46/ APRIL 2019 THE RIDER Bridle/Rein Lameness Is Real


time and patience and luck for purely this method to be successful. As we become more


educated with scientific backup, we learn that the horse is a complicated beast. Everything is connected, so if something is experiencing discomfort, pain, compensa- tion, etc., it will affect the correct functioning some- where else in the body. There are so many


By Lisa Byers A client sent me this


post containing some great information for discussion: Bridle/rein lameness is


real. Some people define it differently. I have heard it as discussed as a lameness that reveals itself when ridden, but I have also heard it re- ferred to as when the horse leans on the reins for stabil- ity/support. Back in the day, I have even heard riders say “my horse is smart and fakes lameness to get out of riding, because when I un- tack him, he is fine.” Regardless, balance is


affected and the horse will do what it needs, in order to cope.


There is a Ray Lacroix article* that is quite good at attempting to describe what is happening when ‘bridle


comfort/asymmetry away. While perhaps possible for the odd horse, it takes much


lameness’ occurs. And as many would have done 6 years ago, the time at which this article was written, they will attempt to train the dis-


nerves and fascia, amongst everything else, in the horse’s face, that any undo pressure can cause issue throughout the body as a whole. It could be the bit, it could be the bridle ( nose band, brow band, bridle weight on the poll), it could be the pressure from the rider through the reins, or a combination of all. It could be the saddle,


the


weight/balance/asymmetry of the rider, girth/cinch, etc., all pressing on sensitive nerves, fascia, muscles, and skeleton. So yes, while I agree


that balanced, engaged rid- ing will help, balancing the horse himself, without a rider, while on the ground, will also help greatly. Teaching them how to find balance and move more cor- rectly without the extra weight works wonders such


which the system handles information, but sometimes the information gets jum- bled or in the case of dis- comfort/pain, seeks a new/compensatory way of moving in order to find some relief. Certain modalities,


that when you do add the weight/imbalance of a rider, the horse already under- stands the correct way of moving. He just needs to ad- just to the new factor. Bodywork that focuses


on addressing the asymme- tries of the horse, encourag- ing correct communication of the central nervous sys- tem (CNS), can be a great start to correcting rein lame- ness. The CNS is responsi- ble to coordinate all bodily functions. It has four pri- mary functions that all relate to the areas of the body for


such as Equi-bow, can influ- ence the CNS communica- tion pathways, offering the ability for the body to ‘re- pattern’ itself. i.e. rediscover the more correct way to move/function. Essentially, the brain-body feedback loop gets a reboot. This can have a profound effect on the way your horse per- ceives the way in which he moves, so not only can his physical balance be im- proved, but in turn so can his emotional perception.


The effects of Equi-Bow can be, but are not limited to, improved posture, higher quality of movement, im- proved proprioception, im- proved attitude,


less


anxious, pain/discomfort re- duction, improved lym- phatic flow, and improved athleticism. The effects of Equi-Bow can vary and may depend on each individual horse’s story. Sometimes the owners report not seeing anything specific, but com- municate that they had the best ride on their horse after a few Equi-Bow sessions. Of course consistent,


correct training practices, post Equi-Bow sessions, will support this newly found, more correct way of moving, for a longer lasting result.


www.uxbridgeequine.com


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60