Do horses actually have a certain “posture?’ Body language has been studied and taught to determine how a horse is feeling, as well as what they are communicating. Can abnormal muscling and stance tell us more about behavior?
1. If you group together posture, muscles (physique) and behavior, you can begin to differentiate what is “unwanted behavior” versus what is pain through behavior.
2. Allowing a horse to move “dysfunctional” without an awareness from the rider will eventually show up in either a kinematic issue or behavior.
Kinematics meaning ( limb coordination patterns)
Horses described as “ lazy, not forward, not round or not coming through” can be a candidate for the start of muscle abnormalities. Horses have a strong defense mechanism. This means that they will protect themselves from any form of pain. Some horses are very stoic and simply “ submit” to the demands of the rider. Usually by the time these horses with a heart of gold begin to show signs of pain, it is in the form of a medical condition. Any horse showing signs of difficult behavior should have a thorough medical examination from a Veterinarian to rule out any health issues.
Humans form memories of pain sensations; we learn not to repeat what caused our pain. Why would we refuse to believe the same emotions can affect a horse's behavior?
Examples of this are refusal to do a certain movement, or transition. Ear pinning, tail swishing, bucking, rearing, spooking and sudden anxiety. How can we work through this and why is the horse behaving this way? After a horse has been cleared medically from your Veterinarian, we can start to look at posture and abnormal muscling.
“Yet, pain isn't so simple. The experience of pain isn't merely physical; it's also attended by emotional and psychological pain. In tandem, they're known as suffering. “https://science.howstuffworks.com
’“ Animals, like humans may also be motivated not to repeat a behavior, and one of the great teachers of this lesson is pain.” - Clark, Josh, and Katie Lambert
“The spine is closely connected to our nervous system, which is responsible for regulating our emotions. When our spine is in optimal alignment, our nervous system functions properly, resulting in a balanced emotional state. However, when there is misalignment or dysfunction in the spine, it can lead to nervous system dysfunction and affect our emotional well-being”.- Dr.Pramod Saini Orthopedic Surgeon UPMC
The horse's back is essential for maintaining balance,strength, and stability.
The back muscles are very complex in how they work to move the horse both longitudinally as well as laterally.
The longissimus dorsi is a prime muscle for movement as well as collection. Signs of soreness and or bracing include a refusal to move forward,bracing head and neck against riders' rein contact and difficulty with lateral work.
The hind limbs have difficulty tracking forward and under the horse, sometimes swinging outward to compensate for fear of pain. This is when “reeducating” the horse's mind and body connection are important tools to intervene the downhill road to lameness, behavior and loss of performance.
Gail Williams- VETERINARY PHYSIOTHERAPIST teaches us that eyes are visuals but hands can tell us more about deeper anatomy, where the muscles are braced.
If there’s any alterations to the horse physically or mentally, it can trigger their defense mechanisms. Over time, this can lead to musculoskeletal pain and alter the horses posture and movement. This may not be immediately evident to the rider/trainer that is not educated in bio mechanics of the horse. It can be a long process that will eventually lead to lameness as well as behavior. Gail Williams educates us to think not in terms of sound and lame but functional and dysfunctional.
Abnormal muscling can cause the horse to be “ blocked “ in the cervical, thoracic, or lumbar. If the rider is not helping the horse move in a symmetrical way, muscle compensations begin to affect the entire musculoskeletal system. When you have good posture, your muscles and bones are in balance and the body is symmetrical.
Education towards welfare of the horse needs to include training strategies that accommodate the horse's physiology. Steering away from false methods of rushing the horse forward with the head forced down, saves the horse from long term emotional and physical damage. This will need to be addressed by re educating the muscle memory and an awareness of proprioception.
After studying the learning theory of Israeli physicist Moshe Feldenkrais, Linda Tellington Jones realized that his concept of reeducating the nervous system without fear or force could be applied to horses and other animals to overcome resistance, stress and tension, improving coordination and learning ability. Tellington-Jones proposed the then revolutionary concept that behavior in horses is often related to back or neck pain. “Who thought about checking a back or neck in relation to undesirable behavior?” she says. “If a horse refused to do something, you just got after him harder with a whip or spur. Today, we check the body to see where there may be areas of soreness or memory of past trauma or injury-holding patterns of tension that can be the cause of resistance or behavior problems.” excerpt from equus
How can we know if behavior is an opinion or a discomfort? Let’s go back to the topic of posture and physique. Muscle imbalance can lead to an unbalanced appearance, pain for the horse, limited movements, and instability. Pay close attention to muscle atrophy, refusal to go forward, rushing and pushing on the bit. The horse should seem as interested as the rider in being groomed and ridden. Ranjith Chambers, a traditional osteopath and coach, sheds light on the intricate connection between human physical posture and emotions. He explains that our bodies serve as blueprints of our life experiences, stored mainly in our subconscious. When we encounter stress, fear, anger, grief, or physical injuries, our bodies react and hold onto these “traumas.”
“Contrary to popular belief, pain is not your enemy. Instead, it’s your body’s way of telling you something isn’t right. Pain signals you to stop, assess what’s going on, and take care. If you don’t, the pain and discomfort increase until they become chronic; your brain learns that pain is “normal.” The more you resist, the more you tighten. The more you tighten, the more restricted your movements, and the more uncomfortable you become. So what are you to do?” - Moshe Feldenkrais
Some before and after pics:
The first horse had discovered the best way for him to move under a rider was to move the front legs laterally.bouncing the weight side to side over the front legs. This kept him from using his lumbar, kyphosis (hunter’s bump) had formed as a compensation for the contracted muscles of the back The weight had been transferred to the forehand leaving the trunk to support and there was atrophy forming from loss of topline muscles being used. There will be a case study on each of the horses shown in future blogs.
In the before picture, the trunk is the heaviest view, the wither is high with a dip in front and the neck is short
In the after picture, the posture looks to be more balanced over all four legs. The neck is longer which confirms longitudinal movement and correct use of topline.
This next before and after is still a work in progress. Getting through the resentments he holds against being handled and ridden has been so rewarding as well as educational. The horses themselves are always the best teachers. The before picture on the left doesn't look terribly different, but in getting this horse to understand correct use of back muscles, his neck actually looks shorter...how can this happen? His full story will be posted soon, including the training strategies used!
