I recently had my horse (11 years old) get looked at by a vet/chiropractor. He was being very tight and touchy. The chiropractor had adjusted his back told me his back was locked up and the horse could not unlock it himself. The chiropractor said that massaging his back would help his attitude and riding. It does help him a lot but wanted to know better methods. Does anyone know certain massages that would help unlock him better than other massages? I have just been rubbing and pushing down on his back because I didn't know any specific things to do.
Chiropractic Issues (back)
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There are some great Youtube videos online that give step by step advice how to massage. The Masterson Method is good. You may want to hire a certified equine massage therapist to come a couple times and break up any knots/release toxins on your horse. The masseuse will usually show you what you can do in between visits to maintain your horse's comfort.
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Too bad your vet/chiro doesn't know acupuncture.
Acupuncture is what my vet/chiro uses whenever one of my horses is so jammed up, he can't unlock himself for an adjustment. --- which is what she had to do last week --- after my horse once again didn't put his brakes on in time while racing the other horse along the fence line and almost hit the barn.
Acupuncture followed by massage and an adjustment if one is needed
Acupuncture is what my vet/chiro uses whenever one of my horses is so jammed up, he can't unlock himself for an adjustment. --- which is what she had to do last week --- after my horse once again didn't put his brakes on in time while racing the other horse along the fence line and almost hit the barn.
Acupuncture followed by massage and an adjustment if one is needed
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Yes there are lots of specific massages & exercises. Depends what the specific problem is though. I would think that especially if you can't be more specific about the problem, the vet chiro that saw him would be the only one to advise you best there. Did chiro check out his saddle fit & bridle & the way you ride him?
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You could possibly try rubbing his back with a linement where he is sore. We use to do this with some of the standerbreds I groomed. My friend has a ottb who gets a sore back and hips she bought a back on track back warmer to help before she rides. But acupuncture could help as well as once a month message/chiro if you can afford it. Always make sure the saddle fits correctly. Good luck 🙂
When there is tension in a horse's back it is very very rare that it is from the spine being misaligned. It is from misalignment from the shoulder and the diagonal hind quarter causing tension in the muscles going along the back.
There are ways the layman can test to see if the horse is misaligned in the quarters and shoulder. I did write an article on it some time ago.
There are ways the layman can test to see if the horse is misaligned in the quarters and shoulder. I did write an article on it some time ago.
This is it!
Four Square
Many times a horse get the label as being naughty, bad tempered or just plain difficult when he is uncomfortable or even in pain.
Stiffness in one direction or difficulty in getting him to canter with a certain lead. Swellings such as thoroughpins, spavins and curbs are all signs that the horse is not carrying his (and the riders) weight correctly. Some of this can be due to poor conformation, over working a young horse or, because the animal is misaligned.
If you liken a horse to a car, in that both have four corners. You can drive a car when the tracking is out but, the steering is not as good, braking can lead to skidding or not stopping in a straight line and the tyres wear out unevenly. It is much the same with a horse. If he is misaligned then he will move to compensate where he is ‘wrong’ This leads to signs of strain as mentioned above. It can also lead to uneven wearing of shoes although some of this can be the camber of the roads.
Such is the honesty of the horse that many will carry on doing as we ask and, should they object for some reason or another, then they are often whacked or driven to doing whatever when, all the time they are trying to say ‘That hurts.’
The horse that moves around when we go to saddle it or, is difficult to bridle, is usually saying that something is uncomfortable. With the ill fitting saddle it is no good using extra pads as this can make things worse. After all, if you have a pair of tight fitting shoes that hurt, you do not wear an extra pair of socks to make them fit better!
I fully admit that I have a ‘thing’ about backs but, I am more often right than wrong with an assessment. Over many years, I have found that it is rarely the actual spine that misaligns, it is more likely to be a shoulder or hind quarter that goes out of true and, to compensate, the diagonal quarter will also misalign to compensate. There is no telling as to why they go wrong, could be just slipping in the field, falling, or getting cast. You name it and they can do it. Often problems in the body have come from misalignment of the neck or jaw.
Horses that are 'cold backed' have spinal tension from the diagonal misalignment.
Sometimes a horse will be wrong front and back on the same side, this is usually from them running into something.
Simple tests to see if your horse is square.
Head and neck:
Take a carrot or other tidbit and standing by your horses shoulder see if he can take it from by his elbow and from between his front legs. Gradually stretch the distance so he is taking it from near his hip. Do this both sides.
Shoulders:
Pick up the foot and stretch the leg forward as far as it can go. There should be no resistance and both legs should reach the same distance.
Pick up the foot as normal. put the hand nearest the horse over the forearm and hold the canon bone about half way down so that the hoof is flopping down. With your other hand just raise the hoof so that the heel is against the forearm (horses) the centre of the frog should be central to the forearm. It is important that you do not pressure the hoof up nor move it so it is central, just let it come up naturally.
Back/spine:
Any flinching or juddering at the withers is a sign of tension.
Run your finger and thumb firmly but not with undue pressure about an inch either side of the spine, any flinching is tension.
