Postural Stresses - Effects on Performance Edited from Equine Performance Therapeutics An Illustrated Guide to the Musculoslkeletal system

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2 Postural Stresses - Effects on Performance Edited from Equine Performance Therapeutics An Illustrated Guide to the Musculoslkeletal system For 25 years I have balanced and treated exercise trauma in horses competing at carriage driving, dressage and, more recently, endurance racing in the United States. Throughout the course of the practice consistent patterns of injury were seen. When musculature is traumatised the tissues shorten, sometimes to the point of spasm, and the pain free range of motion is limited. The horse rebalances to compensate for this trauma and moves slightly out of balance. Facilitating flexibility through the manipulation and stretching of the involved tissues, before returning them into correct position, restores balance, ability and performance. This is called neuromuscular re-education rehabilitation and facilitation. But first reference to equine/human comparative anatomy will help. It is important to remember that both species carry the same muscles that fail in the same way doing the same jobs. The most common were restrictions in the rectus femoris quadricep muscle and the semimembranosus muscle (medial hamstring). When stressed, these muscles appeared to transfer weight, both at rest and underway, to the opposing diagonal foreleg. Foreleg lameness issues were seen as sprain/strain in the: i) Extensor branch of the suspensory apparatus at the distal sesamoids i.e. low suspensory. ii) The interosseus muscle and the accessory ligament for the deep flexor tendon, below the back of the knee. iii) The deep flexor muscle origin inside the elbow. Any significant pains at these points will show lameness. The nature of these traumas appeared to stem from weight-bearing strain where the weight carried was uneven or the horses had an imbalance in lateral strength. As the human side of the practice began to focus on postural realignment, I was able to see a correlation between rider posture and the weight-bearing stresses in their horses. Frame commands, (i.e. sit like this and the horse will go over there, diagonally etc.) are subtle in the seat and yet visibly effective at steering and diagonal balance. The adoption of one frame predominantly will tire tissue quickly. This leads to a stiff legged head nod. This is Repetitive Stress Injury. Linking a rotated hip posture in humans on the ground to their hip posture in the saddle and the resultant diagonal balance that is offered back by the horse often resulted in diagonal stress in the horse as he rebalanced but off centre. A recent survey of four hundred and forty one endurance racehorses in the Eastern USA showed where and how performance-reducing stress built to become a health hazard and techniques used to prevent such injury. Whilst the following study is pertinent to all disciplines, endurance racehorses were chosen because of the enormous stamina needed to travel km ( miles), in one day, over a wide variety of terrains. Some will compete over 3 days to cover in excess of 240km (155 miles). During these events exercise exhaustion was experienced to varying degrees. Any detriment caused by deviation in balance showed as musculoskeletal difficulties sooner than in any other discipline. The terrain and the gait choice to travel over it were also a factor. They were competing over steep trails, rolling hills and sand (both firm and loose). Two hundred and twenty eight of them developed one-sidedness within 12 miles or so. Of those, 132 presented sidedness to the right, 36 showed minor forehand issues and 262 experienced mild to moderate stresses equally to each hindquarter. Indications of stresses developed in the hindquarters from repetitive stress injury were confirmed in conversations with the riders regarding the dominant diagonal chosen by the horse. Of the total number of horses surveyed 1/3 were blind tested, 1/3 of the riders were informed of their mount s condition with no recommendations and 1/3 were assisted in correcting the condition. The stresses in the hindquarters of the horses whose riders were assisted and advised changed sides as the riders adjusted their seats and/or deliberately adopted the opposing diagonal. This shows that the lesions were temporal in nature and were dependant upon the postures chosen by the riders. Of those horses directly assisted, 122 were in need of therapy during the course of their rides of which 105 were pronounced fit to continue. In total of the 441 surveyed, 65 horses were pulled from the ride for lameness or metabolic issues. The predominant muscle stressed was the medial hamstring. The predominant degree of muscular stress, on a scale of 1 - mild to 8 - severe, was presented by: the internal obliques, (flank) 6; the gluteals (buttocks) 8; and the gracilis, (between the thighs) 8. The predominantly stressed diagonal was left hind to right fore. There may be a correlation between right dominant riders and right diagonal stresses shown by these statistics. Even though the head nod indicated front lameness, the majority of stress was in the hind musculature.

