More talk of the Hindquarters...

So. We have the Semi brothers...(hamstrings)
We have the Quads...(quadriceps)

Now we have the Gluteals...
And the Adductors...

The Gluteals, like ours, are butt muscles.

The Adductors, like ours, are groin muscles.

Now. As I have talked about in my previous post, muscles that are used correctly, work correctly....And these muscles are no different.

Even though horses have a lot of muscles (700ish), I chose to concentrate on these muscles of the hindquarters because they are the most familiar and since we have them, too, they make the most sense.

The Gluteals (Gluteas medius)sit above the pelvis and attach into the lumbar spine area with the gluteal tongue.
The Adductors (Pectineus, adductor, gracilis, satorius) sit inside the pelvis and attach in places along the femur, tibia, and patella.
Then there is the Bicep Femoris which is like a "go between." It starts on the sacrum and attaches on various places along the femur and the achilles tendon.

So with ALL THESE MUSCLES, we want them to work as a UNIT. The Hamstrings, the Quadriceps, the Gluteals, and the Adductors, and the lonely Biceps Femoris...AKA: The Hindquarters.

When a unit works well:

There is balance

There is Range of Motion

Balanced Hindquarters mean that the muscles are of the same strength, and, rather importantly, size. Each muscle group has the same "fitness level" because no one muscle is used more then the others. They, in turn, are proportional to all the other muscles.

Range of Motion in the Hindquarters follows the same line: Each muscle group has the same level of flexibility to extend and flex when the horse is in motion....

The higher the Range of Motion, the better the Balance and, the better the movement! The further a horse can flex and extend CORRECTLY, the more bounce and suppleness in the gait.

If you want to achieve Balance and Range of Motion...can ya guess??? GO FORWARD!!!
Work on your "collection..." but always give the muscles time to stretch out.

The Quadriceps - Tensor Fascia Lata/Quadriceps Femoris

Well naturally - the Quadriceps compliment the Hamstrings.

The "Quads" originate at the Point-of-Hip (Tuber Coaxe) and then attach in the the stifle area through fascia.

When the Hamstrings flex (hindlegs go backwards and/or up), the Quads extend. When the hamstrings extend (hindlegs come forward and/or up), the quads flex. And like the hamstrings, if the quads have a good range of motion, then you will have a better ride.

Also like the hamstrings, the quadriceps absorb the energy, coil it up, and send forward into the lovely, "bouncing-ball" we all love to ride. When the quads are unable to flex to compliment the hamstrings, the "pogo-sticking" begans again. However, it is a slightly different feel when the quads are not flexible.

With lack of flexibility in the quadriceps, the horse may be able to bring the leg forward, but not extend in back OR sink into the stride. In turn, the stride is "shortened backwards." Instead of getting a full swing of the leg forward and through, you get a stride that is longer on the front swing and shorter on the back swing. It may appear like the horse is "tippy-ing" on his/her hindlegs so the stride is short and choppy OR the stride looks wide and the hips can roll (there is usually more going on here, but that's another day). Again, there is no absorption of the horse's energy.

So! Without too much redundancy from the previous post - Here are some exercises to help strengthen the Quadriceps:
1) Pole work. Working your horse over raised poles can create flexion and extension in the quads. I like to use "half poles." I call them "half poles" because you raise the pole on alternating sides (try starting with 2 poles). This way, the horse lifts one leg a little higher every time he/she walks over a pole. An eight-to-ten inch lift is a good place to start. Many horses with flexibilty problems will hit the poles until they are able to raise their legs. That will come with better flexion. Be sure have the correct striding in between your poles. Not to mention - start at the walk BEFORE you try the trot.

2) Half steps. Half steps can be the beginning of "collection" work for many riders, but it is also a great exercise for the quads. With half steps, you ask for a shortened stride for 3-4 steps of whatever gait you are in. Of course, walk is easiest, canter, most difficult. So, be forgiving and give your horse a chance to learn this. When you get your 3-4 half steps, be sure and GO FORWARD! to give the horse a break and keep that range of motion. Also, VERY IMPORTANTLY, make the half steps come form YOUR BODY, NOT the REINS!! Otherwise you will create front-to-back movement instead of a BACK-TO-FRONT movement. We want to strengthen his butt, not his neck.

3) Same as Hamstrings - Baby Walk Pirouette and "Western Pleasure" jog. See previous post!

Wait there is more! What other muscles compliment the Hamstrings & Quadriceps???

The Hamstrings - SemiTendonosis & SemiMembrinosis

(I may have to double check my spelling...)

The Hamstrings are, of course, the muscles of the hindquarters that run down the back side of the horse's legs and attach into the achilles tendon and to the calcaneus (the bony protrusion of the hock).

