If any resistance is encountered, it is best to tune up this movement from the ground.
EXERCISE 7: Backing Up a Hill
| PURPOSE: | Increases mobility in the lumbosacral junction and strengthens muscles of the spine, pectorals, and thoracic sling. |
To increase mobility in the lumbosacral junction while activating the spinal stabilizing muscles, the pectorals, and thoracic sling, handlers can back their horse up a gradual hill. This is contraindicated in the instance of a sacrum injury or arthritis in the back or hocks.
1 Confirm Exercise 5 (see p. 19) first, confirming consistently resistance-free, correct execution.
2 Now seek a gentle gradient such as a driveway, a ramp, or an area of your pasture.
3 Request that the horse maintains the same horizontal balance described in Exercise 5 (fig. 1.9 A).1.9 A: Star shows a little instability by pushing her head and neck outward away from her body for balance, and her hind legs are a little too far under the body. This will cause her to use her gluteal muscles more than her quadriceps and biceps femoris, which are preferred.
4 Begin by backing up 10 steps. Assess how it felt.
5 If the horse manages without stress or fidgeting or throwing himself sideways, it is optimal to perform at least 20 steps.
6 If it is challenging to perform 10 steps, start with fewer until good form is established (fig. 1.9 B).1.9 B: On a less steep slope, she manages better and carries herself in nice balance and relaxation.
fit tip
Deep, loose footing can increase the workload by 50 percent to a horse that has not adapted to it. Hard footing, on the other hand, can be concussive to sore joints or arthritic conditions. But it can actually be good for occasional use to strengthen bones when there are no preexisting conditions to consider and you limit schooling to 20 minutes or less.
This exercise can require initiation time. Many horses first balk more from lack of confidence in this unnatural maneuver than from reasons of physical shortcomings. Spend a moment discerning whether he struggles from wariness mentally about what is being asked or from physical difficulty. If the former applies, it behooves you to work through and gain his confidence so you can benefit from this productive exercise.
EXERCISE 8: Backing Down a Hill