3 Repetitive Stress Injury A limb will begin to break down from fatigue if it is used repetitively without a break. The horse, trotting on a diagonal uses one pair of diagonal limbs, e.g. the left hind to right fore, to hoist the rider and drive forwards. The left hind does the lifting and, if well developed, most of the driving. A weak hind will not do so much driving; rather the right fore pulls the horse along. This is true for the young horse. The forehand develops strength before the hind and if the hind is not specifically trained for weight-bearing and locomotion, the fore will continue to pull the horse along. This situation leads to breakdown of the dominant diagonal fore leg from overuse in both weight lifting and the exertion from pulling that weight down the trail. The hind needs to be engaged to support the fore in forward movement especially when the extended (or long trot) is used. When one diagonal is used predominantly the diagonal hind will succumb to fatigue long before its less used partner. The horse uses its head to maintain fore and aft balance. When the weight of the rider is shifted over the forehand it causes the head to rise so as not to stumble forward upon locomotion. If the rider is too far forwards then the horse will stumble and unseat the rider. When mounted, the centre of gravity is raised. This creates a change in weight-bearing dynamics particularly when circling. Sitting back during, movements in extension will add weight to the hindquarters and the horse will lengthen drive forwards. However, with a weak hind extension will be negligible and the stride may tend to quicken and shorten leaving the back alone to support the rider s weight. Unfortunately, this frame is contrary to the lengthened trotting movement that was posturally asked for. Stress from Inappropriate Gait Choices Gait choice over varying terrain will also factor into the building of stress. In the ascent and descent of hills the horse will perform best when collected at the walk trot and canter. If the trunk is maintained as horizontally as possible, there will be less weight-bearing stress proportioned over the fore limbs. It is recognised that the balance of the horse is dependant and inseparable from that of the rider. The following drawings show stresses that were encountered over the course of the survey. a) The Extended Trot vs. Collected Canter Trotting up hill in extension (long trotting) stretches the horse out and the forehand pulls the horse along. Stresses build up in the pectorals from this exercise and string the hind out behind where the internal obliques are stretched and strained in pulling the hips along A collected canter will scoot the horse up hills and maintain some horizontal framing. When in descent with the trunk parallel to the trail, more weight is borne by the forelegs than the hind. Tucking the hind under in collection will allow it to bear some of this weight.

4 b) Haunches In vs. Collection In the descent of hills the horse will find it important to apply the brakes. He can do this by swinging the hind around to take little sideways steps or by sitting on his hocks. The latter is ideal whereas former the will compress the internal obliques in the crook of the flank. This shortening will set up the obliques for a spasm and they may stay short and tight, even when the terrain flattens out. c) The Diagonal Trot vs. Shoulder In The horse will also use the head and neck for diagonal balance. If weight is predominant over one hindquarter then the head will bend towards the opposite diagonal. If the rider is twisted in the seat the horse will set up for a turn according to the direction of the hips and the same diagonal head/neck positioning will be seen. The most predominant frame seen in the horses surveyed was a diagonal bend to the right. The left hind did most of the hoisting and driving and the right diagonal was prominent at the trot. Riders who were advised to shift their postures more to the right found that their mounts became equally stressed in the hind and then the stresses moved over to the right side. This shows that the stress injuries that were set up in the inner hamstring are transient and can relieve themselves during the times that their weight-bearing role is removed. Some horses showed bitting distress from the bent neck and one or two developed inflammation in the neck where the reins rubbed.

