ridecamp@endurance.net: Using the Back End and bitting problems

Using the Back End and bitting problems

Laney Humphrey (laneyh@mbay.net)
Tue, 25 Mar 1997 08:24:53 -0800

Dear Wendy -
Re your post about learning to feel when the horse is in self
carriage and using his rear end correctly: what a good explanation of a very
complicated subject! Like you, after years of riding "by the seat of my
pants," what is under the pants, i.e., my back and hip, started giving out
so I started taking lessons. Lo and behold, my horse was suffering from
what I had been doing up above him! So, he is being treated by a wonderful
horse chiropractor, I am also getting "fixed" (ha!) and we are going lots of
ring work and stretching exercises to teach Dudley to use his rear end
correctly and loosen up his shoulders and hips.
Two different thoughts to add to the dialog: the chiropractor
strongly urged me to have Dudley seen by an equine dentist (happening this
weekend) because pain in the mouth/jaw/TM joint can be the cause of a lot of
horse behavior and way of going problems. I've also observed that Dudley is
extremely tight in his shoulders and hips. To me, its sort of a chicken and
eggs situation: is he not using his HQ because he is so tight or is he tight
because he isn't using himself correctly? Anyway, we do stretches daily as
well as ring work. And after less than a month I see tremendous progress!!!
Horses, fortunately, don't carry any emotional baggage in their muscles like
we do.
Happy trails, Laney

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