MAY 2019 THE RIDER /49 Bad Behaviour Or Structural Imbalance? By this time in the season,


many equestrians have gotten their horses back into full-time work. Many are busy prepping for the competition season ahead, and some may have already begun showing. Sometimes once we have dusted off the cobwebs and shaken out the stiffness we find our horses present with an issue they didn’t have before. Equi-Bow practitioners are


often called in at this point to help address these issues. Some of the common presentations include a reluctance to take contact, going around with their head turned to the side, swapping leads behind and/or difficulty picking up a lead, rushing through their work, or a hesitation to go forward at all. It may be that horse has sud- denly begun to buck, or it might even be that the horse just feels “off” but the owner can’t quite pinpoint where it’s coming from. Any of these behaviours


could be the result of an underly- ing musculoskeletal issue, many of which are caused by asymme- tries in the skeleton. These asym- metries can cause the horse to create a compensatory posture. When this happens the horse be- gins to overuse some muscles and underuse others. Muscles work in tandem to create dynamic move- ment. An agonist muscle will al- ways have an antagonist match. For example, when one muscle works to extend a joint, another is working to flex it. If the agonist muscle is not firing correctly, the antagonist will begin to over-fire and the muscles surrounding the agonist with be recruited to com- pensate for the misfiring muscle. So how can you know if


your horse has a musculoskeletal imbalance? One thing you can do is stand back and really look at your horse to see if you notice any muscular asymmetries. A horse’s muscles should appear even in tone and structure throughout the body. Compare your horse’s musculature from multiple angles. Look at the entire left side and the entire right side from head to tail. Compare the muscle development of the front end versus the hind end. Do they appear evenly muscled? Also compare individual muscles on the left and right side of the horse.


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Does one tricep look more devel- oped than the other? If some of the muscles ap-


pear to be overdeveloped then in- evitably you will find muscles that are underdeveloped. Overde- veloped muscles will appear to be “bulging” compared to the others, while underdeveloped muscles will appear “sunken”. All muscles must be firing in order for horses to use themselves correctly, not only for optimal performance but for overall longterm soundness. There are several factors that


could result in musculoskeletal imbalances, and therefore less than desirable behaviour. Some- times we know exactly the cause of the issue, as in our horse slipped on the ice and we saw


them fall. Or the hoof sized swelling on your horse’s shoulder makes it clear they were kicked by a pasture mate. However, as prey animals, horses can be stoic. So sometimes they create com- pensatory postures to hide a trauma or injury, in which case it may be weeks, months or even years after the fact that we begin to see the issue come to light. This is why we must learn to see the subtle changes in our horse’s posture. It is also why Equi-Bow practitioners are constantly ob- serving and as- sessing


your


horse, document- ing changes as they present them- selves, and gather-


ing feedback from those who ride and care for the horse. If you would like to learn


more about your horses’s muscu- loskeletal health, contact a Certi- fied Equi-Bow Practitioner. You can find an up to date list of prac- titioners in your area on the Equi- Bow Canada website


www.equi-bowcanada.com Angela


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“Musculoskeletal asymmetries can found anywhere in the body.” Above left: Asymmetrical jaw and Above Right: Asymmetrical pelvis


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Erin, Caledon & Surrounding Areas


Erin, Caledon & Surrounding Areas


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