5 Suspensory Stress in Deep Sand Attention was paid to the horses that traversed soft, deep sand. At the trot the sand was pushed out ahead of the foot, which was forced to bulldoze through it. The stress against the front hoof wall placed strain on the low suspensory apparatus via the extensor branch. A canter chosen in soft ground seemed to prevent injury. It is thought that the angle of drive in the canter comes from a shelf of sand created behind the foot at entry. This mechanical ad-vantage allowed the foot to travel out of the sand at an angle with force behind it and is more efficient than ploughing the sand at the trot and walk. To train for sand where none exists, one can walk upstream in slow moving water.

6 Movements Across a Hillside On a side hill the horse must balance by rolling the trunk and leaning into the hill. The adducting gracilis muscle will accept weight on the high side. This muscle is seldom trained to work hard when working on the flat and so might break down when faced with running on the side of a hill or on the high side of a gully. To train a horse on the flat to take a side hill with less effort turn circles to the weak side, using leg yields on a diagonal track and shoulders in on the straightaway. This builds up the required musculature to support the horse and rider. Diagonal leg yields can be used to the right if the high ground is to the right and visa versa for the left. Travelling on both sides of a cambered or gullied track will use both sides equally. Stress was also seen in the iliacus muscles of the dominantly exercising hind. The iliacus forms a band descending from the back of the point of the hip to mid quarter where it attaches to the head of the femoral shaft. This muscle has its origins in the tissues of the lumbar muscles and so there may also be pain in the loin to the side of the spine. It inserts into the femur below the hip joint, on the inside. The iliacus assists the quadriceps in lifting and straightening the leg. When in spasm this muscle forms a tight, band from the point of the hip. It also assists the quadriceps in preventing spasm to the hamstrings. When this tension is present the limb tends towards a post-legged posture and the gaits are then uneven. Rider and Training Effects on Performance Imbalanced Riding Effects As seen in the case studies, postural distortions in the rider have a direct effect upon the horses ability to balance and their muscular well-being. When the unbalanced rider sits upon the horse the animal must balance its load as well as possible. For instance, sitting with weight on one stirrup and the opposite hip backwards will encourage the horse to turn or to take a left or right diagonal as preference. Although this seat might be a comfortable position according to the rider s anatomy, it will create or confirm one-sidedness in the gaits of the horse. Postural shifts to support a leaning or twisted rider include rolling the trunk and repositioning the head and neck. It is therefore essential that the rider be able to sit comfortably with a balanced seat in order for the horse to switch diagonals or leads. The horse s imbalanced stance may restrict particular movements to the left or right and set up postural twists that match those of the rider. If the horse becomes twisted in the diagonal to where the front and rear halves of the horse are travelling in slightly different directions, then the possibility of interference across the midline is increased. E.g. the left hind could strike the right fore. If the rider s weight is shifted into any of the four quadrants surrounding their centre of balance, then the horse will have to work harder to support this out of balance weight on that quarter. If the shift in balance is caused by an impediment in the rider, the horse will have a tendency to adopt that same or similar impediment. The rider must sometimes sit upon whatever the horse offers. This too will lead to pain or discomfort for both rider and horse during the course of the ride.

7 It is therefore essential that the horse and rider have training to be comfortable with the seat when changing diagonals at the trot and canter leads. A one sided horse, e.g. with a strong right diagonal, will have more strength in the left hind and right fore, will make better turns to the right than to the left and be more comfortable with the left lead canter. Such horses must be turned in circles to the weak side to strengthen itself and realign its legs. There should be more repetitions to the left than to the stronger right, otherwise the relative strengths of each side will be maintained and the sidedness will continue. A distance rider using the two point seat can rest the horse s hind by shifting weight forward like a jockey. The collected canter/gallop at alternating leads is an efficient and relatively more restful gait than the trot alone over long distances and can be interspersed between trots to give a restful break of pace. It has been noted that the pulse rate was lower at the canter in the majority of horses evaluated. In summary it is a good plan to ensure that rider posture is balanced enough for the horse to track straight, be able to change leads and diagonals without difficulty and to adopt both extension and collection of its frame.

