Equine posture
Sit up straight, don’t slouch, shoulders back – we know the importance of good posture for ourselves, but what about our horses? Could you spot good posture from bad and how can you improve your horse’s posture if it’s not quite hitting the mark? Our expe
The good, the bad and how (plus why!) you can improve your horse’s posture
SITTING SLUMPED IN an office chair, hunching over a computer, stooping as you stand – ignore position faults at your peril because poor posture can quickly lead to soreness, stiffness and a strain in different areas of the body. But we all know this, right? It’s likely that you do and it’s possible you’ve experienced pain or discomfort as a result of poor posture yourself. But what about your horse? What’s the equivalent of a day slumped in an office chair, slouching or standing with a flat back for our equine partners and will they feel resulting pain and discomfort in the same way we do? We spoke to biomechanist Russell Guire and physiotherapist Helen Mathie to discover the importance of good equine posture, how to recognise it, how to improve it and the telltale signs of postural problems. First things first, let’s get one thing straight, what is posture? As our expert Helen Mathie explains, put simply, posture is the way your horse orientates his body parts, both when he’s standing still and when he’s moving. Good posture is the result of joints being positioned correctly and muscles working effectively, and it’s essential because your horse needs to use his musculoskeletal system to maintain balance, self-carriage and to enable his muscles to move. “Your horse’s posture can tell you a lot about his general health and it’s vital for many reasons,” says Helen. “Long-term, bad posture can influence the development of certain musculoskeletal problems, such as kissing spines, degenerative joint disease leading to osteoarthritis or even lameness.”
How does good posture look?
In layman’s terms, a horse with good posture will generally stand square and be well balanced. His cannon bones should be perpendicular to the ground with the centre of mass behind his elbows and aligned below where you, the rider, would sit. Bodyweight will be distributed over his front and hind end, but the distribution of weight doesn’t follow a simple 50/50 split. “When your horse is standing, his body weight is distributed so that 58% of his body weight is on his front limbs and 42% on his hind limbs,” says biomechanist Russell Guire. “The horse naturally has a postural sway adjusting his weight from left to right, forward to back, however, approximately equal weighting of the hind limbs would be 21% of weight on left and right hind limb.” A horse’s back also plays a part. “The way the equine back works is often referred to as the ‘bow and string’ theory,” says Russell. “His spine is a bow that’s held in place by tension on the string, created by his abdominal wall. Contraction of this wall of muscles tenses the bow to create flexion or rounding of the back. The same happens when your horse engages his hindlegs.” The diagrams to the right show you the difference between a back showing good and bad posture.
The signs of bad posture
Being able to recognise bad posture, then fix it, is important. First and foremost, asking your horse to work in a way that’s detrimental to his muscular-structure will put him at risk of discomfort, pain and injury. Also, it won’t allow him to work at his best and, like repeatedly stretching the sleeves of a jumper until it’s stretched into a new shape, working your horse in the same, incorrect posture leads to changes in his body. “Poor posture is usually seen in horses exposed to unsuitable, ineffective training systems. Over time, this results in adaptations to their musculature and sometimes bony structures,” says Helen. Here are just some of the warning signs: A ewe neck Lameness Muscle atrophy (muscle wastage) with signs of a weak top line A sore back Uneven muscle build-up Some signs are subtler. For example, if your horse stands in his stable in a specific way, not weight bearing on one of his legs, leaning to one side or even resting his hindquarters on the wall, it could suggest that he’s in discomfort. Err on the side of caution and seek advice from your vet.