ReBalance Expert

The horse on the right is quite heavy on the forehand. Look at the hind reach at the canter in the left image and compare it to the hind reach in the screen shot on the right from a video. I know that the camera angles are different. Therefore, to better understand this, watch the entire brief video. *link below

The horse in the right screenshot pulls himself around with his front legs and shoulders while his hind end is pulled around behind like it's a little red wagon.

The horse's head is down like a "peanut roller", which is a western thing. Western judges reward that look just as judges reward other unbalanced movements and forms in other disciplines, English and western, today in our current era of artificial style preference over effectiveness.

This is one more example of how isolated today's horse show disciplines have created artificial movements that are totally disconnected from natural equine movements. This is based on what judges and the public think looks good. For me these things are expressions of human narcissism. They have nothing to do with the physical nature of equine movement. Instead, they are all about what people want.

Riders and horse owners who care about horses should work to develop an eye for what the horse does and how they move without excessive human influence. In this very clear example, a horse that is this heavy on the forehand can develop physical problems and be somewhat dangerous to ride outside an arena. Horses like this can easily trip and fall to their knees.

Thank you Jenny Ashwell Pendleton for the video.

*link to the video of the horse pictured at right -

www.facebook.com/reel/1349284197052242

A Difference of Just 15 Degrees Matters

One of the most interesting findings from a recent study on elite dressage and show-jumping horses is that only a 15° increase in poll flexion was enough to produce measurable changes in both breathing and behaviour.

The more flexed the poll became:

• Airways became narrower
• Respiratory abnormalities increased
• Breathing required more effort
• Conflict behaviours increased
• Relaxation behaviours decreased

What I find particularly interesting is that many riders describe increased poll flexion and lowering of the neck as “stretching.”

Yet from a biomechanical perspective, a horse cannot truly “stretch” into greater balance when the posture itself compromises the airway and shifts more weight onto the forehand.

A horse’s respiratory system is not separate from its posture. Breathing, balance, self-carriage and movement are all connected.

If lowering the neck below the level of the withers and increasing poll flexion results in a narrower airway, more effort to breathe, and more signs of discomfort, perhaps we should reconsider whether we are witnessing genuine stretching—or simply a horse adapting to a mechanically disadvantageous position.

The study’s most important message may be that small changes in head and neck position matter far more than many people realize.

The horse’s body doesn’t care what we call the posture.

It responds to physics and physiology.



Study: “Effects of a 15° Variation in Poll Flexion during Riding on the Respiratory Systems and Behaviour of High-Level Dressage and Show Jumping Horses.”

Effects of a 15° Variation in Poll Flexion during Riding on the Respiratory Systems and Behaviour of High-Level Dressage and Show-Jumping Horses From previous studies, the International Society for Equitation Science has advised that further research be conducted on the physiological/psychological effects of less-exacerbated poll flexion angles. We aimed to evaluate the effects of two riding