Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!

We are having a lovely vacation in North Dakota for Christmas.  However, I'm getting a bit homesick for my horses.  Also quite sick of cold weather.  The past few days have been warmer though, which makes me want to ride my horses even more!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all of the horses and riders out there!  I hope that everyone has a safe and warm holiday.  Enjoy your families today!
I'll be home with a sick kid today, so I will be thankful for all of the gifts in my life from home.

Weird Horses!

Today I had quite a scare.  It was cold when I woke up, in the single digits.  My horses had finished their round bale yesterday, I had dumped out all of the wet hay in the bottom last night.  ELEVEN days that bale lasted, pretty great!  Anyways, so I ran out to feed the horses a square bale.  They all four dug right in, just like normal.  About ten minutes later, once I finished getting ready for work, I came back outside to take off for the day.  I see three horses eating hay, and my old mare (Abbie) up on the hill.  She whinnies when she see's me, and comes booking down the hill.  She then wanders around by the shelter, and over to the level (rather sandy) place where the round bale was.  Then she lays down, and just lays there.  Freaked me out, but I was late for work so off I went.  Came home tonight, she's perfectly fine and ready for dinner.  Apparently she just wanted me to worry all day.  WEIRD horses...

Pictures are after eleven days of eating on the round bale.  Everyone seems to be in great weight lol!
    

Feeding in Winter

I find it mind boggling how much hay my horses can consume, and the speed at which they do it!  We decided to feed round bales this winter.  Great idea, it's much healthier for horses to have constant food in their stomachs and to graze slowly.  However, the first round bale did NOT get consumed slowly.  My four adult horses had it gone within five days.  I'm talking gone as in even the muddy parts on the ground pretty much cleaned up.  Over a thousand pounds of hay gone in less than a week, so we were back to feeding square bales two or three times a day. These pictures are after TWO days of eating.  Look at that mess!! 


SO I bought my piggies a Cinch Chix hay net: http://www.cinchchix.com

Today I went out to check on it, and these pictures are after four days of eating:

 

My husband and I had no problem moving the round bale.  We untarped it, rolled it into the pasture, removed the twine and put the Cinch net over it.  It was quite easy, the entire process probably took us fifteen minutes.  Not too bad, fifteen minutes to feed my horses for a week!  Then of course we got a boat load of rain, and 50+ mph wind gusts all weekend.  I have no hay wasted, and they are still eating.  YEA!!  So far so good, I'm loving round bales with Cinch Chix nets.

 

Rider Stretches - Warm up

Always warm your muscles up before you stretch, and please make sure that you are healthy before you begin any exercise regiment.  Okay that being said, some great warm up stretches for the chest, arms, legs and back are easy to do. 

Begin by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, and simply reach up over your head.  Then fold your hands together, and bend first to the left, then to the right.  Hold straight up and each direction for three to four seconds.  Then reach down and touch your toes, or as close as you can get.  This will stretch your arms, back and your legs.  The final chest and back stretch is to stand upright or sit up straight.  Then picture a nut between your shoulder blades that you have to crack by reaching your arms backward.  You can look up at the ceiling with your head to increase the stretch.  Hold this for up to thirty seconds, while taking deep breaths. 

I will add some pictures this afternoon :)  More stretches to come....

Stretching, for the Rider Intro

Everyone knows how important stretching is for our horses, and why flexibility is essential to achieve balance and efficiency of movement.  I give every client whose horse I work on stretches to do for homework, and these are reviewed and are added to at each visit.  But what about the rider??

Everyone who has ridden a horse for any considerable length of time understands just how athletic of an endeavor it truly is to ride well.  Why then do so few of us have stretching routines for ourselves?  I can guarantee you that in most other sports a solid warm up and cool down includes some stretching.  Why don't riders stretch then you may be wondering??Stretching daily is the very best way to improve your flexibility overall, throughout your body. This increased flexibility makes you much less prone to injury, and can also improve your riding technique.  Many riders lean forward while riding, which will close your hip joint and stress your shoulders.  It should be no surprise then that I treat shoulder, upper back and hip pain in almost all of my trail riders.  Much of this stiffness and pain can be considerably decreased by a proper warm up and stretching routine.

