28/06/2025
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Weekly roundup of thoughts 🤔
This week has been a busy week. I've seen a lot of horses. Something that has been a bit of a theme is the lack of chest and shoulder muscle development that I am seeing in ridden horses.
Horses that look as though both front limbs originated from the same point. Sternums that are very prominent and easily palpated. It's refreshing when I find a lovely well muscled horse with a good strong solid front end and you have to fish a little to find and feel the margins of the sternum.
I believe this is because of two reasons-
1) horses are often ridden as if we are pushing a wheel barrow. We get hold of the rein contact, we take a backwards pull and we push forward. That backwards pull met with the forward push creates compression in the joints of the neck. To help stabilise the neck in this scenario the horse will hold in the back muscles resulting in dropping of the thorax/rib cage/ barrel - whichever word works for you, down between the shoulder blades.
Being in this scenario means there is limited access to the shoulder girdle muscles or the chest muscles.They are stabilising the horse that is now weighting the forehand. These horses when landing their front feet land into the ground with a bracing action of the forelimb rather than springing up off the ground.
2) we think too much in terms of riding horses down with their head and neck and forward into that contact. By doing this we restrict our access to the back muscles and their functionality. We restrict the horses ability to rotate through it's barrel/ rib cage/ thorax.
When was the last time you heard someone speaking about the rotation and lift of the horses back?.
I only ever hear people talk about bend. True bend comes as a result of the spinal column having functional movement in three dimensions. You need lift- rotation and bend created and working together for a truly functional spinal column and back. If you are lacking an element you don't have a truly functional horse.
If you don't have access to healthy, optimal spinal function then you will struggle to build a healthy front end and will be lacking topline strength and function.
Next time you ride think about whether you are riding your horse in a way that is similar to pushing a wheel barrow. Are you pushing him down in front? Do you know how to access his spinal column without involving your rein aids and backwards pull?
Or do you ride from your seat, thighs, lower legs, torso, your breath, your thoughts... Are you able to differentiate between parts of your body and the control of tone within let's say one thigh or one side of your lower back depending on what/where your horse needs help in that moment in time?.
Riding is not just about your legs and hands.
Horses are so sensitive and they enjoy the subtle conversation that can be had between horse and rider/handler based on nuance of muscle tone, breath patterns and thought processes.
This week I spoke with a builder who told me he grew up in South Africa and rode horses in the bush somewhat cow boy style - his words. He said he loved it because the subtle but precise unspoken conversation with the horses was mind blowing.
He was aware of the horses and the surroundings 🦒🐅🦁🦏. The horses were aware of the riders and the surroundings 🦏 🦁 🐅 🦒. It was all so subtle yet so precise. It was dangerous and everyone was on high alert but in a calm, controlled manner.
He said he rode when he came back to the UK and quickly gave it up because the conversation with the horse wasn't there, it all felt rather clunky, manual and switched off - his words/feelings about the horses he rode 🤷🏼♀️
🐴 We need to ride independently of our hands.
🐴We need more body understanding, control and precision with the control and application of our own body when riding.
🐴Stop pushing a wheel barrow.
🐴Remember the spine moves in 3 dimensions in varying amounts within those dimensions -rotation, lift and bend work together.
🐴Stop thinking only in terms of bend and stop creating that mostly in the neck and believing it automatically transfers to the area you are sat on. It does not.
