I appreciate this video. My horse is 28 and is losing his muscle tone along his spine. He has not been ridden in 6 years due to EPM. He is not on a pasture with hills any longer so I’ve noticed the loss of muscle tone. Thank you!
Really excellent explaination. I bought an aged broodmare whose top line is crud and have been wanting exercises to do for her standing to help stretch and rebuild her as she is retired from competition due to career ending injury she cant be ridden (foreleg issues). She is a pasture sound companion, but i just want to help her topline which hopefully helps with her comfort levels and even more hopefully it might also strengthen her enough to not have recurring bouts of lameness if she wasnt so front heavy. I knew of these exercises but havnt been given an explaination that really gave such good instructions. Gotta go try this now. Wish me good luck and results. :) Thank you.
In-hand exercises can also help develop the topline, (and, yes, the underline) if done correctly. If you can find a copy of "Lessons in Lightness" by Mark Russell, snatch it up and study it closely.
Great video, thanks! How hard are you pressing under the belly? Regarding the Pelvic Tilt, I think yours might be a better way than mine- I ever-so-gently pull their tail straight back until they tuck under. Is that a bad idea? Again, thank you for demonstrating these stretches! ☺
If I try to do the first exercize my mare would probably kick my head off. I understand I need to do a lot of groundwork but are there things I need to be thinking of in a pain way? also between her frontlegs is a dangerous area and herflanks.
Good video and informative.It would be helpful to mention(and should have been said) NEVER do stretching exercises on a cold horse that is not warmed up a little first, especially neck stretching.Just like we wouldn't jump outa bed and do some major stretching exercises on ourselves without increasing the risk of injury, your horse is the same.Dont overdo it and allow the horse plenty of muscle recovery time for any new exercises and new training schedules and ask for little bits and increase over time.
It is actually good to do this before you ride to get them loosened up. They do not have to be warmed up for this. It’s like stretching before going on a run, I don’t warm up to stretch.
hi! i have a small question! so i notice your horse has a little bump kind of thing on its back! my horse has the same exact thing but it isn't casing her any pain when i apply pressure to it! is it something i should have the vet come out to take a look at?
In the pelvic exercise, do you have to be directly behind the horse pressing on both sides at the same time or can you do each side individually? Worried about getting kicked.
my horses chiro said if you stand really close its much less likely that you will get kicked. she told me you could do one side at a time, but its best to do both.
You probably should get your horse used to having someone behind them. I always tell my horse “I’m walking behind you” as I drag my fingers/hand along his hip or leg so he knows. I plan on introducing the pelvic tilt slowly and in short increments and one side at a time. If he is good with that I’ll progress to doing it the way it’s shown in the video. Good luck!
Hi there! Thanks for the nice video, I appreciate it a lot. However, I'm currently looking for a way to do the third stretch with the horse I'm riding. Lately, we found out that he has a metabolic disease and we did not find any cookies yet which that are good for him in larger quantities. So at the moment, we try to avoid any goodies. Has anyone found a way to motivate his/her horse to do this stretch (repeatedly) without using any cookies?
What about carrots or apples? I don't know anything about metabolic disease so I'm not sure what your horse is allowed to have or not have. My horse just thinks I have a treat (I'm not big on giving treats) and he gets a good pat and scratch for stretching.
My horse that has some metabolic issues, I normally use a carrot (he doesn’t like apples but that can be an option too). You could also use a hand full of feed, hay, or even grass.
Maybe two people? One to coax the head, and one to stand on the other side to guide direction/ tilt? I volunteer at a therapeutic riding center, and the horses aren’t allowed cookies on a daily basis, but still need their stretches.
Good to do close to your horse. Test for reactions standing close and to the side for haunch response. Know your horses reactions are safe to touch!! Cookies loaded with sugar are never good.👍 Try a carrot. Thank you
I find it so frustrating that the only comments the poster of this video replied to was the ones that were negative towards it and even then, they were condescending. People were genuinely interested in how to perform these exercises and you ignored those.
You might stand to the near side and close to the haunch when doing the pelvic exercise, at least at first. I wouldn't stand directly behind unless I knew the horse well. Safety first!
To say you are strengthening the horse’s top line is misleading. What you need to do is to strengthen his LOWER line. If you were educated in classical training methods you would understand this. You wouldn’t have to do this kind of fanciful manipulation. It has dubious benefits to the DYNAMIC needs of a horse carrying a rider.
Thank you for your concern re: classical theory. We are specialist veterinarians and developed this video to aide horses with a potential medical need for muscle development and strengthening. Our methods are backed by science: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.2042-3306.2010.00322.x The development of the topline musculature can help with stabilizing the spine, promoting symmetry and minimizing back pain. Of course, methods of dynamic mobilization should be used in conjunction with proper riding when appropriate.
