Читать книгу 55 Corrective Exercises for Horses - Jec Aristotle Ballou - Страница 21

PURPOSE:

Increases mobility in the lumbosacral junction and strengthens muscles of the spine, pectorals, and thoracic sling.

To increase mobility in the lumbosacral junction while activating the spinal stabilizing muscles, the pectorals, and thoracic sling, handlers can back their horse up a gradual hill. This is contraindicated in the instance of a sacrum injury or arthritis in the back or hocks.

1 Confirm Exercise 5 (see p. 19) first, confirming consistently resistance-free, correct execution.

2 Now seek a gentle gradient such as a driveway, a ramp, or an area of your pasture.

3 Request that the horse maintains the same horizontal balance described in Exercise 5 (fig. 1.9 A).1.9 A: Star shows a little instability by pushing her head and neck outward away from her body for balance, and her hind legs are a little too far under the body. This will cause her to use her gluteal muscles more than her quadriceps and biceps femoris, which are preferred.

4 Begin by backing up 10 steps. Assess how it felt.

5 If the horse manages without stress or fidgeting or throwing himself sideways, it is optimal to perform at least 20 steps.

6 If it is challenging to perform 10 steps, start with fewer until good form is established (fig. 1.9 B).1.9 B: On a less steep slope, she manages better and carries herself in nice balance and relaxation.

fit tip

Deep, loose footing can increase the workload by 50 percent to a horse that has not adapted to it. Hard footing, on the other hand, can be concussive to sore joints or arthritic conditions. But it can actually be good for occasional use to strengthen bones when there are no preexisting conditions to consider and you limit schooling to 20 minutes or less.

This exercise can require initiation time. Many horses first balk more from lack of confidence in this unnatural maneuver than from reasons of physical shortcomings. Spend a moment discerning whether he struggles from wariness mentally about what is being asked or from physical difficulty. If the former applies, it behooves you to work through and gain his confidence so you can benefit from this productive exercise.