You should never stretch without warming up your muscles.  Usually just walking out to catch your horse will do it.  If you have an especially easy to catch horse, giving him a thorough grooming and/or hand walking around for five or ten minutes will warm you up a sufficient amount.  Also never stretch an injured area, and be careful to avoid overstretching.  Stretching should never cause pain anywhere.  If you notice persistent pain after stretching, please discontinue and consult with your doctor.  Hold all stretches for five to six seconds to begin with, but with proper technique you can hold stretches for several minutes once flexibility is increased. 

We will get into actual stretching technique tomorrow. 














 

Freedom!

Today I am thinking about how horses move naturally.  A loose horse has a freedom to it's gait that is beautiful, and to watch him flow between speeds can be breathtaking.  I'm not sure about anyone else, but I would love to feel more of this from my horse under saddle!

Clients who receive regular Chiropractic and bodywork care many times will notice an improvement in the fluidity of gaits of a horse after a treatment.  This is due to the lessening of restrictions within the muscles, which makes it easier for the horse to do his or her job.  This directly leads to a longer career by decreasing the normal wear and tear on joints from competition and training.

BENEFITS OF CARE

Now that I have been practicing for "a few" years, I'm starting to really see the benefits of consistent chiropractic and bodywork care.  This is true for both the horse and the rider.  Chiropractic adjustments and bodywork usually improves a horse’s disposition.  These are the horses who always seem to be cranky, or are easily upset.  These are often the horses who are not pleased with me while I work on them, but who whinny and nicker when they see me for the next visit.  A horse with chronic pain will quite frankly not want to work.  This is a rare day for my endurance horses, and is definitely a sign that something is up with them!  

This is also true for riders, I often hear complaints from trail riders with constant pain.  They think that I'm "nuts" for riding 50 miles in a day.  While I can't testify to my mental soundness, as I do think that the pain from riding all day isn't even close to the fun benefit, I know that when I am well adjusted I come through a ride much easier.  Granted, it does help that my husband is a great chiropractor who can (and does) adjust me mid-ride :)  

The key here appears to be consistency.  Horses don't seem to need nearly as much care as people do, but of course they live much more naturally than most of us do.  I've been playing with my horses own treatment schedule but this appears to be a case of the shoemaker's kids not having any shoes....

Spring IS coming!

Another day that was colder than it was supposed to be, but at least the sun came out.  The sun shining does a lot to improve my mood, and hopefully it will start to really melt that ice out there.  This gets me thinking about conditioning myself to begin spring conditioning and riding.

Horse riding, especially long distances at moderate speed, requires excellent core strength.  This includes back and stomach strength, as well as lower body and upper body strength and balance.  A rider must have strong muscles, combined with a supple and flexible spine.  The best way to increase core strength is to stretch and exercise.  Balancing on an exercise ball while working is an easy way to begin to increase core strength, as long as the ball is stable.  An easy way to increase stability is to place a rolled up towel under/around the base of the ball to prevent excess rolling.

Another good exercise is laying on your stomach over an exercise ball, and then raise your torso off of it while preventing the ball from rolling.  Again make sure that you are strong enough to control the movements without falling off!  Then follow this exercise up with the mermaid stretch.  To do this stretch, stand with your feet shoulder width apart in a relaxed frame.  Then slowly lift your hands above your head and stretch.  Finish the stretch by leaning first left then right, and then slowly lowering your hands.

Spring may actually be coming, so it may be time for me to jump start my fitness program!!

After an injury

I had a little incident last night.  Alice, my three year old daughter, woke me up a little after midnight.  She had to go downstairs, to the bathroom.  I was carrying her down our very steep, wooden steps, when I slipped.  Down the stairs I bounced, holding Ali.  I landed a little bit on her leg, and it scared her a lot, but she's mostly unharmed.  However I am bruised all over, and very sore!  Let's just say that it is difficult to sit on a hard chair right now...

So this brings me to my topic today, fighting inflammation after an injury.  I have been icing steady all morning.  Ice applied for ten to fifteen minutes every hour can help to decrease swelling.  I also had my husband put some kinesiology tape on me in a fan formation.  This will help to fight inflammation by increasing oxygenation to the muscles and tissue in the area.  I then used a liberal dose of biofreeze to block some of the pain.  Picture is fromwww.healthandcare.co.uk

Avoiding over the counter NSAID's or pain relivers (aka aspirin) will also help to decrease healing time significantly.  There has been some very interesting research published recently that shows some new information.  Not taking NSAIDS for pain will help to increase healing speed by as much as six weeks, after a major injury. 

