Working the horse's back in the right direction
Beyond carrying the rider's weight, the horse's back is a real "bridge" that allows the transmission of movement from the hindquarters to the forehand. It is thanks to it that everything starts to work... or to block! Working in a way that respects the back of your mount should therefore be the priority of every rider. So how can you work in the right direction?
The horse's back, how does it work?
The horse's vertebral column (spine) is composed of: 7 cervical vertebrae, 18 thoracic/thoracic vertebrae, 6 lumbar vertebrae, 5 sacral vertebrae and 15 to 21 coccygeal/caudal vertebrae. All of the vertebrae are connected to each other via intervertebral discs, joints, ligaments and muscles.
The first 9-10 thoracic vertebrae, forming the anatomical base of the withers, have the particularity of having very long spinous processes. An important anatomical feature to take into consideration in horse riding… Indeed, the horse has probably suffered from back pain since the time when man rode it.
The rider's entire weight is supported by his spine. When a rider lands on his back, you will have observed that a horse not used to being ridden (foal being broken in) or used to being ridden badly tends to raise his neck while arching his back.
However, when standing up, the neck has the effect of relaxing the nuchal and supraspinous ligaments that connect the spinous processes together (cervico-thoracic extension). That said, the spinous processes converge and their ends (the spinous processes) rub against each other. Deformations of the vertebral axis are the cause of fragility, pain and/or various problems.
Over time, if the horse continues to be worked in this way, these deformations inevitably lead to chain reactions which sometimes go beyond dorsal pathologies (certain navicular syndromes, propulsion problems, digestive problems, etc.).
Stretching your horse's back without constant contact with the mouth
To work your horse's back in the right way, look for an attitude close to the natural state of relaxation in freedom. Favor muscle warming and obedience to the simplest and most understandable aids.
Your horse will learn to move under your saddle without the constant and untimely interventions of your hands. Hold your reins taut, but with as little contact as possible, always keeping your hands slightly above the mouth. Let your horse put his head where he wants. To get reins that do not indispose the horse, take a trip to La Sellerie Française.
To balance, turn, slow down or stop, act with your hands, then give way completely on floating reins to allow your horse to stretch as much as possible. As soon as your horse begins to stretch, stroke him, showing him that you are satisfied.
Once the stretching movements are well underway, ask your horse to increase his speed (without imbalance) and his activity towards medium or even extended gaits.
You will get real topline tension, that is, a horse moving with its back. Practice this exercise first at the walk and trot, then at the canter, especially with warm horses.
At the end of this work (it's a question of time), you will find a horse that salivates and relaxes its jaw naturally, and this, without the direct intervention of your hand. You have freed your horse from the constraint of your hand. You will move at paces that will have gained in regularity, amplitude and activity.