Your Questions Answered You can email Annemarie any questions relating to equine soft tissue therapy and how this relates to the horse's welfare and she will endeavor to answer them. Please send them through the form on the Contact page.
Q: I'm in the process of buying a new horse. He's an eight-year old 16.1hh TB/ID who has team chased and show-jumped. Bearing in mind that he's had a fairly active life so far, what should I ask my vet to look for to ensure he's not suffered any abnormal wear and tear?
Annemarie says: Your vet should check the horse for excessive strain, which will show up through flexion tests. Also check how straight his spine is by standing on something high behind the horse and looking down his back from poll to dock (see picture ). If it is curved then this may indicate a fall, so the vet may want to check for levelness in the hips and eveness of each gait.
The vet may also want to manipulate the sacro-iliac joint to check for tenderness and levelness. Walk the horse down a steep incline to observe balance through his back and balance on the fore whilst checking whether weight is evenly distributed through each shoulder.
You could also ask the vet to check the first two cervical vertebrae (C1 and C2) for straightness. Crookedness here may be indicative of a fall and may result in difficulty in bending on one rein and tilting of the head - issues that can be resolved through therapy and a good schooling programme.
Q: My horse is on box rest for at least six weeks after treading on a nail in the field. I'm concerned he will get stiff and lose muscle tone. Is there anything I can do to help minimise this and help him cope with being in?
Annemarie says: A physio massage will certainly help as this will help: maintain the elasticity and length of the muscles, maintain suppleness of the tendons and ligaments and maintain and increase the horse's circulatory system. Unused muscles suffer from a build-up of toxins and stimulation of the circulatory and lymphatic system can help remove these.
A massage will also enhance his sense of well-being as manipulation of the nervous system is a relaxing treatment for a horse.
Q: A month ago my horse was galloping around the field with his friend and fell over onto his off-side shoulder. He seems fine, and hasn't appeared to have suffered any damage. What are the signs I should look out for that might indicate that he is bruised or sore?
Annemarie says: It may be that your horse hasn't suffered any damage. If he has, you might find he shortens his stride on the right fore. This may be more evident on a lunge on a soft surface. He may also show a higher neck carriage than normal and a reluctance to bend on the left rein. He may start throwing his head in the air on transition to canter on the right rein.
In general, if he is injured, you will find he demonstrates a tightness when undertaking lateral work. He may also show a dislike to having his foot brought forward by the farrier.
Q: Someone in my yard has told me that during the winter I should rug my horse up more as he is cold and that it could damage his muscles if he gets cold. Is this true? And should horses be rugged up so that they feel really warm underneath?
Annemarie says: Most importantly, you only need to rug up a horse that has been clipped. An unclipped horse will naturally adapt its body temperature and skin oils to acclimatise to wet and cold weather through the use of muscles embedded within the skin. When it's cold these muscles raise the hair creating a thermal insulation. During warm weather these muscles dilate blood vessels at the skin's surface to cool the horse down. Continual rugging will break these muscles down, making them unable to work.
Clipped horses need an element of rugging as we have stripped them of their natural defences. However, it is important that horses are not over-rugged. Muscles need to be kept warm, but if too many rugs are put on they will sweat, creating condensation under the rug which will cool the muscles and lead them to cramp.
An under-rugged horse has less oxygen getting to the muscles which reduces their ability to remove waste such as lactic acid and carbon dioxide. This has a knock-on effect on performance and movement. Cold muscles are less responsive, making the horse uncoordinated. Cold muscles also have less elasticity, and therefore do not absorb impact making them susceptible to damage and injury.
Q: Apparently I've got one leg shorter than the other, as a lot of people have. My riding instructor says this could be the reason my horse seems unbalance. What impact is this having on my horse and how could I minimise it?
Annemarie says: Having one leg shorter than the other will not necessarily unbalance your horse if you are balanced yourself through your seat. A good way to check this is to ask your trainer to take a photograph of you from behind, riding through all gaits.
If you do find you're unbalanced, the difference in leg length may be causing you to throw your weight to one side, which will most definitely be unbalancing your horse.
The effects of a crooked or unbalanced horse is shown through uneven muscle development and a weakness to bend on one rein. There could also be weakness and discomfort in the back, and possibly in the neck. You may also find uneven shoe wear, lack of impulsion and engagement and resistance to contact.
Our muscles hold a memory and it may be that you have ridden unevenly for some time, so I would recommend some visits to an osteopath or other therapist to realign your hips and release any tension. Pilates or yoga can also help strengthen your core seat muscles and lunge lessons can be a big help in re-establishing your core seat balance too.
Finally, having your horse treated will help realign, straighten and release his/her muscles and will help you both start building 'straightness' together.