8 Rider Postures to Horse Leaning It is essential to understand that in order to bring the horse into balance the rider must first be in good balance. Should the rider lean off-centre, to favour a sore back, limb or from postural habit then the animal must also lean to balance the rider. Should the rider weigh 65kg, then 35kg may be carried by one side of the horse and only 30 kg on the other. Left leaning causes the left limbs of the horse to bear both the additional weight of the rider (5kg) plus the amount of the horse s weight that is also transferred over. The weight shift will show stress to the inner hamstring. Postural habits create one-sidedness in the human leading to postural distortions that reshape the skeleton. Muscles shift weight around the core during movement so that balance and momentum are maintained. They help to adopt the posture that is appropriate to any task. One of these common postures is resting on one leg, which twists the spine and hip. The more often one adopts this posture, the more the low back muscles stay lengthened on one side and shortened on the other to support balance at the rest.

9 Postural Distortion The diagram shows how a spine can be twisted and bent by adopting a common resting posture i.e. standing at rest with the weight over one foot. Muscles grow to support this posture with stretched ones outside the curve and compressed ones inside. The line winds around the line of gravity and centres over the left foot. The muscles are held in place by sheathes of a skin-like fascia. The senses relay that the alignment is in perfect balance, even though weight is distributed unevenly. Muscles have a memory for how to perform a task and so they will always do what is asked of them. When the right side has been taught to do work right-sided and the left side has always been trained as an assistant a slight difficulty arises when it is necessary for both sides to operate equally at the same task. E.g. constantly carrying a shoulder bag on the same shoulder bends the torso to that side. The posture becomes distorted to a comfortable resting position that will be considered as normal and balanced. However, the position at rest will show the shoulder bending towards the hips. The posture will appear to lean to the left and the weight will be borne by the stiffened left leg. The shoulder muscles on the left will do more lifting work than the right but will tend to be longer because of the downward pull of the weight. The left hip will develop more weight-bearing strength, since its use is greater. The left leg may appear shorter, when measured from a seated position; this is due to the twist and elevation of the hip when standing at rest. Musculoskeletal tissue is bilateral that is occurring equally on both sides. When the body is erect the tissues can be further divided into weight bearing muscles that do most of the work whilst their partners assist with balance and stability. The assisting muscles are trained differently from doing muscles. The doing muscles are larger and the limbs more dextrous than their balancing assistants. Cross-Training the assistant side to be the doer will retrain the assistant muscles. The muscles that had been part of the doing side will now learn the assisting role. When the rider is equally balanced left to right then the horse will experience freedom of movement within the rider s frame. The condition shown is called scoliosis. The tussle between weighting one leg and the need to stand up straight elevates a hip and bends the spinal column around the centre of gravity. To varying degrees there are undesirable pain effects as lumbar discs and muscles compress, nerves pinch, (possibly accompanied by internal organ distress), the neck may ache and disorientation can occur. Note The sciatic often falls victim to an out-turned right foot. This posture rotates the femur, bunches the gluteals and pinches on the nerve. Rotating the knee inwards and the ankle outward will ease the discomfort. A vertical foot on the pedal is best.

10 The Pelvic Twist A similar difficulty for the inner hamstring comes from a rider that has a twisted seat. b) In this case the rider is signalling the horse to turn to the right by the positions of the leg and hip, i.e. left knee forwards and right leg back. This adds more weight to the left hindquarter of the horse. If such a position is adopted with the intention of going straight forwards, the horse will also twist in an effort to maintain balance. From behind, the horse s left hind leg will trot in line with the right fore and cross-firing interference may occur. This one-sided weight-bearing problem can create pain and spasms in the hamstrings, mid back, buttocks or shoulder (the side of which is dependant upon the predominant forward or backward position of the rider). Basic performance skills such as extension, collection and lateral bending can be compromised as a result. The pelvic girdle can become twisted from dominant use of one side, e.g. carrying a child on the same hip for several years. This can present pains in the low back, the sciatic track, the hamstrings and the calf muscles. This postural shift also causes the upper end of the spine to deviate from centre, one shoulder to twist backwards and become tilted down towards the hip. The neck will bend to the other side in order to balance the head correctly. If the load is carried over the left leg, the resting posture will leave the left hip higher than the right and the trunk twisted towards the left. It is possible that the rib cage may be collapsed to the left. This is an example of one side doing the work as the other assists with balance. The doers in this case were the left side muscles that operated to position the hipbone as a shelf with the arm and trunk holding the load. The concern of the right side is how to balance the load and move it. These postural conditions will continue long after the child has learned to walk. As the bent side s low back muscle tissue became shorter nerves were pinched as the lower spine collapsed closer to the left hip. This could cause spasm pain when bending or twisting to the right. The hamstrings can shorten to the point that stretching could cause pain. Tight pain would be experienced in the low back on the right.

