equine pemf therapy, massage & mindful horsemanship
Exhibiting some stringhalt-like flexion, but without any other indicators of stringhalt, and maybe even some toe-drag, but an otherwise normal-behaving stifle? Look for the peculiar dent/abnormality in the musculature of the hamstrings that can reveal scar tissue below the surface. A google search for “hamstring tear” solved the mystery surrounding the “hitch” of my newest …
Roughly 45 percent of a horse’s total body weight is muscle, responsible for powering locomotion and movement while distributing force and absorbing shock. When the weight of a rider, application of tack, and demands of training are factored in, an enormous amount of stress is placed on the biolocomotive systems, compromising the efficacy of muscular …
“If your arms are tired, you’re riding wrong.” Saying or hearing that phrase can be how you make enemies at the barn, but there are better ways of controlling speed than by pulling. It may seem like the only solution at the time, but whether your horse is constantly pulling against you to drag his nose in the dirt, or you are pulling on them to slow them down, once you fall into the trap of tugging, it can be a difficult habit to break – for us. For a horse? They tend to
First let me clarify that I will be discussing over-flexion and not looking at or critiquing rollkur, the latter being something worthy of a blog post all its own, but I digress. Over-flexion is occasionally a soft-mouthed horse’s method of evading the bit, or a developed habit from a heavy-handed rider. Despite the “aesthetics” of all of those …
As I went from massaging my liniment onto a bruised and swollen (via kick) shoulder, rubbing down stocked up tendons, to treating mild thrush, an “aha moment” really dawned on me: I use Absorbine Veterinary Liniment for just about everything – and it’s good for just about everything. So I’m going to give you a list …
Getting right down to the core elements of rider position, effect and influence, Anatomy of Dressage by Heinrich Schusdziarra and Volker Schusdziarra is a staple of the dressage (or any!) rider to truly understand their body in the saddle and how best to use it to for desired effect. Originally translated from German and now co-published …
The croup on the horse is identified as the area along the topline from the loins to the base of the tale. From the side, the point of the croup should be in alignment with or just behind the point of the hip which is the bony protrusion at the front of the haunches which …
There is more to the shoulder than meets the eye. Firstly, it is important to realize that the horse’s shoulder is not actually attached to the spine by a collar bone as it is in humans. Instead, the shoulder is attached to and supports the weight of the front end by sheets of muscle. These …
As any serious dressage rider who’s taken a lesson or two knows, the horse should be ridden ‘back to front.’ In other words, creating energy in the hindquarters to encourage the horse to carry himself over the back, lightening the forehand and suppling into the contact of the rider’s hands. So why start with focus …