Keeping Horses Sound Part 2

If you missed part 1 of this blog, make sure to check it out here. It covers: the power of walking, cross training ideas, switching up the type of rider and what that means, how corrective exercise for the rider plays the most important role, bodywork for the horse, and the importance knowing what is normal for your horse.

Let’s dive in to more of our top tips for keeping your horse sound!

-Take charge of saddle fit

-Up your long n’ low game

-The importance of regular trainer tune ups

-Be particular about manners

-Employ active rest

-Watch your footing

- Educate yourself in subtle lameness detection

Take Charge of Saddle Fit

You really need to educate yourself and staff about saddle fit, and saddle fit needs to be re-assessed every time the horse changes shape, at very least- 2 times a year, but in many cases, much more often. Ideally you will want to have many sizes of saddles on hand, so you can compare the fits. If that is not possible, you want to try a few before you buy, and perhaps you can borrow a saddle from a friend for comparison as well. You can buy some very good saddles used (just be sure to learn to check if the tree is broken). Having different types of pads and different types of high quality shims is helpful, so that you can change the fit very slightly as the horses change.

If you can educate yourself you can re-assess saddle fit regularly and in between professional fitter visits. You will also be able to ask professional fitters better questions and be less vulnerable to being taken advantage of when a fitter also sells saddles- if you arm yourself with some knowledge.

There are lots of wonderful resources out there, but I recommend “The Horse’s Pain Free Back” and “The Western Horse’s Pain Free Back” by Joyce Harman. She teaches everything from how to use shim pads (plus caution in using them), to how to tell if a tree is broken, and it’s a very comprehensive guide to learn saddle fitting- from someone who isn’t trying to sell a certain brand of saddles.

We also like using an impression pad (we have the Port Lewis one), with “dough” inside that heats up when the horse moves, and displaces- leaving clear spots- where there are pressure points. You need to have a dynamic fit, to see what is happening while the horse is in motion, not just a static fit- as things are often very different when the horse is moving. Often the saddle doesn’t stay where you placed it when the horse is in motion. The impression pad allows you to assess the saddle fit while the horse is being ridden, walk, trot, canter, and whatever lateral movements the horse performs- so you get a good dynamic fit assessment- plus it’s easier to interpret than the thermographic tools.

For my shims, my favourite are from Natural Horseman Saddles- and I am not sponsored by them or affiliated with them in any way. I like the way they are tapered so they do not create a pressure point, like many shims do. I don’t use their pads, I use double sided carpet tape to attach them to the outer surface of felt pads- so they are always visible to me, so I know they are placed exactly where I want them and don’t shift without us realizing, which can happen in some pads with large, hidden, shim compartments. A thin show pad can be placed on top when showing, but for working at home I use the thinnest felt liner possible as long as the saddle fits well. It’s better to find the best saddle fit possible so you do not need shims, but if you have multiple horses coming in for training, or horses who are growing/ changing a lot, it’s helpful to use shims, and these have worked great for us.

I talk a little bit about how saddle fit can impact the rider’s position in the Custom Exercise for Riders Online Program as well- it is a handy, comprehensive resource!

Level up your “Long and Low” game

Regular use of long and low can be very good for the horse’s body, in particular their back. Our lesson horses have maintained sound and healthy backs throughout their careers- once I started making sure every lesson included intervals of long and low. Prior to this, we did have some sore backs, and the long and low has been a key player in changing this. There are a few important tips to make sure long and low is useful, however:

• The horse must have impulsion. If the horse is not reaching under themselves enough, their back won’t swing, they aren’t reaching their hind legs up under themselves enough, and the long and low will not be as beneficial. If the horse slows down, I always remind my students to send them forward into it- Long, Low, and FORWARD.
• If the student is posting the trot, they must not deter the horse from lifting the back. Even a light rider coming down too heavily on the horse’s back will make the horse less likely to want to lift their back. Wrap your legs around the horse and pretend there are eggs on the saddle seat and you want to touch down so lightly that you do not break an egg. If you want to learn some exercises to help you to be able to do this with ease, join CEFR online lifetime program, and we will show you how!
• Listen to how the horse’s feet sound as they contact the ground. If you can hear they are loudly pounding into the ground, the horse is putting more stress on their legs and back and not engaging their core. The feet should be light and quiet. Sometimes this is simply a case of aligning the horse’s body on the line of travel better (think of the horse’s body parts like being train cars and the circle line or straight line you are riding is the train track. Make sure none of the “cars” are getting derailed off the tracks).
• One other big cause of the horse pounding the ground heavily is the rider is not absorbing the forces through their legs enough. Your hips, knees, and ankles should function as shock absorbers or springs. If any of the muscles crossing any of the joints are tight/ imbalanced, it can impair your ability to do this. Even just one ankle is unable to spring functionally it can cause this, and have adverse effects on the horse’s soundness. We have a great “finding your springs” exercise, and all the help you need- if you can’t access your springs- in our online program!