So I will spend the day sitting on an ice pack and drinking a lot of water so I can heal as fast as possible.  I am convinced that spring will come back, eventually, so I need to be ready for it!

 

Hoof trimming

It's time for my horses to get their feet trimmed again, so this gets me thinking about just how important it is to have someone skilled to work with.  Most good farriers are more than willing to work with us bodyworkers, but of course not all hoof trimmers are created equal.  I have been very interested in barefoot trimming for the past six or seven years.  I compete totally barefoot with both of my endurance horses, for most rides.  If there is a particular part of a ride that is very rocky, I will boot with Easyboot Gloves.  When I move up to further distances (75 and 100 mile rides), I am playing with the idea of using Easyboot glue-ons.  I train totally barefoot, and my horses are turned out on hilly/rocky pasture twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.  Granted I don't have that many endurance miles, but it's working for me so far.  Don't fix what isn't broken, I guess...

My horses are trimmed by Autumn Chronister.  She is a Degreed Applied Equine Podiatrist and MIAEP (Member of the Institute of Applied Equine Podiatry).  She has been trimming my horses feet for almost a year now, and everyone is looking great.  More information can be found here: www.appliedequinepodiatry.org.

 Happy Friday!!

Stretches for Riders

After another weekend with no riding, I sit here on this Monday morning and think about summer.  There is so much ice here in SE WI, I can barely walk through the pasture without slipping on ice.  SO, my thoughts turn to what I can do now to prepare for next ride season.

If you are like me, then you rarely stretch.  Especially not before or after a ride.  So I'm going to talk about a few easy stretches that will help to improve your riding.

Hamstrings: these are the muscles that run down the back of your legs.  (Picture from: www.davidrobertsphysio.co.uk)

 For riders, the most important job these muscles do is to extend the hip and to flex the knee.  This means that they help to straighten the hip joint, and to bend the knee joint.  This is pretty important while posting and using a jump seat!

To stretch these muscles, the most common method is to sit on the ground with your legs stretched out in front of you.  Fold one leg in and stretch the other leg out in front of you.  Then lean your upper body forward and slowly try to touch your toes with your fingertips. (Picture from: http://www.bicyclekingdom.com/healthy/Cycling_Stretches.htm)   Hold this pose for 3-4 seconds, then switch legs and repeat for 3-4 repetitions.


Another great stretch is to lay on your back, and pull one leg up at a time.  Keep the knee as straight as possible, and bring the leg up past 90 degrees slowly.  Again hold for 3-4 seconds, then switch legs and repeat for 3-4 repetitions.



Now before you stretch, or exercise, please remember that these recommendations assume that you are healthy with an average fitness base.  If you have past low back, knee, hip or other leg injuries, please consult with a doctor before you begin any stretching regime. 

More stretches to come, please let me know if there are any specific stretches that you are interested in!!

Out of Balance in the Saddle

            Chiropractic care is not just effective for horses; it is also great for treating people.   Most people assume that chiropractors can only treat back pain, but it can have numerous great benefits on the entire body.  Chiropractic care can greatly enhance a rider’s position and balance, which can lead to better performance overall.  The horse and the rider work as a team, so they both must be moving properly throughout their bodies.  Chiropractors are not just “back doctors”.  We often treat conditions that may be seemingly unrelated to the spine.  The body is all connected, and because of this, chiropractors view the body holistically.  The horse and the rider work as a team, and so both must have all of their joints moving properly.  By adjusting the spine chiropractors can influence the nervous system, and this affects the trillions of cells that make up the body.  This explains why it is common to have a patient who may have a positive result from a condition that would seem unrelated to the spine.  There are numerous studies showing favorable results with blood pressure, ADHD, asthma, MS, ear infections, Carpal tunnel, headaches, knee (and other joint pain), and many others.  Because of the interconnection of the spine and the nervous system both mechanically and physiologically the chiropractic adjustment can have vast effects on the entire body.