11 Balance can be affected by equipment fit and condition. Reins and stirrups must be the same length on each side and attached to the same rings and holes on each side. If the stirrup leathers are swapped over weekly they shall stay the same length regardless of any difference in weight placed in each. The saddle should fit evenly along the spine giving two finger widths of room for scapular operation. A saddle fitted up on the withers will pinch and tilt down at the cantle. This angle throws the rider back in the saddle and causes the bars under the cantle to dig into the back muscles. Ill-fitting saddles with too narrow a tree for too broad a back or too long for a short backed horse can create back spasms anywhere from withers to croup. Bouncing saddlebags and tack at the back of the saddle can detrimentally affect the lumbar muscles by repetitive abuse. The saddle flocking and stitching should be examined for hard areas that might be digging into the horse. The stirrup lengths should be checked for equal length by comparing the distance between the top and bottom holes on each side. Buckles and keepers on reins, breastplates, girths and other equipment should be checked for sharp edges. The saddle pad and under the saddle flap should be checked for rubs from buckles or wadding. A white saddle pad will show dirt marking from weight-bearing. These marks should be even from side to side and not show a diagonal pattern of inequality. Aspects of tack design are also important to consider. Buckles and inset rings on saddles may cause discomfort if they come into contact with the back. The joint between reins and webbing in respect to the mid neck ought not to have a sharp edge. Bridle keepers made of surgical tubing that are not covered between the folds have sharp edges and can cause a horse s face to itch annoyingly during a long ride. I have seen a horse be in danger of being unfit to continue an endurance race because a small, Velcro bottle cap retainer was tapping lightly on the back for several miles. Tack Effects

12 Postural Habits The following diagrams illustrate how a person that feels perfectly well balanced is actually quite bent. a) Here, we see a person standing in a normal feeling position. In order to be straight in the saddle, this normal position must be adjusted to be both square and comfortable. Note: Even though the shoulders might be square to the torso, a lateral imbalance will tend to roll the trunk of the horse sideways whilst balancing the rider. This roll sets up the horse for a turn in the direction of the pelvic tilt. Habitually riding in this fashion will set up the conformation of a turn in the fascia and tissues of the horse such that this posture becomes normal. The difficulty is that the horse is now carrying more of its own weight on one side and thus prefers to trot only on one diagonal and canter over one lead. Field Notes The following cases illustrate how the physical condition of the rider can affect the performance ability of the horse. It was also noted that the horse often adopted the same pathologies as the rider: The degree of twist can be determined by standing with the heels and buttocks against a flat wall, slowly straightening and leaning back against the wall until a shoulder contacts it. Have the gap measured between the wall and non-touching shoulder. This will indicate the degree of twist that the shoulders have upon the pelvis. b) The seated person has correctly square and forward facing shoulders. However, since the musculature of the back and trunk have been trained to carry the left hip twisted forwards whilst standing, it does the same thing whilst in a seated position. This posture will encourage the horse to bend to the right and turn. To deliberately square the hips with the shoulders will become uncomfortable in the back and shoulders as muscles are that are accustomed to being shorter are forced lengthen. Case 1. - Transfer of pain. JP, a victim of poliomyelitis, has attained a Prix St. Georges level of dressage training on her horse Danus. She cannot, as a result of her condition, lift her right hip from the saddle. On each occasion that I have visited the horse he has had a sore hip and gluteal on the right side. This prevented efficient lateral movements to the left. The constant weight bearing addition to the right hip of the horse tired the muscles before those of the left hip. As the training continued the musculature of the right went into spasm from overuse and weakness. The involved muscles in this horse are the biceps femoris and the middle gluteal. The former attaches from the sacrum to the patella and behind the stifle, and the latter has its origin with the superficial gluteal coming from the point of the hip on the pelvis and inserting onto the head of the femur. When these muscles spasm the right leg range of motion is restricted to the left and the horse s pelvis is tilted to the right. This tilt will tend to throw the rider s weight to the right side and partly to the right rear. The centre of gravity is now shifted to the right in both horse and rider so that the horse must accept additional weight on the right rear quarter. Over an extended workout, or warming up for several tests in a short period of time, the weakness in the muscles of the horse turned to spasm as he attempted a balanced frame. Eventually the movement broke down completely and showed poor performance.

