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"The most overlooked factor in diminished
performance is simple muscle tightness”.
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Muscle tightness causes
resistance. The greater the tightness, the greater the resistance
to motion from the very first stride. I see numerous horses who
have performance problems ranging from switching behind, not going
forward, resisting to bend in one direction, leaning in one rein,
etc. Quite often I experience these problems in performance as the
result of simple muscle tightness. However, before assessing for
muscle tightness that may be causing these problems, the rider may
call a veterinarian first. The veterinarian assesses the problem
sometimes using diagnostic tools such as Xrays, CT scans, MRI’s etc.
and commonly injects the joints related to the areas assumed
causing the issues. After the injection or some other interventions,
I often see no resolution to the problem. This may be because the
problem is not of a veterinary issue. I do support joint injections
and veterinary interventions, as every treatment and diagnostics
have their place, but if a horse is not weight bearing lame and
resists specific motions in performance, I believe it is important
to rule out muscle tightness as a primary cause before injecting a
joint or using in depth diagnostics to assess a deeper problem. If
a horse is weight bearing lame and has been off for several days,
then it is important to call your vet first. |
Simple muscle tightness causes a reduction in
the swing phase of the stride or resistance to bending or giving to
a rein. These problems in motion may not need a vet intervention
but the elimination of the muscle tightness necessary to correct and
restore the ease and freedom of motion. Good horsemanship teaches
us that if a horse is not conditioned properly, and is weak, then
many issues in performance may arise. Some horses are weak because
they are growing and the weakness is a result of growth and
development. Slow work and patience is the answer in this case or to
properly condition a horse. If a horse is overworked, repeatedly
doing the same movement every day, has imbalanced hooves, an
imbalanced saddle, is ridden in deep or uneven footing then muscle
tightness may result. It is critically important for the rider or
trainer to assess some of the root causes that may have a simple
solution. So, don’t overlook the obvious, and go to the simplest
solution before going to the worse case scenario. Call a very good
sports massage therapist who may help to identify and correct the
performance problem.If the problem does not resolve in up to two
sessions, then call a veterinarian.A Sports massage therapist may
not hurt a horse, but can deny the horse the proper treatment if
the therapist does not recognize the tightness may be secondary to a
deeper problem and the treatment does not resolve the issue
immediately or in another session. Massage therapy has been around
for thousands of years, because it works. However it has its place
on the continuum of care for the horse and cannot replace good
veterinarian care. I do not call massage an alternative therapy, I
identify it as an adjunctive therapy to veterinary work.
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