People often view chiropractors as spinal specialists, because of the profession’s focus on the spine.  It is true that chiropractic care is great when it comes to musculoskeletal complaints.  In fact, in recent consumer reports survey chiropractic was voted #1 in dealing with low back complaints.  The majority of chiropractic patients survey marked extreme satisfaction with the care that they received, compared to other healthcare professionals (including medical doctors).  Though chiropractors are good at dealing with complaints of this nature, it is a great disservice to the profession to say that is all they do.  Chiropractic is about removing interference from the nervous system, so that your body can heal itself.  After all true healing comes from within, for the horse and for the rider.   Chiropractors commonly use the term subluxation.  The definition of a subluxation as adopted by the Association of Chiropractic colleges is: a complex of functional and/or structural and/or pathological articular changes that compromise neural integrity and may influence organ systems and general health.  So what does this mean?  Well more simply stated, subluxation is when the bones of the spine, or other joints, are not moving properly and the resulting irritation can negatively affect the nerves.   

Chiropractic care and horse riding are connected, as chiropractic care can help improve your proprioception (or sense of balance) by removing or minimizing nerve interference (from subluxations).  Adjustments reduce the nerve interference, allowing the proprioceptors to function more efficiently.  This can lead to an increase in balance and coordination, which can translate to better riding.  Proprioception is the sense of where your joints are in space.  This is the idea that I know where my finger is, despite not being able to see it.  Adjusting the spine affects the reflex pathways, so this can allow for better nerve function and this can directly affect the mechano-receptors at a joint.

 

The horse and rider move as a structural unit, and this is very complex.  The horse is a quadruped, or four-legged creature.  Humans are biped (two-legged), sitting balanced over the horse’s sensitive spine.  All of the rider’s weight is found over their Ischial tuberosity’s when seated, so pelvic obliquity and balance are essential.  Chiropractic care can help ensure a balanced and even pelvis, prior to ever getting on a horse.  The horse is the base or foundation, while the rider and the tack is the load.  How the load functions determines how the base functions, and vice versa. We can not separate one from the other.  We often focus our attention on the horse’s care, when in fact it might be the rider causing the issue.  If we favor one side, and we don’t balance our weight, is it possible to cause the horse to have a curvature in the spine?  Definitely!   Also, we may see other problems with balance and evenness developing in our horses.  Focus on equal distribution of weight in the stirrups and see if you are favoring one side over another.  This is the idea behind using dual scales to determine evenness of pelvic loading.  If there is more weight in one leg than in the other when you think that you are standing evenly, you probably have an unbalanced pelvis.  

 

So I joined Twitter

I made a big leap today and joined Twitter.  Now I need to figure out if there is anyone who I know already on Twitter.  Is this going to be one of those things were the "tweets" are so numerous and pointless that it makes me crazy to check it?  Hopefully not, guess I can play with a filtering option...

There are a surprising number of horse people on twitter, so maybe this won't be a complete waste of time.  Come join me in tweeting!

This is what happens in winter time.  I devote my time to online projects that I would never have thought of if the weather were nice.  However it is not nice out, so here I sit inside.  We got a good 8 inches of snow here in SE WI with that last snow storm, so I am hopeful that I will get to ride my horses this weekend though...

Have a great Thursday everyone!

Kinesiology Taping for Riders

Kinesiology taping has been steadily gaining popularity with athletes in all types of competition.  Horse riders in particular are finding the effects of tape highly useful. 

Many of us horseback riders are "weekend warriers" with a 9-5 desk job during the week.  This means that our rider fitness level isn't the best it could be.  Therefore, we are more prone to injuries while riding, and many of us suffer from stiffness and muscle soreness after a long ride. 

Kinesiology taping can help to alleviate much of this soreness.  It also has many uses to prevent injury, and for decreasing healing time after an injury does happen.  Spring is coming, and many of us find ourselves hitting the ground more often than we would like riding excited horses who have had a long winter with little to no exercise. 

Kinesiology tape, if correctly applied, can help to decrease inflammation after an injury.  It can also help to support weak muscles while we begin our spring conditioning programs.  Bruising and swelling can be significantly decreased if tape is applied soon after an injury, but the tape can also be useful to prevent generalized stiffness.

 

For equestrians, I often find that patients complain of knee, hip and low back pain.  There are many specific taping patterns for each type of pain, and after the tape is applied the patient will wear it for three to five days. 

 

 

The type of tape applied, and the method of application used, will depend on actual symptoms. 

 

More to follow!