13 After rest and neuromuscular therapy to the affected muscles, performance was restored. Unfortunately the atrophy to the rider s hip muscles cannot be reversed and so the difficulty will continue. Without continued therapy the problems will become chronic, compensatory strains will set up in the left fore and movements such as the canter across the diagonal will become impossible once again. 2 - Sharing pain. MY, a CT level 1 rider, has pains in the neck, shoulder blade, low back and sacrum on the left side. Her mount, Splash, has a chiropractic protocol treating the neck at the level of the 5th cervical vertebra, the low thoracic at T16-17, just above the lumbar region and the sacroiliac joint at the croup where the sacrum meets the lumbar vertebrae were also injured. Palpation of the horse for massage therapy showed tensions in the brachiocephalicus muscle and in the region of C5 of the neck. The latissimus dorsi muscle behind the withers at the shoulder blade, the iliocostalis and longissimus lumborum muscles of the low back, (behind the saddle) and between the croup and dock in the mid sacral region. There was a tense area in the right gluteal to the rear and upwards from the point of the hip. All these areas were located on the left side of the horse and were a mimic to the pains held by the rider. This latter tension, in the rider, affected her sciatic nerve that leads from mid-sacrum to the head of the femur. In this case balancing the rider was an easy proposition and after the horse was similarly balanced by reducing the hypertensive areas the ride became more comfortable for both of them. 3 - Damaged tack and horse from rider pain. TH, a middle distance endurance rider, asked me to look at his horse during a race. Mocha was in danger of being pronounced unfit to continue due to severe back pain on the left side. The application of therapy to the back eased the pain and allowed the horse to continue on. TH was encouraged to lean over to the right so as not to reinstate the pains in the horse s back. When the horse was being saddled up it was noticed that the left stirrup was lower than the right. The stirrup leathers were compared to see if the holes lined up. Upon examination it was found that the leathers had stretched longer on the left side. To ease the chronic pain on the left side of his back he rode with a slightly straighter leg on that side. As a result of standing in the left stirrup. the back pain was transferred to the horse. TH was encouraged to get treatment for his back pain. Here we can see the importance of swapping the stirrup leathers on a regular basis. Since that time the balance and pain conditions have been resolved and Mocha finished in the top ten at the 2002 AERC National 50 Mile Championships without any problem. 4 - Damage to tack from rider infirmity. To illustrate how horses and tack can differ from one rider to another I was once presented with an unusual case. A long distance rider wanted to use her husband s horse to enable it to qualify for international competition but her own saddle would not fit to it. I looked and saw that the tree was rocking from corner to corner on the horse s back. Checking further I saw a depression about the size of a cantaloupe where the left seat bone of this 63 kg rider sat. Where the right seat bone sat an orange would fit comfortably. In fact her posture and that of her horse had twisted the tree to the left, this all being due to an accident and damage to her left leg. The horse that was being fitted twisted to the right and so there was no way that the saddle was going to fit. The rider had to use her husband s saddle and, due to the off handed posture that she was now forced into; she finished the ride very sore indeed. 5 - Higher performance with gait choice. Lumina, a 2008 Nationals 50 mile competitor was struggling along in a large pack of horses in 58th place. At the beginning of the 2nd loop of the steep, hilly course her rider decided to test out my suggestion of using the canter gait. By the time the race was over, at the end of the third loop, she had made her way into 18th place, passing many riders at the mandatory holds because her pulse rate came down to within parameters more quickly. There were moderate stresses on the right flanks of the horse after the first loop, which was ridden at the trot. At the end of the first cantered loop both flanks had equal stress and after the final loop the stresses had moved over to the left flank, in the internal oblique muscle, the left shoulder and also in the left iliacus. The rider admitted to using the left lead more than the right due to her being comfortable with more weight in the left stirrup. Better balance and collection at the canter might have prevented the stresses in the flanks as this positioning tucks the hind under and brings the hips closer to the ribs.

