From: Lesley Rygh
Last October I bought a handsome 7 year old thoroughbred with big holes in his training and no top line. He came with a suitecase full of defences, and you will probalby be hearing from me often.
One of his problems was that he avoided the bit by dropping his neck and curling way under. He looked like a sewing machine.(a few of us figured someone misused draw reins).
We have come a long way with him and now he takes contact. His trainer is able to get a few steps of self carriage here and there, but he always drops his neck back down again.
I watched them a couple of days ago and the "light finally went on upstairs", and on a hunch I had an equine massage therapist evaluate him today. She discovered he has bunched muscles in his withers/shoulders and some discomfort along his back. - He has very high withers, and is difficult to fit(a no brainer)but this is not the answer, the saddle he is ridden in now fits well.
What should I do for him to relax the muscles in his shoulders? I'd like to know what might work best.
Thankyou, Lesley
Muscle pain is much easier to deal with than any number of other problems, so I'd say you are in luck.
Tension and pain anywhere in the horse's body can lead to tension and pain just about literally anywhere ELSE in the horse's body, especially if the horse is working under saddle and trying to protect the most painful areas. EVERYTHING is connected! Since your saddle fits him well, it's fair to assume that the back pain is a result of coping with pain in the wither area, and THAT pain is probably the result of a painful neck, and being forced to work in a position that his muscles could not support. I'm sure you are right about his previous experiences... the muscle problems you describe are very typical of horses whose riders have misused draw reins.
The good news about muscle pain, as I said, is that it can often be made to go away -- the bad news is that it will NOT go away of itself, no matter how kindly and well you ride. The knots and tight spots are there, and this means that before his training can proceed, you must get rid of them.
Constructive work on the longeline will help quite a lot -- correct work, that is, using a cavesson and LONG longeline (35' at least), and with you walking a circle inside the horse's circle, so as to put the horse on the LARGEST circle possible. I would leave off all other equipment, and focus on sending the horse forward in rhythm, so that he learns to relax, stretch his topline, and rebalance. This takes time and effort, but it is well worth the trouble.
I would combine this work with two other ways of helping the horse: massage and stretching. Pressure-point massage will help immensely, as it will actually help eliminate the tight spots (trigger points) in the horse's muscles. For the best possible information on this -- and it IS something you can learn to do -- I recommend the book BEATING MUSCLE INJURIES IN HORSES by Jack Meagher. He has also produced a video by the same name -- the book is inexpensive, but both items are so valuable that they would be cheap at ANY price.
Passive stretching is another way to help your horse, and again, you can learn to do this effectively and safely. You'll need a video -- BASIC EQUINE STRETCHING by Nancy Spencer. There's also a laminated wall chart (THE BARN COMPANION) that can be pinned up in the aisle as an on-site reminder of specific stretches and techniques. Your horse MUST be warmed up and relaxed before your begin this program. If you will do a set of simple, basic stretches after your horse is warmed up and before he begins his real work, then do the set again AFTER work and while he is still warm, I think you will be very pleased with the results.
The best thing for this horse would be for you to use all of the above techniques and start his training OVER again, from the very beginning, paying great attention to the areas where you found those tight, painful muscles. Take your time, work him slowly, check those spots every day and WORK on them -- and be aware that ANY pain or tension experienced by this horse, for the rest of his life, will very likely cause the reappearance of those trigger points. This doesn't mean that they WILL reappear, only that they CAN, and so you need to monitor those areas. Make a manual check part of your grooming routine. Talk to your veterinarian about all of this -- he may have additional good suggestions. Be sure that your farrier is shoeing your horse with correct angles for his natural build and stride, and not trying to modify the stride through changing the angles.... this horse needs EVERYONE's help right now, but most especially YOURS.
The more time you spend reclaiming and rebuilding this horse now, the more easily and quickly the later work will be. Take the time -- he's worth it, and he deserves it. ;-)
Jessica
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