The Hamstrings are known as: "The Semi Brothers."

They are the muscles used when you get KICKED.

Ouch.

These are VERY STRONG MUSCLES.

Why are these muscles important to riding????

The Hamstrings help create the SWING (freedom) and the SUSPENSION (push) in your horse's stride. Therefore, they need the ability to FLEX. The range of motion in these muscles should be similar to the range of motion in your Long Back muscle (remember the name??).

When the hamstrings flex correctly and push the stride forward, it is similar to doing squats.

Go. Do some squats. (When horses do squats, they're called piaffes!!)

Now do squats and move forward. Focus on HOW your hamstrings feel. Are they flexible? How deep can you sit on one leg before you have to release it and push yourself onto the other leg. How much SUSPENSION can you create with your own hamstrings? Do ya feel the burn!?!?!?

Transfer this movment to your horse's backside. What do you want to feel????

When your horse is using his/her hamstrings well, there is freedom in the gait and the hindlegs can "track-up." The gait is loose and swinging (because his/her back is moving, too!) and, most importantly, the gait is comfortable. Hamstrings that are inflexible create a very bouncy trot - one that throws you out of the saddle, but does not allow you sit back down into the gait - more "pogo-sticking" - because the horse cannot sit back down into his/her OWN gait.

With the give and take in the hamstrings, your horse can absorb the movement and then send it forward to the next stride creating a "bouncing ball" rhythm that you can ride and ride...and ride...and...ride.....

Here are some things to do when you horse is having sticky issues in his/her hamstrings:
1) Transitions. Get the answer and worry about PRETTY later. Get your transition when YOU want them and your horse's self-carriage will improve, therefore, his/her overall position.

2) Backing. After a warm-up of FORWARD! Halt your horse momentarily and ask for the back WITHOUT USING YOUR REINS. Give the cue from your body and don't let your horse talk you into using the reins. This gives him/her an out if he/she gets tense. Be wise, however, if your horse is offering to rear - be safe instead of sorry - move forward out of the back and try again.

3) Baby Walk Pirouette. I call them "baby" because they are BIG. Make sure as you turn into your pirouette, that your horse continues to move forward AND his/her hindlegs keep moving. If your horse happens to get "stuck," GO FORWARD. Try your baby walk pirouette on the next turn.

4)"Western Pleasure" jog. I'm not trying to piss anybody off here. A correct & true "jog" is one off the horse's butt and topline. Asking for a slow, deep flexing jog does just that - flexes the hamstrings deeper and slower then a forward, swinging trot. It is a great lunge line exercise to help free up the hinquarter and the back.

Next Blog: The complimentary muscles that help the hamstring.

The Long Back muscle - Longissimus Dorsi

The Longissiumus Dorsi is called the "Long Back" muscle for a good reason...It extends from the Pelvis to the Cervical vertebrae (neck bones). That is a looooooonnnnnggggg way.

It is the muscle that the saddle, and essentially, YOU sit on. (The other back muscles that accompany it are: the Spinalis and the Illiocostal, respectively)

It may be the most important muscle in the Equine body when it comes to riding. It is important for TWO reasons:

1) Since the saddle sits on this muscle, the Longissimus is influenced greatly by HOW and WHERE the saddle fits. A poorly fitting saddle is like a poorly fitting shoe. Painful. Restrictive. Just plain uncomfortable. It may sit too far forward, to far back, be too tight, be too loose, be too small, be too big. These saddle issues create problems for not only the horse and his muscles, but the rider and his/her balance, as well.
A well fitting saddle is, of course, the opposite - Comfortable. The well fitting saddle sits in balance to the shape of the horse's back. It allows for movement through the shoulder, back, ribcage, loin and hindquarters. The rider is able to stay in balance while in the saddle. Saddle fit is one of the first things that should be checked before riding your horse. There are professional saddle-fitters that will make house calls and get you a great saddle.

2) How the muscle is used. In the walk & trot- the Longissimus Dorsi moves back and forth on either side of the back. When the left side goes "forward", the right side goes "back", and vice versa. In the canter - the muscle moves ALMOST together, with the "inside" muscle coming forward with the stride and bit sooner then the "outside."

Now - try to visualize this muscle movement. Can you see the back swing in the trot? What about in the canter?? Can you see the "long back" muscle moving? Great.

Now - visualize it with a poorly fitting saddle...AND the rider. Try first with a saddle that is too tight. Then with a saddle that is too big. How about that is too far forward. What can you see in the horse's movements?

Too Tight - This pinches the back and shoulder area like a shoe that is laced too tight. In turn, the back drops to avoid the pinch, the horse's head comes up, and the stride becomes short and choppy. There is no swing over the back.

