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SEPTEMBER 2017 THE RIDER /51 The Road to Enlightenment The Biomechanical Benefits of Correct Neck Flexions


By Muriel Chestnut, Founder Enlight- ened Dressage, student Instructor in the Philippe Karl School of Légèreté.


ond aspect of training a horse: control of the neck (in part) and the remarkable ef- fects on the horse’s entire body by use of Neck Flexions. Let’s begin with visu- alizing the skeleton of the horse’s neck. It has the same number of vertebrae that we have, seven to be exact. The Poll is commonly referred to the area between


portant concept of Jaw Mobilization as the first step in educating the horse and rider to the use of the hand. Anyone who needs a recap please refer to the July issue of The Rider … it was a bit lengthy, but really important since the hand is the primary aid of the rider. This article will delve into the sec-


Last month I wrote about the im-


thing that are drastically misunderstood. It’s not uncommon to see horses being see-sawed from side to side as riders pull their horse’s heads around into com- promisingly extreme positions in the name of “suppling”, that do more harm than good!! Or there is the opposite end of the spectrum where riders avoid bending their horse’s neck for fear of doing too much. Hopefully I can clarify what is


tions” for training flexions, it goes like this: Flexion of the Jaw: Jaw yielding, relax- ation response that induces lightness to the hand Flexion of the Neck Laterally: to supple the whole horse Neck Extension: to teach the horse to take the hand forwards and down with an open poll and stretch horizontally


beneficial and what is not. To recap our “Order of Opera-


the ears at the junction between the skull and first cervical vertebra, also called the Atlas. The second vertebra is known as the Axis. The remaining 5 vertebrae curve downwards and meet the Thoracic vertebrae between the shoulders. Its im- portant to note that the shoulders blades, or Scapula are not directly attached to the cervical spine. They are attached by many layers of tendon, ligament and muscles. Therefore, any manipulation of the neck directly affects the shoulder musculature and all musculoskeletal systems right to the home’s tail. It’s all connected folks … you can’t move one part without involving the whole horse! Neck Flexions seem to be some-


Poll Flexion: through relaxation of the poll facilitating roundness of the horse’s upper musculature


hibits the ewe necked horse from being able to invert its neck. It also improves the horse who overbends, through con- tinued attention to maintaining an open poll. Remember, what is long (i.e.. open and stretched) is more flexi- ble! Think of a long stick vs. a short one … which is more flexi-


quires 2 things: an open poll i.e.. nose in front of the vertical, and, a pronounced bend of up to, but not more than, 90 de- grees. When done correctly, this is a valuable gymnastic exercise that be- comes the preparatory position for all 2- track work. As I’ve stated in previous articles,”position before action” ensures that the horse is placed in a posture con- ducive to the exercise required. Always try to set your horse up for success by providing the correct posture that main- tains good balance and fluidity of move- ment. This creates ease, which is the foundation of lightness! Flexing the neck laterally pro-


www.philippe-karl.com for an instructor or student instructor near you.) Lateral flexion of the neck re-


cellent way to teach the horse to follow the feel of the hand in lightness, left and right and can again be taught first from the ground and are a prerequisite for ad- dressing control of the shoulders. It is wise to consider finding a coach profi- cient in work in hand since this is fairly specialized work.


(Check out Neck Flexions laterally are an ex-


ble? This is why we endeavour to teach our horses stretched postures vs. con- tracted/short ones. Stretched postures naturally promote greater flexibility. Greater flexibility = greater mobility = improved balance = increased ability to collect!


cal advantage of laterally flexing the neck its clear that stretching of one side of the neck at a time is helpful in releas- ing tension in the neck, particularly the contracted or short, concave side. We all know that progressive training is best achieved when we can induce relaxation and release of tension. Therefore, lateral flexing of the neck is fundamental to successfully producing a more relaxed horse. But the benefits don’t end there! Since the musculature of the neck is connected to the musculature of the back we can ultimately release tension in the back by doing gymnastic stretching of the neck. In particular, the Longissimus Dorsi, which is a very long and powerful muscle attaching to the last 4 cervical vertebrae and ending at the sacrum. This long, strong locomotor muscle is di- rectly affected in a positive way by the correct lateral stretching of the neck. Ef- fects of bending the neck directly influ- ence the suppleness of the trunk musculature which, in turn, determines the horizontal and vertical balance of the horse.


So you see, stretching the neck lat- When we look at the biomechani-


your horse, with tact and lightness, slowly and progressively, in all gaits, WITH AN OPEN POLL FOR MAXI- MUM FLEXIBILITY! I can not stress this enough!! We must eliminate the use of gadgets designed to artificially flex the poll and pull horses into flexed po- sitions! This is vulgar and destructive to the education of both horses and riders! The Old Masters condemned this! They knew what they were doing … even without the scientific knowledge we have today that proves hyper flexion, both laterally and longitudinally is bar- baric and disastrous for horses! Lead by example my thinking rider friends! In next months article, I will re-


view the importance of Neck Extension: The Antidote before the Poison! I hope you all stay with me as we continue on this academic journey of Classical Dres- sage Training! Till next time … happy riding for you and your horse!


erally is not only perfectly fine to do but becomes a necessary component of cor- rect training procedures for all ridden horses as a means of improving overall balance, both longitudinally and later- ally. It is also important to note that lat- eral flexibility improves longitudinal flexibility, more so than the opposite. So don’t neglect your horse’s lateral flexi- bility exercises … particularly jumpers! … who require maximum longitudinal flexibility! So go ahead and bend the neck of


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Canada – Ontario Region Show Dates


show/year! Follow us on facebook at Mounted Games Canada On- tario. A great way to send us your questions and keep up to date on all our events. Visit Website: www.mountedgames- canada.com


Rusty Gaits Saddle Club


Shows held at the Aylmer Fair Grounds: Shows - September 17. For more information con- tact us at www.rustygaits.ca or find us on Facebook.


