We all have twists. T e trick is to straighten them out before they hurt us, and lame our horses too.
B
alance in all things is important in these days. We know that without balance we would fall down and
slither to get around. When two creatures venture forth with one mounted upon the other, according to gravity there is one item moving over the surface. The horse, being the intermediary between you and the ground, will fulfi l that role to all ends by rebalancing to accept wher- ever you choose to set your load. But we pay a price for imbal-
ance. Muscles in the lower back may become shorter on one side, putting them—and you—at risk of suffering traumatic stress during any leaning, twisting and bending motions with weight borne in your arms. A sudden loss of balance and an attempt to “save” yourself or the load may result in strained or torn muscle fi bers and the oft-heard comment, “I was just reaching for something and put my back out!” The result is pain and restricted movement.
PAIN LIMITS MOTION: “WHAT IS PAIN?” Pain is a signal that tissue is be-
ing damaged. The body uses pain’s unpleasant sensations to send an urgent message to the conscious- ness that “Something has gone wrong and you need to stop doing it that way, now!” Pain—from mildly annoying
The body can over-react with fl uids and lymph, and often this over-reaction can create more discomfort than the original insult would suggest. The same goes for any aches and pains regardless of cause. The more emotional attention we pay the greater return in interest is the pain cycle.
SKELETONS OFF KILTER Your skeleton is divided into two
parts: 1) the appendicular skeleton, encompassing the limbs and 2) the axial skeleton, including the spinal vertebrae. Ideally the body is centered to gravity by a vertical line passing down through the ear by the point of the shoulder through the middle of the hip joint to the middle of the anklebone. The hips and shoulders are parallel to the ground and set “square” to the front. Ideally, each leg should carry equal body weight and the abilities of either pair of limbs should be equal. However, we don’t develop
to excruciating—is triggered by a collection of specialized cells in the nervous system known as nociceptors. These cells signal the central nervous system of damage and inflammation—fluid that collects to clean out debris, or accumulates due to impingement of soft tissue that does not allow for free fl ow of circulation (i.e., tight chaps or boots), or collects to cushion a sprain from further insult. All of these factors elicit the sensation of pain. The more our attention is focused upon the hurt, the more nociceptors gather and the more intensely pain is felt. To manage any kind of pain—be it
muscle, bone, intestinal, nerve or ve- nous—we must fi rst begin diverting our attention away from the hurt aspect.
LEFT: T is posture creates the diagonal diffi culty as shown in the hindquarter drawing on page 33. Weight is in the leſt stirrup and the horse is adopt- ing a “shoulder in” where the setup is for a right turn. T e horse is adopting the same posture as the rider. RIGHT: Once again the horse is tracking into a turn, this time to the leſt . Both rider and horse are leaning into the “turn.” Tracking is right hind to leſt fore. A sore back on the leſt side can result from this rider’s posture. Photo by Becky Siler.
When muscular pain warns us that a
fatigued muscle is about to fail due to over-tension, the body releases pain signals at the site, and pain-free move- ment is inhibited. The body now has the choice of succumbing to the limited range or powering through the hurt to maintain mobility. If the former path is chosen, the body will become one-sided and distorted over time due to compensation. Full range of motion will be limited to one side, which dominates the performance of tasks. The weaker side will become subject to trauma if the strain of lifting and torqueing is too great.
symmetrically. Our daily tasks define our posture as we go about our daily life. Our left and right sides develop specialized abilities needed to perform vari- ous tasks. The skills, sizes and strengths of the appendicular muscles on each side of the spine will be different. The left side might become a habitual resting post with a stiff leg to hold it up. We drift off center! This posture is exacerbated
when a hip is thrust outwards to carry a weight, such as a child or a bag of feed. The shoulders twist to allow the arm to cradle the child and the pelvis tilts to make the shelf upon which the baby or other object sits. Over time the body adopts this posi- tion as “normal” and we go along unaware that we are twisted and
bent. Positions adopted for work, comfort or habit stay with us when we mount hors- es and ride off. The horse adopts and mir- rors the posture signalled from the seat. I have found many right-handed rid-
ers are twisted towards the right at the hips and to the left at the shoulders. Such posture shortens, bulks, lengthens, stresses and resizes muscles. These changes increase the chance for spinal disorders and “pinched nerves” in the back. Sitting in one position, particu- larly on one “cheek,” will infl ame butt muscle tissue due to excessive pres-
WWW.TRAILBLAZERMAGAZINE.US • June | July 2010 31 continued page 33
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