Yeah, that's stretching and has nothing to do with building strength. This is why you never ask a vet about fitness, behavior or nutrition. Good vets will admit they don't get educated in those area.
J Krake Vets are the last people to ask about lameness and I say this as the father of two vets. A trainer well versed in classical Riding is a better source. Case in point, a vet quite correctly diagnosed a lameness as a sore back muscle, but what the vet didn’t realize but was obvious to a classical trainer, the sore muscle was caused by crookedness and inappropriate straightening exercises I’ve been involved with this scenario many times. If you want to explore this further you should read Gymnazium by Steinbrecht
@@jgrayblesser Yeah, you're right, Dr. Kivett's 12 years of equine-specific specialized training, Dr. Durham's 13 years of specialized training, and Dr. Poole's 9 years of training definitely only included petting fuzzy ponies and eating cupcakes in the rounds room. We're only a boarded internal medicine specialist, a boarded orthopedic surgeon and a veterinarian certified in chiropractics, what do we know? Please continue to seek advice on these subjects from wikipedia
She is incorrect in thinking the first two examples do any strengthening. They are no more effective than doing a Patellar reflex tap to your knee to build leg muscles on yourself. The third example was done incorrectly. You risk injury in many horses if you use a treat. Thou a good exercise it should be done in response to pressure cues to be truly effective. Also to truly build you horses body muscles it must be done in motion. As a vet she should know better.
Tell this to Dr. Hillary Clayton, McPhail Dressage Chair in Equine Sports Medicine at Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, and internationally known researcher in equine biomechanics. She wrote this paper: beva.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.2042-3306.2010.00322.x
Ignoring the idiots in the comment section, I think the video is super helpful and I'll be trying it on my boy. Thank you!
I used to do #2 with my old thoroughbred who had back problems! I think it did help her stretch and strengthen her muscles.
I appreciate this video. My horse is 28 and is losing his muscle tone along his spine. He has not been ridden in 6 years due to EPM. He is not on a pasture with hills any longer so I’ve noticed the loss of muscle tone. Thank you!
Helpful and clear. Good demonstrations. Thanks.
Really excellent explaination. I bought an aged broodmare whose top line is crud and have been wanting exercises to do for her standing to help stretch and rebuild her as she is retired from competition due to career ending injury she cant be ridden (foreleg issues). She is a pasture sound companion, but i just want to help her topline which hopefully helps with her comfort levels and even more hopefully it might also strengthen her enough to not have recurring bouts of lameness if she wasnt so front heavy. I knew of these exercises but havnt been given an explaination that really gave such good instructions. Gotta go try this now. Wish me good luck and results. :) Thank you.
i love that even though you aren't able to ride her, you giver her lots of care. need more people like this :)
Love the video keep up the great work
Thank you, excellent explanation and visualization 🥰
Oh god my horse would kill me if tried the first exercise 😂😂😂
Thanks
I use to use a hoof pick to help me with the pelvic tilt when I was younger lol
How I didn’t get kicked was beyond me 🤣
Great video! I just have one question, should I do these exercises before or after I ride my horse?
My horse does it better after the ride or after 15 min walk.
I've always read/heard that any stretches should be done after the horse is warmed up, preferably by simple walking.
After you warm your horse you never wanna stretch a cold muscle
In-hand exercises can also help develop the topline, (and, yes, the underline) if done correctly. If you can find a copy of "Lessons in Lightness" by Mark Russell, snatch it up and study it closely.
Great video, thanks!
How hard are you pressing under the belly? Regarding the Pelvic Tilt, I think yours might be a better way than mine- I ever-so-gently pull their tail straight back until they tuck under. Is that a bad idea?
Again, thank you for demonstrating these stretches! ☺
Hey, from eastern NC! Going to do this with my ASB today!
What is an ASB?
@@kimfroman2023 American Saddlebred
If I try to do the first exercize my mare would probably kick my head off. I understand I need to do a lot of groundwork but are there things I need to be thinking of in a pain way? also between her frontlegs is a dangerous area and herflanks.
Good video and informative.It would be helpful to mention(and should have been said) NEVER do stretching exercises on a cold horse that is not warmed up a little first, especially neck stretching.Just like we wouldn't jump outa bed and do some major stretching exercises on ourselves without increasing the risk of injury, your horse is the same.Dont overdo it and allow the horse plenty of muscle recovery time for any new exercises and new training schedules and ask for little bits and increase over time.
It is actually good to do this before you ride to get them loosened up. They do not have to be warmed up for this. It’s like stretching before going on a run, I don’t warm up to stretch.
hi! i have a small question! so i notice your horse has a little bump kind of thing on its back! my horse has the same exact thing but it isn't casing her any pain when i apply pressure to it! is it something i should have the vet come out to take a look at?