Mid-Western Horseman’s Society


2017 TENTATIVE MWHS HORSE SHOWS (Revised January 26, 2017) Friday, Saturday and Sunday, September 15, 16 & 17 - WESTERN FAIR MWHS Agriplex, Western Fair District, London?? Judge: Saturday, September 23 - FOREST FAIR MWHS SHOW Forest Fairgrounds. Judge: Kris Simpson, Guelph Sunday, October 1 - ILDER- TON FAIR MWHS SHOW Ilderton Fairgrounds. Judge: Mike Rapley, Simcoe October 7 - BRIGDEN FAIR MWHS SHOW Brigden Fair- grounds. Judge: Rick Storey, Peterborough October 8 - BRIGDEN FAIR MWHS SHOW Brigden Fair- grounds. Judge: Tom Ramey, Wilsonville Respectively Submitted, Ken


Sept. 16, Sept. 30 (rain date if needed) Want to try mounted games? Temporary memberships are available;


good for 1 Equine Mounted Games McLellan.


2017 Chesley Saddle Club Ride Schedule 2017


Hitscherich, 905-473-9329 October 7-9 - John’s Lucknow Fall Ride – Please call John to confirm your spot. 519-955- 1286 For more information visit - www.chesleysaddleclub.ca


Welsh Pony and Cob Association


The Welsh Summer Classic - July 15th at TLC Quarter Horses, Hillsburgh, ON. For prize list and entry forms, please visit https://wpcao.com The Canadian All Welsh Cham- pionship and Sport Pony Show - August 6th at Pickering Horse Centre, Pickering ON. Other Welsh Pony & Cob high points shows are held at the fol- lowing locations: September 17th - Brampton Fair September 24th - Lindsay Ex- hibition September 30th - Markham Fair October 7th - Erin Fall Fair For more information about welsh shows, please check out: http://wpcao.com/events


2017 Windsor Essex Cadora Competition Dates Are As Fol- lows:


NOT Confirmed September 16-17 - Herman’s Ride - Lucknow. Call John at 519-955-1286 October 6-9 - Helmut’s Ride - Newmarket –


All Rides Leave At 10am Sharp: September Ralph’s Ride – Blyth. Ralph Campbell 519- 523-9614


c 519-357-5328


September 17, Entries due Sept. 8 @ 6pm Visit www.wecadora.ca


Ontario Friesian Horse Association Keuring


Ancaster Fairgrounds, Septem- ber 19 & 20, 2017. Starting at 8am. For more information please contact; Jack Van- derkooy 519-933-6119 or info@ontariofriesianhorse.com


Helmut


CLINICS September 20 - 24 - 5 day Jimmy Anderson Fall Clinic. Drury Horse Park, Barrie, ON Helping people and their horses achieve their dreams, Jim & Andrea Anderson show us how to develop a true partnership through Natural Horsemanship and positive understanding. Limit of 16 participants. www.facebook.com/Drury- HorsePark. Contact Laura at: 705-720-1069 or laura_abaker@yahoo.ca.


FALL FAIRS Sept. 14-17, 2017 - Brampton Fall


www.bramptonfair.com/ Sept. 15-17, 2017 - Acton Fall Fair. http://actonfair.ca/ Sept. 15-17, 2017 - Fergus Fall Fair. www.fergusfallfair.ca/ Sept. 15-17 - Bracebridge Fall Fair & Horse Show. Sponsored by the Bracebridge Agricultural S o c


wainfleetfallfair.googlepages.co m Sept. 21 - 24 - Ancaster Fall Fair. Canadian Cowgirls show. 3 nights of Demolition Derby, Ultimate Cowboy Challenge on Saturday. Horses - Minis,


www.bracebridgefair.com/ Sept. 21-23, 2017 - Winfleet Fall


Fair. i e t y . Fair.


Send in all your Fall


2017 Show Dates!


haflingers, 4H, Hunter, Heavy Horses, Roadsters Visit www.ancasterfair.ca for more info. Sept. 22-24, 2017 - Hintsville Fall Fair. www.huntsvillefall- fair.com/ Sept. 22-24, 2017 - Milton Fall Fair. www.miltonfair.com/ Sept. 29-Oct. 1, 2017 - Ilderton Fall


http://ildertonfair.on.ca/horse- shows/ Sept. 28-Oct. 1, 2017 - Markham


www.markhamfair.ca Oct. 3-9, 2017 - Norfolk Fall F


https://norfolkcountyfair.com/ Oct. 5-9, 2017 - Erin Fall Fair. www.erinfair.com/ Oct. 7-9, 2017 - Norwood Fall Fair. www.norwoodfair.com/ Oct. 6-9, 2017 - Rockton Worlds Fair. http://www.rock- tonworldsfair.com/


ROYAL AGRICULTURAL WINTER FAIR


November 3-12, 2017 - www.royal- fair.org/


a i r . Fall Fair. Fsair.


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