Does riding hurt my horse’s back? That’s the question I was asked by a reader who referred me to the studies that said that ALL riding damages the horse’s back.
There’s a short answer “It doesn’t have to.”
Key points to the video below:
+ I’ve personally watched and facilitated dozens and dozens of horses to heal their damaged backs WHILE they were being ridden, both in person and on line, so the findings of these studies simply cannot apply to all circumstances.
+ Yes most riders ARE damaging their horses’ backs and no you don’t have to. There’s a simple simulation in the following video that explains this really well. You can PREVENT that damage AND find happiness and well-being for you and your horse on the way.
+ It takes a commitment to help your horse live their whole life filled with the kind of well-being that means you won’t be hurting their back. Stress and tension is cumulative – each one adding to the next, until eventually you have an unwell horse, with back strain just being one part of that unwellness.
+ It takes a commitment to the horse’s Comfort Zone to fix a damaged back and that takes FEEL on behalf of the horse person. A horse in their Comfort Zone has an elevated back that can be muscled up to carry you with strength and ease.
Enjoy this incredibly important seminar for the thinking horse person.
We’ve got some fabulous on line training programs and we turn ourselves inside out to make sure that you “get it”.
If you are unfamiliar with my work, you may like to start with 21 Days to a Quiet Mind. At the time of my last edit, it was only $47. That will give you a very nice start in developing the usually elusive Feel of the great horsemen and women. You might think I’m exaggerating, but I KNOW I’m not. If you don’t get a significant improvement in the connection and Feel with your horse, I’ll give you your money back. 🙂
AND THEN
Fast Track to Brilliant Riding is 80+ interactive audio and video lessons to help you systematically bring well-being into all aspects of your horse’s life, learn how to use the Comfort Zone and find you and your horse’s confidence, expand your Feel systematically and step by step and at the same time develop a set of skills and a riding seat that will knock your socks off. Have a look at the section about Healing for Horses.
ALL my programs come with my “Love this program or get your money back” Guarantee.
For more on Milly’s story (that’s her with the dramatic back change in the top photo) click here for I never get tired of the miracles. Her story is after Pye’s.
For another article answering a reader’s question about fixing sacro-iliac damage, click here.
Your horse DESERVES to be able to carry you comfortably and you DESERVE the pure enjoyment that will come to you from their strength and ease to carry you happily.
Jenny,
It might be good to point out that it is the abdominal muscles that have to contract in order for the back to rise. There are exercises that can be done to improve this from the ground. A cantering horse also has to contract these muscles in order to do the pace.
You’re right Oriana 🙂 In a human, the abdominals and the pelvic muscle the psoas, are both lined up parallel when they create the core muscles that are our version of self carriage. The effortless strength with which I can carry heavy things even at my age and unfitness when I personally am in the human version of self carriage with those two muscles lined up parallel to create a core is a big deal. The horse has the same feel when they are in their comfort zone.
There’s some discussion on our forum about the psoas being a kidney muscle and the kidneys being where we bury unacted on fear that seems to fit with the comfort zone and self carriage…