14 In turn, the proximity of hips and ribs shortens and relaxes the internal obliques across the flanks. Lumina had a lower pulse rate overall, better timing scores and an improved attitude by using the canter over the trot as the primary gait. Case 6 - Over-training to one side. A ten-year-old Thoroughbred racehorse was retired after seven and one half years on the track. For all this time he was trained to make left turns sometimes under duress from a Paint horse off his right flank. This technique is to scare the horse into the left turn to stay on the rail. Sweetness was now under training for hunter/jumper classes in Florida, USA. However, the climate made him anhydrous. Considering that overall tension from the spasms in left shoulder might be severe enough to create the non-sweating condition a programme of therapy and right side training was undertaken. At this time he was unable to adopt a right lead and would change a hard fought right lead in the air over a jump and land on his left front leg. After six weeks he won a blue ribbon at Wellington during the Spring Show. The anhydrosis did not resolve until he moved to a cooler climate. Making Rider Adjustments A remedy for one-sidedness is to become adept at carrying equal weight on both sides and front to back of the body so that the posture remains centrally balanced. The following exercises will help to readjust the posture more centrally: i) Stretching a leaning body to the side away from the lean will lengthen the shortened back muscles. When resistance is met, exhaling and stretching a little farther increases the range of motion. This should be repeated three times to this side. ii) In the following manner the rider can retrain a twisted spine, quadratus lumborum and abdominal oblique muscles to become equally flexible. With the feet pointing forwards about shoulder width apart, the hands on hips and shoulders back, begin to twist slowly on the hips until meeting the resistance of muscular tension. Note how far the bend has gone. The exercise should be repeated three times and measure again. Always stop at the point of pain. iii) Kathy Irvine of Blackfoot, Alberta offers the following stretch that she finds helpful. On all fours, stretch the weak diagonal arm forwards and its opposite leg backwards. Doing this from a position mimicking the stance of a quadruped, (i.e. begin with bent knees under the trunk) then the hips and trunk will be twisted in a way that tends to straighten the trunk out. It is suggested that all stretches be held for about 5 seconds, relax in this position and repeat 3 times. It would be a good idea to stretch out your strong diagonal in this fashion also, but until the body is equally balanced, only one repetition is necessary on this side. Just as in retraining the horse, more repetitions are concentrated to the weak side than the strong. iv) An ongoing training exercise is to use the subdominant side to lead in work, i.e. the right-handed person can muck and shovel etc with the left hand dominating. This retraining must be done slowly and with patience. v) These adjustments to posture can also be achieved through a variety of therapeutic ways i.e. massage therapy using structural integration techniques, chiropractic adjustments (preferably after massage has loosened the soft tissues) and yoga classes. A visit with a therapist that has knowledge of fascial release and straightening postural distortions will advance the healing of these conditions. When good balance is achieved, it is important to always stand equally on both legs with straight back, shoulders rearwards and to sit with both feet flat on the floor. Notes: Twisting fascia and lengthening muscles takes time to accomplish for both human and horse. It is always a good idea to monitor the mood of the horse during retraining exercises. It is suggested that circles to the weak side be done in an arena, without tack. When the horse seems to be comfortable with the new frame he can be tacked up and ridden into it. Mounting from the off side of the horse will also assist in this task, the horse will also begin to strengthen and twist in a more aligned position as this is done. As the torso begins to untwist and balance more vertically then the horse will be better able to do the same under the rider. Equal weight bearing is less tiresome and increased performance and range of ability will result. On the whole a two-sided horse will travel faster and farther with less stress than a one-sided one.

