Rollkur, broken at the third, roached back, stiff, resistant. These are all terms we have come across at some stage throughout our riding careers, writes Leanne O’Sullivan

Horses were not built to carry people. Yet we expect them to understand our aids and perform at intense levels from a young age. A lack of proper training and understanding on the rider’s part can mean limited performance ability, musculoskeletal injuries and confusion between horse and rider.

In Horse Sense this week Karyn Jamieson helps shed some light on one particular area, which I believe causes a lot of confusion for riders and, in turn, their horses.

“On the bit” - three small words at the root of much confusion and great debate within the equestrian world.

In reality these words do not reflect a healthy, balanced and functional way of moving and training for the horse. The implication is that the main goal for riders and trainers is to have the horse working solely through a device that sits in and around the incredibly delicate, sensitive and intricate structures of the mouth. The truth, however, is far removed from this.

Current research is verifying established training methods that encourage activation of core muscles as the foundation from which to train horses. It would appear that the equine world is behind the times. In terms of human performance activation of core muscles has long been an integral part of training.

From Brian O’Driscoll to Conor McGregor and Katie Taylor strength and conditioning plans for core muscles formed an integral part of their training from a very early stage. It is imperative that horses are viewed as athletic animals and activation of their core muscles is taught from the start of their training careers. This will encourage the horse to use its body as a connected musculoskeletal unit so we can have happy, healthy and functional animals for a long time.

CORE MUSCLES

So what and where are the core muscles? The core muscles include the abdominal and spinal muscles. These are postural muscles that should support the horse’s spinal column from head to tail, both at rest and in motion. If any part of this chain becomes dysfunctional, performance may be affected subtly in loss of stride length, or more obviously in not being able to negotiate simple pole work exercise in self-balance.

The term “working over the back” is often used in relation to the development of “top line”. Here again we have terms that do not reflect the reality of what we are trying to achieve and encourage as riders, coaches and chartered physiotherapists. How do we get the horse to work over their back to build their top line? That’s right - we activate their core muscles!

These core muscles will lift and support the spine whilst allowing it to move correctly and at the same time let the limbs move freely without undue overloading. This is an ideal to which we should all aspire. However, it is far easier said than done.

BUILDING BLOCKS

There are many building blocks we can use to work towards this ultimate goal and the ones we use can depend on our role in the training of the horse. I am privileged to be able to have several roles; I began as a rider, and then studied to become both a human and veterinary chartered physiotherapist and now find myself dipping into coaching horse and rider combinations.

As a chartered physiotherapist I have a detailed understanding of the human and equine musculoskeletal systems and the mechanics of how they work. This allows me (and others in my profession) to analyse static posture, dynamic posture (movement) and soft tissue to identify areas of dysfunction. It is not possible to identify one specific pattern that indicates dysfunction of core muscles but there are some common findings that can relate to weakness and / or imbalance in this group of muscles:

  • Tightness in the poll.
  • Stiffness through the 1st, 2nd and 3rd vertebrae (often resulting in a ‘broken at the 3rd’ way of going).
  • Tenderness and stiffness at the base of the neck.
  • Overdeveloped musculature on the underside of the neck.
  • A fixed spine with associated muscle spasm.
  • Spine may appear unnaturally straight even in motion.
  • Spine may have abnormal hyper and hypo mobile areas.
  • Altered pelvic position due to muscle imbalance and / or weakness.
  • Altered muscle balance in the hindquarters.
  • Over developed hamstrings.
  • Over / underdeveloped portions of thigh muscle (bicepsfemoris).
  • Altered / asymmetrical stride length in front and hind limbs.
  • Development of compensatory movement patterns.

    • After treatment I always endeavour to provide owners, riders and coaches with appropriate exercises to re-enforce correct movement and this, without fail, will include exercise to activate the core muscles (see fig. 1).

