RE: Belly Lifts

["Suzanne J. Griffin" <FIT-TO-RUB@worldnet.att.net>]

Lucy,
Your horse's head and neck flexibility doesn't necessarily mean there isn't 
any spasms in her back or gluteal (butt) muscles.  The only way to find out 
about these is to palpate (feel).  Abdominal strength like the rest of the 
muscles come with conditioning.  Play around with different pressure depths 
and with different pressure widths (hand, fingers, one finger, like Kat 
suggested..hoof pick, etc)  Try "sandwiching" your hands on her...one on 
her back and one directly underneath on her belly (my guy is easy to do 
this one because he is only 14 1 1/2 ! )  The main thing is is to get to 
know how she reacts to the pressure of your hands.
Susie & James

-----Original Message-----
From:	Lucy C Trumbull [SMTP:elsie@calweb.com]
Sent:	Wednesday, January 21, 1998 1:47 PM
To:	fourhorn@fea.net
Cc:	ridecamp
Subject:	Re: Belly Lifts

> Or - Your horses back is so stiff that she physically can't lift her
> back.

I don't know, but I suspect not.

She's very bendy side to side (for instance, I regularly
see her scratching itches on her rear leg by bending her
head around to it. She'll also turn her hear around to my
foot when I'm riding her).

I know side to side movement is different to up and down - but
I don't think of her as being a stiff horse. She's 5 and we've
only just started riding lightly, if that's any help.

Could it be she just hasn't figured out what I want? Or
that her back muscles are too weak at this stage to be
able to lift it more than imperceptably.


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Lucy Chaplin Trumbull - elsie@calweb.com
Displaced English person in Sacramento, CA

http://www.calweb.com/~trouble
http://www.calweb.com/~elsie
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *