40/ AUGUST 2017 THE RIDER Make Your Horse Do Sit-ups!


|Lisa Kavanagh-Ross, REMT Equi-Lete Massage Therapy So you’re thinking I’m crazy! How do I make


my horse do sit-ups? Well maybe not in the true sense of the word, but there is a way! Just like us, it’s important for your horse to have a strong core. Why? The stronger the core (abdominal) muscles the stronger the horse’s topline will be. Many people believe that a strong back comes


from having strong back muscles, which is incor- rect. Yes, we want the back muscles to be well muscled and correctly developed but that all starts with developing the abdominal muscles first. The main muscles of the back, longissimus


dorsi & iliocostalis, actually act to ‘lock’ the back down, which is not what we want the horse to do. We want these muscles to stay relaxed and supple when the horse is working. The softer these mus- cles stay, the easier it will be for your horse to round, bend laterally and carry/pull weight. Do this little exercise; sitting or standing, con-


tract your back muscles only. What happens? Your back arches. Pretend you are a horse, you’ve just put yourself into an inverted frame and you move stiffly. Uncomfortable isn’t it! Now, contract your abdominal muscles…your back will round or in horse terms, it will bascule. Bascule is a goal we should all aim for when working our horses. Of course more goes into bascule than just a strong core, but it’s a start. So which muscles act to lift the back? These


are the abdominals and the horse has 4 pairs; ex- ternal obliques, internal obliques, rectus abdomi- nus & transverse abdominus. Rectus abdominus is the main muscle that runs on either side of the horse’s midline under the belly. It is this muscle that we can target directly with a couple easy ex- ercises. So when these abdominals are strong, the back muscles can remain relaxed which allows the horse to bascule. Horses that are deep from ‘loin to groin’ have well developed abdominals. The ideal is for this loin to groin depth to match the heart girth as best it can. There are many different training techniques and exercises to help correctly develop the abs,


such as trotting poles, but that is personal prefer- ence and that’s not what I want to focus on. I want to give you a couple different stretches that will compliment your horse’s muscular development. Young or old, in training or for pleasure, these stretches are very beneficial. It is recommended that stretches never be performed on cold muscles, so do these after exercise or a good grooming. When trying these for the first time it is best to have a 2nd handler for safety.


1. The Abdominal Lift or Tummy Tickle The idea of the abdominal lift is to directly


stimulate the abdominal muscles so that the horse must contract them, therefore lifting their back. • Stand on one side of your horse • Take your fingertips and rub


1 them


against your horse’s belly for 10 sec- onds • Watch your horse’s back, you should


2


muscles on top of the hindquarters [HQ]) the horse tucks their HQ underneath them, tipping their pelvis and stretching the lumbar back. • Stand off to the side of the horse’s HQ • Place your knuckles on either side of the tail, just above the point of butt • Rub your knuckles up and down for 10 seconds • Watch the horse, they should tuck the HQ’s and their lumbar back will rise Again, every horse is different, so start with


lighter pressure and modify it according to your horse’s reaction. Do this exercise 3x giving the horse a 10 second rest in between. Do this every day!


3. Carrot Stretches These are a favourite among many horses be-


cause, as you guessed it, there are carrots involved! Any enticing treat can be used but carrots work


Longitudinal Neck & Back • Take a carrot in one hand and take it to their chest (stretches their upper neck) • Hold it there as long as you can so that they get a good long stretch


• Now take the carrot to between their knees (stretches their neck and upper back) • Again hold it there as long as possible • When they seem comfortable with these 2 posi- tions, you can then lower the carrot so that eventu- ally the carrot is between their feet (this will stretch all the way to their lower back) If the horse buckles a front leg to reach the carrot, the stretch is too much, as they are now essentially ‘cheating’. Back the carrot up to where they don’t cheat and slowly work towards the new position over weeks/months. Do this stretch until the carrot is gone!


Picture 1: Reference for starting position of horse’s back Picture 2: same horse, notice how much lift this horse shows with the abdominal lift


see it rise! Every horse is different, so start with light pressure and in- crease it accordingly to your horse’s reaction. Do this exer- cise 3x giving the horse a 10 second rest in between. Do this every day! 2. The Gluteal Scratch or Pelvic Tilt The gluteal scratch targets the


lumbar back span. By stimulat- ing the gluteal muscles (the


Right & Left Lateral Neck & Back • Take the carrot in your hand and take it back to their flank, about the level of the stifle (too high in photo) • If this is too much then bring the carrot forward • As they get better at the stretch, take the carrot further back past the stifle • Get them to hold the stretch as long as possible Do the stretches until the carrots are gone, one


well because of their length. There are 3 carrot stretches; neck & back longitudinal, right lateral neck & back and left lateral neck & back. You will need between 3-5 carrots of good length. These stretches target the muscles of the topline.


per side! If you find your horse swings his butt around to try and reach the carrot, you can put them up beside a wall (see photo) so that they bump into it and stops them from trying to turn. These carrot stretches are very easy and simple to perform & extremely beneficial for your horse. Do these daily. Take your time with these stretches and remember to be consistent and fair. It is best to do these stretches on good footing to minimize slipping and remember to stretch only when the muscles are warm. I hope you find these helpful, your horse will love you for it!


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