Too Big - There are a few problems here: the saddle may slide up onto the shoulders, restricting the forward and backward movement of the scapula. Essentially, the shoulder is blocked much like the saddle that is too tight. Another problem may be that the saddle drops back and downward behind the shoulders. This causes a pinch behind the withers and the saddle may actually sit on top of the withers. This can also cause the back to drop, the head to raise up, and again, no swing over the back. Then there is the saddle that just moves all over the place. Without a good fit, it moves forwards, backwards, sideways...imagaine trying to keep your balance with not knowing where the saddle will be next. That goes for horse AND rider!

Obviously, a well fitting saddle will sit correctly and give the horse and the rider a good fit and a good ride.
With a well fitting saddle, there are no pressure points. The weight of the rider is evenly distributed throughout the saddle. This is seen by an even sweat mark left by the saddle.
There is plenty of room for the shoulder to move. You can test this by putting the saddle on and moving the front leg up, forward, and back to see where it moves adjacent to the saddle.
Also, the channel of the saddle is W I D E enough to allow room for the spinous processes of the vertebrae. The channel should sit on either side of the vertebrae using a hands width as measurement.
Finally, there should be ample room in the pommel area for the withers. Your hand should easily fit inside and down into the saddle's channel.

Now these are the BASICS about saddle fit. And I know it seems like common sense. Even so, the next time you head out to ride your horse, check these basic points on your saddle.

If your saddle is a great fit, you will be on the road to keeping your horse's long back muscles healthy. With healthy muscles your horse's back will swing, his head will naturally relax and lower, and he will push correctly with his hindend. Creating a overall healthy horse will lead to his longevity and years of great riding.

Learn your Bio-Mehcanics!!!

I guess one of the things I find fascinating, and a little frustrating, is the lack of knowledge about HOW a horse's body moves.

Most folks know that horse have the three basic gaits: Walk - four beat rhythm. Trot - two beat rhythm. Canter - three beat rhythm. There are variations on all these gaits in their speed and suspension depending on the breed.

Breed aside - The faster you move in a gait - the less suspension you have. Think about this. Don't confuse FAST with BIG. When a horse motors along at, say, a fast trot, the legs move, the back gets stiff and the head comes up (picture an Icelandic Pony). The stride is not long and flowing, but short and choppy. I call it "pogo-sticking" because the horse stabs at the ground instead of pushes off the ground.

On the other hand, when a horse motors along at a slower trot, the legs move, the back begans to swing, and the head relaxes and lowers (picture a (good) Training level Dressage horse). Don't confuse SLOW with SMALL. The stride is longer, but not lazy, and the horse has moments of being off the ground in SUSPENSION. That's the push.

Now ask yourself, which would you rather ride? Short, fast and choppy? Or long and flowing?

This flowing gait can be created in any horse where the goal is freedom in the movement. Freedom in movement allows for relaxed and stretching muscles, which allows for contraction and relaxation over a greater range of motion.

For example...You want you horse to be "collected." (A mis-used concept, but out there none-the-less) You pick up the reins and put your leg on and press your horse "into" the bridle. His head is tucked and he can carry you very slowly at any gait. And this is your daily routine.

Now ask yourself - What are the Muscles doing????

When you ask for small muslces movements over and over, that's exactly what you get. Small. However, in the constant CONTRACTION (small), your horse's muscles do not get a chance to STRETCH and move in a relaxed way (big). By riding your horse with small muslce movement and not allowing your horse to go forward with BIG muscle movement, you end-up lowering his range motion further, and in-turn create a horse that eventually can't do the small muscle movement because his muscle have ratcheted down so much, he has NO range of motion.

There is a remedy for this. Let your horse GO FORWARD. Go! Go! Go! Pretend you are riding out with the hounds! Let your horse put his head DOWNWARD. When he learns to stretch downward, he will open up his topline and strengthen his neck, back, and hindquarters. Ride your body into BIGGER movement with more suspension to encourage him to do the same. Think Big. Think Suspension. Think Air Time. Let your horse take the reins. Work up to feeding reins out to the buckle (be aware of how your horse make react to the freedom and ride accordingly as he may feel like woo-hooing! with all the freedom). When/if he gets "sticky," send him forward.

His ability to be able to balance and stretch will improve as his "full range of motion" strength gets bigger and longer. Give yourself a good three months of "stretch" time. This may seem like FOREVER! but it is winter and the perfect time before the show season kicks back into high gear.

Next blog - the muscles you are stretching.

If you have any questions - call or post them on my Facebook page!

More Observations...

Continuing on my "A" show observations...I, naturally, look at movement while the horses are going through their tests. Not only do I watch the horses, I watch the riders.

Out of the twelve or so Dressage tests I watched, more then half of the horses were "off." This "offness" ranged from very subtle to pretty blatant.

