Equine Massage: A Practical Guide (49 page)

❖ The trapezius

❖ The deltoideus

❖ The serratus dorsalis cranialis and the serratus dorsalis caudalis

❖ The longissimus cervicis and the rest of the foreleg muscles Internal Compensation from the Hips

The hips are also an important section of the body as they provide the power for the horse’s locomotion. All of the equine disciplines put a fair amount of stress over the hip structure. Any
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interference with the center of gravity will affect the hip’s deep ligaments, such as:

❖ The dorsal sacroiliac ligament

❖ The lumbar supraspinous ligaments

❖ The sacrosciatic ligament

It would also affect the medial aspect of the hip flexor muscles, such as:

❖ The psoas

❖ The iliacus

❖ The tensor fascia latae

And the medial aspect of the hip extensor muscles, such as:

❖ The gluteal muscle group

❖ The hamstring muscle group

❖ The rest of the hind leg muscles

Keep in mind that with jumping, the forces of suspension in the thoracic and abdominal cavities will directly add stress on the following muscles:

❖ The abdominal group of muscles

❖ The serratus dorsalis cranialis and caudalis

The thoracolumbar fascia will influence the hip flexor and extensor muscle groups as well as the deeper muscles of the spine (interspinalis, intertransversii, and rotators).

Summary of External and

Internal Lines of

Compensation

Figure 13.14 shows how both the external and the internal lines of compensation influence and affect the horse and its center of gravity at all times. Note how the withers and middle of the neck carry a lot of line intersections, emphasizing the stress level in these areas.

A solid knowledge of the equine lines of compensation is important as it helps you better understand the patterns of muscular and
fascia compensation.This understanding will build up your confidence during your evaluation of the horse’s muscles groups and
your application of equine massage.

Lines of Compensation

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Center of gravity

13.14 Internal and External Lines of

Compensation with Center of Gravity

14

SADDLE FITTING

A fair number of muscle and skeletal problems seen in the active horse can be traced back to an ill fitted saddle. A saddle that causes discomfort to a horse not only inhibits the movement of that horse, but also leads to the formation of compensatory tension in both the fascia and the muscular systems as a horse always strives to keep optimal performance in relation to his center of gravity.

The scientific definition of a
center of gravity
is: the point at the center of an object’s weight distribution where the force of gravity acts. In other words, the center of gravity is that point where an object balances perfectly. The center of gravity in a horse is located at the intersection of the dotted lines as shown in figure 14.1.

Ideally, with the proper saddle, the rider’s center of gravity should be above and in line with the horse’s center of gravity. During faster paces, when the outline of the horse is lengthened, the center of balance moves forward. However, in dressage, during high collection where the croup is lowered, the center point shifts slightly backwards.

Regardless of the activity, training, and style, a saddle should conform to three basic requirements:

❖ The saddle should be comfortable for the horse

❖ The saddle should be comfortable for the rider

❖ The saddle design should help the rider maintain his/her center of gravity and be symmetrically balanced and aligned with the horse’s center of gravity

A saddle that fits your horse well will allow him to perform without discomfort, allowing him to reach his full potential.

Comfort for the horse is the result of a correctly fitted and balanced saddle. An unbiased saddle will distribute the weight evenly over the weight-bearing surface of the saddle and onto the back without afflicting the various muscle groups and fascia of the back.

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Saddle Fitting

299

8th Riby

vity b

Center of Gra

avity

s Center of Gr

A Horse’

14.1

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Saddle Tree

The keys to a good saddle are its tree and panels. If the saddle’s tree is the correct size, the rest of the completed saddle should follow suit. A saddle should not touch the horse’s spine at any point.

A badly fitting tree can cause pinching and pressure points in different musculoskeletal structures of the horse’s back. The most common problem seen with a badly fitting tree is the pinching of the withers, which causes inflammation to spread directly over the trapezius, the rhomboideus, and the serratus dorsalis cranialis muscles, as well as the thoracic, shoulder, and neck fascia layers. In some cases where the saddle ends up touching the withers, the ligamentum nuchae over the thoracic spinous processes can become inflamed. Usually this type of incident will leave the horse with white hair over the area of contact.

Saddle Panels

The condition of the saddle’s panels is equally important. To maintain balance they should be evenly and correctly stuffed, to compliment the build of your horse.The bearing surfaces should be equal in size. This will result in a stable and enhanced ride, as it will promote a central seat. For any rider, this will allow your horse to perform at his best.

To properly evaluate if a saddle is well balanced, you need to look at four basic standards:

❖ Even distribution of flock throughout the panels

❖ Close fit without spinal pressure at any point

❖ Overall balance

❖ As broad a bearing surface as possible to spread weight over the back

If, for any given saddle, any of these four points is not met, you can expect musculoskeletal problems to develop in your horse.

The latissimus dorsi and the iliocostalis muscles are directly afflicted by the panel’s contact as well as the thoracolumbar fascia.

