Horses exert dominance by controlling the movement of their peers.If done correctly, human dominance can easily be established during training without causing the horse to become excessively fearful. The horse is a herd animal where a dominance hierarchy is always established. Again, it is important to make all training experiences positive. Therefore, when presenting anything new, the horse needs to be shown that ‘a’ is the case. Horses categorize most experiences in one of two ways: a) something not to fear, so ignore or explore it, and b) something to fear, so flee.They especially remember bad situations! This is why it is critical to make the horse’s first training experience a positive one. They need to learn quickly what is harmful (e.g., lion, cougar, etc.) and what is harmless (e.g., tumbleweeds, birds, a discolored rock, etc.), so they do not spend their whole lives running away. Horses can be desensitized from frightening stimuli. A prey animal must react instantly to a perceived predator to be able to survive. The horse has a very fast response time.A stimulus unnoticed by humans is often cause for alarm for horses as riders and trainers we commonly mistake this reaction for “spookiness” or bad behavior. Since they are a prey species, they must be able to detect predators. Horses are one of the most perceptive of all domestic animals.As humans, we need to understand their natural flightiness in order to fully understand horses. Its natural predators are large animals such as cougars, wolves, or bears, so its ability to outrun these predators is critical. The horse, a prey animal, depends on flight as its primary means of survival.Spend time in each session encouraging your horse to work in a correct or long and low outline to avoid extension of his back. When hacking, alternate canter leads each time you canter. Have this in mind when you’re both hacking and schooling. When riding, focus on calmness, forwards movement and straightness as this helps develop a horse’s self-carriage and back strength. Some basic leg-yielding can make a huge difference and this can even be done when you’re out hacking. Ridden lateral work in walk, trot and canter will help strengthen your horse’s core and back. Things like hock spavin, poor foot balance, dehydration, poor nutrition and joint arthritis will all change the way he moves and uses his muscles. Other conditions may affect your horse’s back. Be aware of your horse’s other conditions When hacking, change diagonal regularly while trotting, every 20 rises. Work your horse evenly on both reins – it’s too easy to do more on their easier, dominant rein and neglect the harder one. Train your horse graduallyĭon’t suddenly increase or change your horse’s workload it had to be a gradual process to avoid muscle injury. They’ll be able to advise on appropriate stable-based and in-hand exercises to help develop core muscle strength, back stability and flexibility. Once a year is fine for some other competition horses may need monthly check ups. The frequency needed depends on the individual horse and his level of work. It’s a good idea to have a professional check your horse’s back regularly as prevention is better than cure. Mind your backĬare for your own back when mucking out and doing yard duties, so you don’t become sore and tight. Joining a pilates or yoga class will help. Keep yourself fit and supple, and keep your core strength up. Look after yourself too – rider balance and fitness will directly affect how your horse moves through his back. His back muscles should show a gentle ‘ripple’ if they’re healthy. It’s good for him to use his back without your weight – and it’s also a good chance for you to watch him move and spot any changes. Lunge your horse once a week allowing him to stretch. When schooling, it takes 15 minutes of walking and mostly trotting for your horse’s muscles to warm up and start to work to the best of their ability.įactor this time in before asking your horse to come into an outline and really start to work.Īlso allow 10 minutes to cool down. They can also check you’re sitting level and your stirrups are the same length. When riding with a friend, ask them to ride behind you to check your saddle isn’t slipping or twisting as you walk or trot. Instead, place your hand on the right side behind the pommel. Try not to use your right hand to pull on the cantle when mounting as this will also cause the saddle to twist. This minimises twisting the saddle tree and causing discomfort. If possible, always use a mounting block to mount and stand your horse as close as possible to it. Check out physiotherapist Sam Rodwell’s top tips. There are lots of little ways that to care for your horse’s back. Keeping your horse’s back healthy will enhance his performance and keep him pain-free, making him a happy horse to be around.
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