"Very subtle" was a minor uneveness in the gait, which was generally most noticeable at the walk.
"Pretty blatant" was marked -what I would call- lameness where the horse was highly irregular at ALL gaits.
Another observation of "offness" was tail-swishing. If nothing else, tail-swishing is indicative of tension, which usually masks some form of pain.

I saw several SchoolMasters packing around less experienced riders. These horse are WONDERFUL for teaching a learning rider the correct "feel" of movement when cued in a correct manner. However, there is a time when these horses just need to be retired. Of the three I watched, only one looked comfortable. He had no irregularities in his gait and his expression was very pleasant. He was packing his rider a bit, but she was doing well. Of the others, it was clearly unpleasant for the horse. These good old boys still packed their riders, but barely. How much can a rider learn from a painful horse?? The answers the horse gives the rider are pain-based, so they are not "correct" movements, leaving the learning rider with a wrong interpretation of the correct movement. They were clearly in pain...an observation that should be made by the trainer/owner. An observation that should lead to the decision to retire these faithful horses.

I guess my point is...PAY ATTENTION!! Note the physical movments your horse makes when you ask for different moves or gaits. Then try to analyze what you feel or see. Maybe you don't feel anything...If you don't, you should. That something to think about. Maybe you don't feel anything wrong. Great! But think about having someone watch you ride and point out things they see. Experienced eyes on the ground are always good. Then you can ask...Was that a head twist? Or did it come from the hindend?? Why did my horse pop-up when I asked for the canter transisiton? Is it me? Is it him/her? Does he/she understand exactly what I want?? Learn the BIO-MECHANICS of CORRECT MOVEMENT.

It's not just for Dressage horses anymore!

Correct Bio-Mechanics applies to every discipline of riding...Because when your horse moves correctly, he/she is comfortable. Comfort encourages relaxation. Relaxation encourages learning. And learning is our goal.

Observation is a great way to learn...

Spent Friday afternoon at Devonwood watching the Championships (there was "Open", too) for the "A" level Dressage of the Oregon Dressage Society.

The thing I really enjoy about Dressage shows is the quiet atmosphere. I comment on it often. There is pleasant music and a relaxed atmosphere...Ideal for showing... since RELAXATION should be STAPLE in EVERYDAY RIDING!!! And particularly emphasized at horse shows.

So, ask yourself...how often do you offer a relaxed attitude for your horse? Too often we have a limited time in which to squeeze in a ride. We throw the tack on, hop on the horse, send him/her through the paces, hop off, and throw him/her back to where he/she came from. The horse begans and ends his/her interaction with we humans, in an uptight, hurried manner that WE PROVIDE!!!! How much fun is that???

Interactions with our horses should be pleasant for all involved, especially the horse.

Do an experiment the next time you go to play with your horse. Take all the time in the world that the horse needs to have a moment to breathe.

Meaning: Put his/her halter on and WAIT for a SIGN of RELAXATION. It may be a big sigh, a head shake, a quiet stance, or, most preferred, the "chew."

Then expect the horse to stand quietly while being groomed. To often, we humans miss the subtlties of horse behavior when we allow them to walk all over the top of us! and be generally rude to our requests. All that fidgety behavior is...is an expression of the horse's dominance over us. That crap is NOT OK. We should be ALPHA, no matter what. Having the expectation of your horse behaving gives him/her the parameters of HOW TO BEHAVE. Another form to allow relaxation. The horse knows what to expect.

Now comes the hard part. After your horse is tacked up and waiting to be ridden... have him/her wait some more...and YOU wait, again, for that sign of relaxation...

This is a skill that may take a while to learn. Only because we ourselves, humans, don't know how to relax and be in the moment with our selves, let alone our horses.

And hopefully, this is whhere th AHA! moment appears. Only by changing what we do as a humans, can we influence what our horses do as equines. That is where the true learning and training begins...with ourselves...making it better for our horses and building what we really want...a deep and close relationship with our favorite friends.

A year of thinking

I know, I know...It has been a long-ass time since I have been on this blog.
But. It has been a year of learning, modifying, and expanding.

Horses keep us on the upside all the time. I have finally realized that Trevor knows when my game is not up to snuff. He calls me out when I DO NOT ride well. It doesn't mean that he is always perfect...it means that he is more attune to my body then I am.

It does make sense. Horses have to be tuned into body language because that is how they communicate. We humans just don't realize HOW attune they are. I always say that a horse knows what you are thinking from 20 yards away...Well...maybe it's forty.

We need to be on our games to have a great ride. We need to listen more acutely to them when we ride. That is our problem. We don't listen well enough and then we get mad when they call us on it.

So, the next time your horse is an ass...re-think who is really being the ass...you might just learn something...