It’s most likely just a fat deposite👍
I did notice. When his head was brought down between the legs, it also worked his back. Did I see right?
In the pelvic exercise, do you have to be directly behind the horse pressing on both sides at the same time or can you do each side individually? Worried about getting kicked.
my horses chiro said if you stand really close its much less likely that you will get kicked. she told me you could do one side at a time, but its best to do both.
You probably should get your horse used to having someone behind them. I always tell my horse “I’m walking behind you” as I drag my fingers/hand along his hip or leg so he knows. I plan on introducing the pelvic tilt slowly and in short increments and one side at a time. If he is good with that I’ll progress to doing it the way it’s shown in the video. Good luck!
Hi there! Thanks for the nice video, I appreciate it a lot. However, I'm currently looking for a way to do the third stretch with the horse I'm riding. Lately, we found out that he has a metabolic disease and we did not find any cookies yet which that are good for him in larger quantities. So at the moment, we try to avoid any goodies. Has anyone found a way to motivate his/her horse to do this stretch (repeatedly) without using any cookies?
What about carrots or apples? I don't know anything about metabolic disease so I'm not sure what your horse is allowed to have or not have. My horse just thinks I have a treat (I'm not big on giving treats) and he gets a good pat and scratch for stretching.
I have a horse with EMS I find that alfalfa cubes work very well.
My horse that has some metabolic issues, I normally use a carrot (he doesn’t like apples but that can be an option too). You could also use a hand full of feed, hay, or even grass.
Maybe two people? One to coax the head, and one to stand on the other side to guide direction/ tilt? I volunteer at a therapeutic riding center, and the horses aren’t allowed cookies on a daily basis, but still need their stretches.
My horse kicks me when I do either one of those lol
Good to do close to your horse. Test for reactions standing close and to the side for haunch response. Know your horses reactions are safe to touch!! Cookies loaded with sugar are never good.👍 Try a carrot. Thank you
I find it so frustrating that the only comments the poster of this video replied to was the ones that were negative towards it and even then, they were condescending. People were genuinely interested in how to perform these exercises and you ignored those.
You might stand to the near side and close to the haunch when doing the pelvic exercise, at least at first. I wouldn't stand directly behind unless I knew the horse well. Safety first!
Don't you think that if a 0 horse can feel a fly land on their back you smack on them isn't necessarily a nice thing
To say you are strengthening the horse’s top line is misleading. What you need to do is to strengthen his LOWER line. If you were educated in classical training methods you would understand this. You wouldn’t have to do this kind of fanciful manipulation.
It has dubious benefits to the DYNAMIC needs of a horse carrying a rider.
Can you explain? I clicked on the video wanting to learn how but if this isn’t correct then what is?
Thank you for your concern re: classical theory. We are specialist veterinarians and developed this video to aide horses with a potential medical need for muscle development and strengthening. Our methods are backed by science: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.2042-3306.2010.00322.x
The development of the topline musculature can help with stabilizing the spine, promoting symmetry and minimizing back pain.
Of course, methods of dynamic mobilization should be used in conjunction with proper riding when appropriate.
Yeah, that's stretching and has nothing to do with building strength. This is why you never ask a vet about fitness, behavior or nutrition. Good vets will admit they don't get educated in those area.
J Krake
Vets are the last people to ask about lameness and I say this as the father of two vets. A trainer well versed in classical Riding is a better source.
Case in point, a vet quite correctly diagnosed a lameness as a sore back muscle, but what the vet didn’t realize but was obvious to a classical trainer, the sore muscle was caused by crookedness and inappropriate straightening exercises
I’ve been involved with this scenario many times.
If you want to explore this further you should read Gymnazium by Steinbrecht
@@jgrayblesser
Yeah, you're right, Dr. Kivett's 12 years of equine-specific specialized training, Dr. Durham's 13 years of specialized training, and Dr. Poole's 9 years of training definitely only included petting fuzzy ponies and eating cupcakes in the rounds room. We're only a boarded internal medicine specialist, a boarded orthopedic surgeon and a veterinarian certified in chiropractics, what do we know? Please continue to seek advice on these subjects from wikipedia
She is incorrect in thinking the first two examples do any strengthening. They are no more effective than doing a Patellar reflex tap to your knee to build leg muscles on yourself. The third example was done incorrectly. You risk injury in many horses if you use a treat. Thou a good exercise it should be done in response to pressure cues to be truly effective. Also to truly build you horses body muscles it must be done in motion. As a vet she should know better.
Tell this to Dr. Hillary Clayton, McPhail Dressage Chair in Equine Sports Medicine at Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, and internationally known researcher in equine biomechanics. She wrote this paper: beva.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.2042-3306.2010.00322.x