PILATES


in sizeuntil theyare only small cubesofbone The spinal cord does not continue through


the tail vertebrae.Itendsatthe cauda equina, in the horse’ssacrum. However,some nerves do continue to the end of the dock. Throughout the spine thereare ligaments


that connecteach vertebratothe next. This is rather likeachain. This systemofligaments, starting at the poll continuesright to the end of the dock. Thereare also fascial and connective tissue links throughout the entirespine. The muscles, which youcan feel within the tail


itself,originatefurther forwardatthe sacrum and lastfew lumbar vertebrae.However,astheyare part of groups and chains of muscles, theycannot be considered in isolation. Thus, the muscles which move the tail areconnecteddirectly to,


and caninfluence and be influenced by the back and spinal musclesingeneral and the longissimus dorsi and multifidus in particular.


POSITION OF THE TAIL


The position of the tail canbeanindicator of the health and movement further forward within the spine.For example,ina free or extended walk, wherethe horse is swinging freely through his back, this is reflectedin aloose swinging tail. Conversely,ifahorse changesthe position of this tail, forexample if he dramatically startstohold it to one side or clamps it down, this canbeanindicator of pain, discomfort or trauma whether within the tail itself or further forwardinthe spine.


EXERCISES INVOLVING THE TAIL


WATCH THE VIDEO! If youhaveenjoyedlearning about these


exercises, take alook at our free Academy www.horsesinsideout.com/academy. It is easy to join. Thereare severalfreetutorial videos including one showing youexactly howtodo the tail exercises. The academypage will also giveyou the opportunitytobook one of 5Spring Webinarsorpurchase the recorded versions of our firstthree webinars; ‘Understanding the horse’s Back’,Polesfor Posture’ and Pilates forHorses’ Idohope youand your horse enjoying doing the exercisesdemonstrated in this article!


ABOUT GILLIAN


Gillian is passionateabout horses, anatomyand sharing all she knows forthe good of the horse.Anauthority in equine anatomyand biomechanics, aBritish Horse SocietySenior Coach, professional sports and remedial therapist, author Gillian specialisesin assessing postureand movement, devising exercisesfor improving performanceand educating horse owners. She is well known forher popular books, videos and anatomical painting on livehorseswhich she usesfor her teaching.


ent, Forfull details go to: WWW.HORSESINSIDEOUT.COM/AIA PleasementionCentral HorseNewswhen respondingtoAdvertisementsFEBRUARY/MARCH2021 27


ANATOMY IN ACTION


ENJOY THIS BOOK AND BIOMECHANICS COURSE IN HORSE MOVEMENT


Of interest to veterinaryand equine professionals of alldisciplines Amultimedia publication from


HORSES INSIDE OUT By Gillian Higgins


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