15 In Conclusion From these studies, it is understood that performance suffers through limitations to balance and movement brought on by restrictions of shortened muscle tissue and pain. This is true for horse and rider both separately and together. Over a long trail ride the hardest working side will become subject to repetitive stress injury and will fatigue earlier than its lesser-used partner. The horse will compensate for fatigue in the hind and prevent spasm by straightening the overworked leg a little. Every time this straightened leg kicks off it will transfer weight to the opposite diagonal foreleg. This leg will break down from weight-bearing stress at its weakest point and show lameness. A head-nod down on the right foreleg might signify lameness in the left fore but in cases where there is no significant pathology here, then the cause could be a transfer of weight to the right fore by a stiffened left hind. Some of the pains will only present during a particular movement such as in the case of the internal oblique spasms in the flank when the haunches are rotated to one side. Strains in the loin and rump manifest from weight-bearing strain. It can be said that the inherent distortions in the horse will have its affect on the rider. A left handed horse and right handed rider have a difficult time getting things straight. Both will share the benefits of good balance in health and performance. Distress in the gracilis muscles (between the thighs) can come from riding a side hill or a gully to one side. The effects are traceable to where one hind leg is higher than the other, a slip to the side, or from off-centred riding. They will be present along with hamstring distress. If the horse is ridden on one diagonal predominantly there will be strains to the weight-bearing hind. I.e. the left hind will lift and drive the right diagonal trot. The rider should be cognizant of being in good balance whilst in the saddle. If imbalance is due to an incurable infirmity this might mean lifting a stirrup a little and/or adding a dense foam pad on one seat. Pads can be form fitted to the saddle and placed under the leather or sewn into a saddle cover. There should be no thick edges, as they will cause discomfort. The horse will show dislike of a movement by looking worried, pinning an ear or being a little off. A refusal could be saying that this movement hurts too much or is about to. Even an unruly nature can be the result of muscle pains. The transference of pain from one species to the other during riding is a common factor and thus the athletic abilities of each participant can be improved by considering good health and balance. Pertinent preventive measures are to ensure that the horse is tracking straight and able to change leads and diagonals without difficulty as well as to extend and collect appropriate to ground conditions. Pre-training for all ground conditions, including hills and soft sand or walking in water will ensure ride ability. These preventive measures might very well lead to fewer cases of lameness. Notes The purpose of this study forms part of an investigation, in cooperation with Dr. Kenneth Marcella, into the reasons for lameness. An analysis of pee for stress factors is also underway for the assessment of electrolyte imbalance and metabolic causes.

16 Michael Beesley LMT, CNMT, CEST. *Fl License #MA5225 Born in Lancashire, England at a time when the horse and cart was used to deliver milk and coal and also to take away any unwanted household items. He was licensed to practice massage therapy in1984 and certified in both Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Re-education and Facilitation and Equine Sports Therapy. He has applied neuromuscular and sports therapy techniques to both human and equine athletes since that time. During his 25+ year career as an equine sports therapist he has assisted equine athletes for US National, Regional, World and Olympic competitions in Combined Driving, Dressage, Reining and Endurance Racing; qualified the UAE for World Championship participation and supported them in winning the Canadian National Championships, AHA Arab and Half Arab Championships; assisted a US Pan American team to a gold medal, finishing the entire team of six riders over a challenging course in Maryland, USA. Michael has also worked with Combined Training and Handicapped Dressage as well as Therapeutic Riding horses. Published works: Equine Performance Therapeutics An Illustrated Guide to the Musculoskeletal System. Equine Muscular Health A textbook for students of equine anatomical studies. Equine Performance Newsletter - A periodic publication. Contact: intouchwithorses@att.net