Bodywork at home, on your own horse

The horse is an athlete like none other and we strive to be a team with our horse.  Bodywork and chiropractic care can be very beneficial for both members of your endurance team; horse and rider need to be moving at their best to achieve top performance.  However, there are easy bodywork techniques that can be done daily at home to improve performance as well.   

Who hasn't felt the muscle ache from over-used, tight muscles after resuming a workout schedule?  Well our horses can feel this tightness too but they can’t help themselves through it like we can.  Many times the rider many not even realize the horse has back tightness, or a joint problem, until it has become advanced.   A simple way to prevent problems is to perform massage and stretching techniques on your own horse, in addition to getting regular chiropractic care.  Maintenance chiropractic care can help prevent many problems, and can bring out the very best performance in both horse and rider.   

Another reason to do simple massage techniques on your own horse is to learn what normal feels like.  If they become uncomfortable with a massage move that they had previously loved, this may indicate the beginnings of a problem.   A bodywork session can also be a nice way to reward your horse for a job well done.  Some words of caution before we begin.  Never tie your horse while doing bodywork, he may panic if you hit a sore muscle and pull back.   You want these sessions to be calming and safe so chose a quite location and watch reactions closely.  Always use light pressure, if you are in doubt watch your horse!  Finally never work on an acutely injured area, and always keep an eye out for hot and swollen areas. 

I will post easy moves that you can do at home later this week, so stay tuned!

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.

 

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.

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!!