    There are often times when we involve other professionals such as qualified saddle fitters, equine dental technicians, farriers and veterinary surgeons to achieve optimal efficacy.

    Ultimately the onus is placed back on the team surrounding the horse in question to monitor changes. My door is always open for questions and to provide guidance and support along the road to everyone involved.

    THE COACH

    As a member of the team the coach has a tough job as neither horse nor rider will always remain in perfect balance at the same time, all of the time! Where to start?

    There are many good coaches out there, all with their own methods and I am no different. I try to remember the foundations as described by the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) that are the culmination of years of work by renowned equestrian artists and scientists. Equestrianism is a unique blend of both art and science. To begin with I take the foundations (i.e. rhythm, relaxation and contact) and add to them what I understand about human and equine anatomy, physiology, biomechanics and behaviour. Then I look at what is going on in front of me and figure out how I can best help this rider to help this horse activate their core muscles and encourage self balance and quality movement using the correct foundations.

    It is important at all times to consider that without the rider being in balance the horse has no chance of being in balance and that every horse and rider combination is unique and needs to be evaluated as such.

    By using these elements in just one coaching session we will achieve moments of core activation which result in self-balance and the beginnings of contact and ultimately the desired posture (“on the bit”). Remember, Rome was not built in a day!

    I will constantly emphasise that activation of the core will only lead to strengthening of the core over a long period of time during which attention to detail and repetition of quality movements is vital.

    Quality not quantity is important. Why work for an hour if you have achieved what you set out to in 20 minutes? Working well beyond the point of the horse’s or rider’s level of fitness and strength will result in poor quality movement and inevitably compensation by the horse which can be detrimental to the development of core muscles moving you further from your goal.

    THE RIDER

    So to the rider, possibly the most challenging role in the training of horses. You have to coach yourself and the horse when your coach is not around to ride, feel and react in the moment to achieve a horse that is working through their core and is connected throughout their body as they move underneath you and the saddle!

    We set the bar high for ourselves, but perhaps that is the only way to improve our horsemanship and put paid to all the comments of “could be rounder”, “hollow”, “outline too deep”?

    As riders we must strive firstly to be aware of our own bodies and learn, with support, how to control and balance them so we can positively influence our horse’s bodies.

    We must always think of the horse as being in front of our leg. That is to say it feels there is more horse in front of you than behind you.

    Now you can start to think about rhythm and relaxation (your foundations).

    Each horse has their own rhythm and point of relaxation, so learn where your horse’s is. When we have this the horse’s body and mind is open to learning, the core muscles will start to engage naturally and contact will begin to develop.

    To build on this we must try to develop and strengthen the core muscles through the correct long and low posture, “body building” exercise. This is not to say that you must only work long and low but your horse should be able to work comfortably long and low before they will truly develop self-balance and come into the contact.

    It is important to have experienced eyes on the ground to identify if you are riding or working your horse correctly long and low and to ensure that you are not just encouraging your horse to fix through their spine and pull themselves along with their front legs, as obviously this way of moving will not engage the core muscles.

    Once the core muscles have been activated and begin to strengthen, and as long as we remember our foundations, contact will develop and become more secure. As this happens, hey presto, your horse will be in self-balance and working into the contact (i.e. “on the bit”!)

    This posture can then be developed further creating greater engagement or power production from the hind quarters thus enabling higher degrees of collection. At this stage self-balance becomes self-carriage and we shift the balance of the horse from the forehand, where it naturally lies, to the hind quarters.

    Only with correctly activated and strengthened core muscles can horses maintain the desired degrees of collection and roundness over longer periods and have a sustained career in their selected discipline.

    So, forget “on the bit”. Get to the core of the matter and you will succeed!

    Karyn Jamieson BSc Hons. Physiotherapy, PG Dip Veterinary Physiotherapy, BHS AI, HSI Coaching Level 1, training in natural horsemanship with Kelly Marks.

    Web: wellfieldstables.com

    Tel: 0860239125