What is good vs poor posture?

Firstly we need to know what good or poor posture actually looks like.
This is definitely something to ‘get your eye in’ with, the difference between good posture and poor posture, of the horse in front of you.
And once you start to see it and recognise it, you will see it everywhere.

Poor posture can lead really quickly and easily to back pain and 'kissing spine', so it's important that we can identify it with our horses, so that we can then work on...

'Carrot Stretch' exercises are one of the most effective sets of exercises that you can do with your horse! They have been PROVEN in a research study, to increase the size of the postural muscles, the multifidus, along the spine, and they help maintain space in between the DSP's - done correctly, these exercises make a huge difference to your horses back and core, and are PROVEN to work. 

We have been digging into the technique around actually doing these exercises correctly and...

Core strength and symmetry in your horses body and limbs are two of the most important considerations within training for our horses. And if you have been following me for a while, you will know these are topics I talk about a LOT!

And it's because I know how absolutely fundamental they are for our horses. 

If your horse isn't strong enough in their core, they are potentially not strong enough to carry a rider, as the core and back can't push up to carry the rider, and a negative spiral...

I normally write my blogs from the perspective of the horse...rehab, core and body strengthening, injury compensation etc, but this week I wanted to write about the RIDERS part of the equation, as we are 50% of the partnership! 

Have you thought about how your own body affects your horse...whether you are riding or working on the ground with your horse? 

I have talked a lot on the blog about the natural crookedness pattern in the horse, why it's important to address it, and how to...

Following on from last weeks Blog on the important Multifidus muscles in the spine, I wanted to write about the next step...actually strengthening the multifidus muscles to help create space in between the DSP's (the bones that touch in kissing spine). 

You can read last weeks Blog here: Multifidus Muscles Blog post

Strengthening the abdominals in the horse has the effect of shortening the abdominal line of the horse, therefore lifting the core and back. So the abdominal work is the...

The multifidus muscles in the horses spine are small muscles, but of HUGE importance to the horses back health. 

I talk about them a lot in my groups, and when I'm talking to clients about Kissing Spine prevention...I love that my clients ask me about this, as it means that all of the blogs and posts and talks that I put out are reaching horse owners that want to do the very best for their horses! 

So I wanted to explain about the multifidus muscles, what they are, why they are...

Things go wrong with our horses from time to time...and it can be a really difficult time to navigate, if they are in pain especially. Sometimes it's obvious, sometimes not so much. Sometimes it's only you that can see/feel/sense that something isn't quite right with your horse, because you know your horse so well. 

Subtle lameness is one of the difficult areas with horses...everything seems ok, but they have a couple of 'off' days, or a few 'odd' steps, or don't seem their usual self,...

'Kissing Spine' in horses, or 'over-riding dorsal spinous processes' is a painful condition in horses, with varying causes, we now have varying treatment options, and we also now have lots of information and help available to assist the rehabilitation process...this is what I spend a lot of time doing now within my practice. 

There has now been scientific work done and a gene has been discovered, which would create a more severe grade of 'kissing spine' in affected horses. To read more...

Keeping your horse in full exercise, or indeed any type of exercise/rehab can be super challenging over the winter months! So much is against us and our horses! 

But if you do either want to or need to keep your horse in exercise over the winter, it takes some commitment, motivation and planning, especially on the worst weather days! 

You might not be able to do everything you do the rest of the year when the weather is better BUT there is still a lot you can do with your horse, and...

Winter exercise can be quite a task, the weather and darkness being against us in addition to whatever our horses issues may be. And keeping the arthritic horse exercised during the cold, dark winter months can be quite complicated. 

Arthritic joints don't like the cold, damp conditions, and can stiffen up really easily and quickly. I commonly see horses with an arthritis diagnosis having 'flare ups' as soon as the weather starts to really change and get cold and damp. 

First port...