Regular Trainer Tune- Ups

As mentioned earlier, a good trainer can help you sort out if any changes in the horse are more related to what you are doing as the rider, or more related to something going on with the horse. Noticing if it is subtle injury in the horse and catching it early can help you seek vet help sooner and greatly improve the prognosis.

As well, having the trainer help the horse ride in a healthier way than you are able to, can also help with long term soundness.

If you want to ride more like your trainer- without having access to as many hours in the saddle, our online program will help you gain more control of your body and body awareness relevant to riding, as well as increase strength, balance and suppleness, and help even out asymmetries- so you can do a better job in between your trainer’s rides. Level up here!

If you ARE a trainer, and want a performance edge, or are sore from the daily, repetitive wear and tear on your body, or know you have asymmetries from past injuries- this program will be a game changer for you too, as it was designed by another professional- who knows the demands on the body, and what it’s like to be super sore!

Join Custom Exercise for Riders and get help - Now!

Be Particular About Ground Handling

It’s obviously important for safety to make sure your horse has good ground manners, but having a horse with poor manners also leads to many welfare issues. For one it’s difficult for vets and farriers to provide the care they need if the horse is poorly behaved. It’s also hard for all involved to assess if a horse is in pain if their behavior is always erratic. Having the same rules and expectations for the horse day after day makes it easier to spot a behavioural change, and easier to assess the horse and provide treatments if they are needed. I can say from having to medicate or assess  spoiled boarders’ horses compared to those that have been consistently well handled in our training program-  it makes a big difference in the success of treatments, rehabs, and injury prevention practices- if the horse is well- mannered. Our Horse Handling and Safety Course and other programs at Diversity Horsemanship teach about how to be a fair leader for the horse and understanding the horse’s instincts, senses, behaviours, and ethological needs differ from our own, and how to use the knowledge for safer handling.

Active Rest

Horses are designed to be constantly and slowly moving all day long while browsing and grazing on high fiber forages. The farther from this our management takes them, the more musculoskeletal and gut health issues they tend to have. Try to have them turned out as much as possible, especially during time off, and if they aren’t moving much, take them for a brisk walk- even/ especially on a recovery day after a show- or if they are stalled at a show with long periods between your rides. On active rest days, you can include some of the gentler cross training suggestions, at a walk, in hand from part 1 of this blog.

Footing

I am astounded at the number of facilities I see that do not maintain their footing, have their footing very inconsistent, extremely deep, or extremely hard packed. All of these scenarios are setting up the horse for an increased risk of injury. If the base is good, and level, we found the ideal depth on top is 2 ½ inches for a variety of disciplines, including reining. Much deeper than this your horse is more likely to sustain soft tissue injuries, and much firmer than this there is not enough traction and cushion and it’s harder on feet and joints. Having the base and surface professionally done and laser levelled and then dragged daily (depending on traffic or type of use), along with keeping it the ideal depth above, has really helped us keep the horses a lot sounder. When we had deeper footing we had a higher incidence of soft tissue issues, and when I first bought my facility the ground was very packed and we had a higher incidence of hoof and joint issues- until we got our footing right.

There are benefits to working on different footings but remember with a different footing you must scale back the intensity of your horse’s work considerably and gradually condition them for it. Remember to consider the type of footing the horse will be performing/ competing in and make a plan to condition them for it.

Continued Education in Identifying Subtle Lameness

This goes hand in hand with what I mentioned about catching problems early. Some good resources are the Equinology courses; the book by Ross and Dyson, which comes with videos to help you train your eye “Diagnosis and Management of Lameness in the Horse”; the University of Guelph has some good lameness tools and courses, and of course the pain ethograms are all helpful.

It’s important to work with your vet and trainer as some issues benefit from movement (for instance in many types of arthritis motion is lotion but the vet can help with making sure the horse is comfortable to do that). And also, when you start educating your eye you might start seeing stuff that is mechanical or a weakness or proprioception issue that is not a discomfort or lameness, and so exercises will help that, not thinking the horse is too sore and taking them out of work! Work with the vet and trainer, and/ or bodyworker and/ or rehab specialist to adjust your horse’s program to what their needs are. Not every little thing you see if a reason to panic and stop the horse from working, it may be a sign you need to change your horse’s program.

If you would like more tips on keeping your horse sound, and you missed part 1 of this blog, head over to part 1 by clicking here!