Re: Belly Lifts

[carl meyer <carlmey@citrus.infi.net>]

Lucy C Trumbull wrote:
> 
> Carl Meyer wrote:
> 
> > ...try lifting the horses back each time you're near him! It
> > will help his top line..and he may be holding some discomfort in his
> > back and loin area....you do this by positioning your fingers..nail side
> > next to his skin (short nails) and gently but firmly going in with your
> > fingertips/nail tips UNDER HIS BELLY...you will see the back come up!
> > Do this a couple of times EVERY TIME YOU'RE NEAR THE HORSE, talking to
> > him and stroking him..then you can measure the amount of lift you get
> > as to the progress you're making in other depts....
> 
> When I was at Karen Chaton's house a month or so ago, she showed
> me this lift (along with the "getting the horse to bend around
> and take the treat from his hip" stretch). When I got home, I
> dutifully tried it on Mouse, and she totally ignored me.
> 
> I decided two things - either I was doing it wrong (how
> *much* do you "go in" with your fingers?); or Mouse just
> wasn't ticklish enough (she's very bored by being touched
> all over and doesn't get wriggley about anywhere).
> 
> Thoughts?
> 
> * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
> Lucy Chaplin Trumbull - elsie@calweb.com
> Displaced English person in Sacramento, CA
> 
> http://www.calweb.com/~trouble
> http://www.calweb.com/~elsie
> * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Hi Lucy..

What breed is your "Mouse"? Just curious...at any rate, as far as the
amount of pressure one "goes in" with on the belly lifts, depends...it's
definitely not supposed to resemble tickling...this can be annoying to
some horses...stroke with firm enough strokes on her back, sides, etc.,
relaxing her with your voice all the while,then, to just the OTHER SIDE
of the meridian of the underbelly from the side you're standing on, try
going in with a pretty firm pressure in a couple of different places...
you don't linger there with your touch, just lift, stroke, lift, stroke
and that's enough for each time...if you get NO response what-so-ever,
1. she may not need to lift her back (but I would try to do so before
   and after grooming, saddling and riding);
2. you may need to get her more responsive to various touches and pres-
   sures... no response to pressure on the back and loin area is not
   necessarily a good sign..it can mean that she is very tight and is
   holding all of this in a locked-in mode...could also apply to belly
   lift no-response....just keep playing around with the excercise and
   see if you don't get a result sooner or later. Our Argentine TB, a
   former polo pony, is not nearly as responsive as my Arab gelding...
   the Arg. TB. is a heavily muscled fellow with a very strong back and
   loin area..I haven't worked on him much at all, but lifting a horse's
   back is second nature to me now, and in going in and putting on his
   sheet, feeding, etc., I'll run my hand along his topline and go under
   and lift his back...I think he was holding himself stiffly at first,
   before he had a lot of confidence in me, and although he didn't re-
   sist, neither did he lift his back...maybe he didn't need it...he has
   a lot stronger assembly than the particular Arab I'm riding, however,
   he did lift up a couple of times, so who knows? I'm not the one rid-
   ing him, so I don't handle him that much...my husband doesn't do that
   kind of stuff (that's why I do!) and all I do is keep a watchful eye
   on things...any time these equine athletes work for us and use them-
   selves the way we ask them to, they can all use some back-lifting, so
   you'll never do any harm....certainly, for anyone reading this, you
   want to use common sense and not surprise a touchy individual by put-
   ting your hands under its belly and digging your fingers in...be
   smooth about it, stroke and talk soothingly to the horse, make sure
   both of you are breathing...yes, breathing! We, and horses, tend to
   hold our breaths when concentrating or when unsure or in fear or -
   pain...relax, breath, the horse will breath; stroke, go under the 
   belly with your finger tips up, stroke the underbelly first, then
   apply the lifting technique, using quite a lot of pressure, and then
   release...you'll probably get a nice lift with this method...do it
   frequently...the horses like it!
 
Hope this helps. Enjoy your horse!

Deena Meyer
Florida
carlmey@citrus.infi.net