Hind Quarters:
One of the easiest signs that something is wrong is when a horse is good for the farrier on one hind leg but not the other, especially when the leg is held up higher.
There are several tests for misalignment - stretching the leg out behind, he should be able to do this easily both sides.
Pinch you thumb and forefinger together and standing to one side, place your thumbs and fingers about 4” either side of the dock but well above the top of the tail, half way down his quarters and exerting pressure, run the fingers down the muscle line to about the bottom of the dock. The horse should arch is back in a straight line.
A horse that is very still in the dock and clamps it down when you try to bandage it or wash the dock is also misaligned.
When the horse is stood square the pint of the hip should be level.
Test this by running your hands flat from the spine to the hip and then raise your thumbs, they should be level.
There are as many ways of testing the horse as there are for them putting themselves out of alignment! By using applied kinnesiology through a second person, it is possible to pin point not only exactly where the problems are but also which way they have misaligned and then to correct not only the skeleton but also to alter the muscle memory. Once a horse is squared then there is no tension in any of the points where they were before. A horse that has been wrong for sometime will have to learn how to use himself correctly because he will be use to going a certain way to save himself.
Four Square
Many times a horse get the label as being naughty, bad tempered or just plain difficult when he is uncomfortable or even in pain.
Stiffness in one direction or difficulty in getting him to canter with a certain lead. Swellings such as thoroughpins, spavins and curbs are all signs that the horse is not carrying his (and the riders) weight correctly. Some of this can be due to poor conformation, over working a young horse or, because the animal is misaligned.
If you liken a horse to a car, in that both have four corners. You can drive a car when the tracking is out but, the steering is not as good, braking can lead to skidding or not stopping in a straight line and the tyres wear out unevenly. It is much the same with a horse. If he is misaligned then he will move to compensate where he is ‘wrong’ This leads to signs of strain as mentioned above. It can also lead to uneven wearing of shoes although some of this can be the camber of the roads.
Such is the honesty of the horse that many will carry on doing as we ask and, should they object for some reason or another, then they are often whacked or driven to doing whatever when, all the time they are trying to say ‘That hurts.’
The horse that moves around when we go to saddle it or, is difficult to bridle, is usually saying that something is uncomfortable. With the ill fitting saddle it is no good using extra pads as this can make things worse. After all, if you have a pair of tight fitting shoes that hurt, you do not wear an extra pair of socks to make them fit better!
I fully admit that I have a ‘thing’ about backs but, I am more often right than wrong with an assessment. Over many years, I have found that it is rarely the actual spine that misaligns, it is more likely to be a shoulder or hind quarter that goes out of true and, to compensate, the diagonal quarter will also misalign to compensate. There is no telling as to why they go wrong, could be just slipping in the field, falling, or getting cast. You name it and they can do it. Often problems in the body have come from misalignment of the neck or jaw.
Horses that are 'cold backed' have spinal tension from the diagonal misalignment.
Sometimes a horse will be wrong front and back on the same side, this is usually from them running into something.
Simple tests to see if your horse is square.
Head and neck:
Take a carrot or other tidbit and standing by your horses shoulder see if he can take it from by his elbow and from between his front legs. Gradually stretch the distance so he is taking it from near his hip. Do this both sides.
Shoulders:
Pick up the foot and stretch the leg forward as far as it can go. There should be no resistance and both legs should reach the same distance.
Pick up the foot as normal. put the hand nearest the horse over the forearm and hold the canon bone about half way down so that the hoof is flopping down. With your other hand just raise the hoof so that the heel is against the forearm (horses) the centre of the frog should be central to the forearm. It is important that you do not pressure the hoof up nor move it so it is central, just let it come up naturally.
Back/spine:
Any flinching or juddering at the withers is a sign of tension.
Run your finger and thumb firmly but not with undue pressure about an inch either side of the spine, any flinching is tension.
Hind Quarters:
One of the easiest signs that something is wrong is when a horse is good for the farrier on one hind leg but not the other, especially when the leg is held up higher.
There are several tests for misalignment - stretching the leg out behind, he should be able to do this easily both sides.
Pinch you thumb and forefinger together and standing to one side, place your thumbs and fingers about 4” either side of the dock but well above the top of the tail, half way down his quarters and exerting pressure, run the fingers down the muscle line to about the bottom of the dock. The horse should arch is back in a straight line.
A horse that is very still in the dock and clamps it down when you try to bandage it or wash the dock is also misaligned.
When the horse is stood square the pint of the hip should be level.
Test this by running your hands flat from the spine to the hip and then raise your thumbs, they should be level.
There are as many ways of testing the horse as there are for them putting themselves out of alignment! By using applied kinnesiology through a second person, it is possible to pin point not only exactly where the problems are but also which way they have misaligned and then to correct not only the skeleton but also to alter the muscle memory. Once a horse is squared then there is no tension in any of the points where they were before. A horse that has been wrong for sometime will have to learn how to use himself correctly because he will be use to going a certain way to save himself.
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