A saddle that does not fit your horse properly will cause him discomfort, leading eventually to pain. It will decrease the horse’s ability to perform to its full potential. This imbalance will throw the rider’s weight off equilibrium. To compensate for this, the rider will sit awkwardly, resulting in poor posture with resulting back stiffness. The horse also will compensate proportionally, resulting in extra muscle and fascial tension along his entire body, directly proportional to the imbalance.

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Any incorrect saddle will disfigure any seat or leg aids and the horse might develop a constrained stride, a refusal to canter, a resistance to jumping, an unevenness of ride, or simply a refusal to ride.

If the pommel of the saddle is too high, it will tip the rider back causing excessive pressure in the area of the horse’s back.This scenario will cause the horse to compensate with his hindquarters, mostly his gluteal, hamstring, and abdominal muscles, and possibly the tensor fascia latae muscle.This compensation results in a reluctance to work in a rounded outline or hollowness. Over a period of time, the back muscles will develop a dent where the panels touch and the thoracolumbar fascia will also become tense, causing some chronic rigidity over the back. The rider can easily fall behind the movement losing the ability to contain momentum and balance, especially in jumping.

If the pommel of the saddle is too low, it will tip the rider forward causing excessive pressure in the area of the horse’s withers and shoulders, possibly limiting the range of motion of both shoulder blade bones. This scenario will cause the horse to tense up and compensate with his shoulder muscles, mostly his rhomboideus and trapezius, the triceps, possibly the serratus group, as well as the pectoral group of muscles and the foreleg muscles, resulting in a reluctance to work in an optimal forward stride.

Over a period of time, the shoulder and neck fascia will also become tense, causing some rigidity over the neck action.With a saddle with too low of a pommel, the rider can easily fall out of sink with the movement rhythm, losing the ability to contain momentum and balance, especially in jumping. If there is contact between the saddle and the withers, an inflammation of the withers might result. In such cases, please consult your veterinarian.

The most common ill-fitted saddle problems come from unbalanced panels, which cause the rider’s weight to fall to one side. Furthermore, uneven panels with lumps will cause concentrated areas of pressure—a sure way of causing sores and back disorders. This will stress the muscle and fascia of the horse’s back causing a well-known problem termed “cold back.” It refers to a
myositis,
meaning an inflammation of the muscle fibers of the back and loin muscles.

The horse with a
cold back
displays various signs and symptoms including discomfort when being saddled and/or when the rider is mounting, and during any bending exercises.The horse travels stiff behind, with short strides, and gets tired early.The more inflammation present in the muscles, the more severe the symptoms. The main muscles afflicted by this condition are the longissimus dorsi, the iliocostalis, the thoracolumbar fascia, the serratus dorsalis
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cranialis (also known as the spinalis dorsi muscle), the serratus dorsalis caudalis, and the abdominal muscles and fascia. They all are affected and show tension and soreness upon palpation.The severity of the symptoms can range from mild to severe soreness.When assessing back problems, consult a veterinarian; his expertise will determine the extent of the problem. If needed, infrared thermog-raphy and X rays can help determine the nature and severity of the problem. With this feedback, the veterinarian can deliver a precise diagnosis and decide on the best course of treatment.

Keep in mind that a horse with a sore back as a result of wearing a wrong saddle might prefer working on the rein, causing more muscular compensatory tension to develop in the neck muscles such as the deep splenius, the trapezius, and the rectus capitalis, as well as in the entire neck fascia.

Regardless of the type of ill-fitted saddle you may face, they all will give rise to stiffness and pressure injuries on the horse.

To assist such a horse, massage and hydrotherapy are of great help as they loosen the muscles and increase blood circulation, which in turn provide better oxygenation and nutrition of the tissues. This results in an overall increase of the healing for the sore muscles directly affected by the ill-fitting saddle. Massage will also relieve the compensatory muscular tension seen in the rest of the horse’s body.

You can start helping your horse by applying some cold hydrotherapy over the back muscles (see chapter 4). Use cold sponging, ice packs, or the ice cup massage technique for about 10 minutes. This will have an analgesic benefit by numbing the nerve endings located in the sore muscle fibers. It will also cause some vasoconstriction. When you end the cold application, the body will respond with a strong vasodilation to bring blood back to the cool area and bring the cool part back to normal body temperature.

Massage for Cold Back

Start your massage for cold back with some light stroking movements over the entire back to let the horse know your intention to work this area. Follow with some light effleurage movements, going from the withers to the rump. Continue with 2 passes of gentle wringing movements across the entire back, from the withers to the lumbar area and back to the withers. Intersperse with effleurages every 10 to 20 seconds. If the horse appears very sore keep your pressure light and your session brief. It is better to repeat several small sessions and cumulate the benefits than overwork and cause more soreness.

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If the horse is not too sore, after your last effleurages you can add some gentle thumb kneading, working the withers area first, moving along the trapezius and rhomboideus muscles, then the longissimus dorsi and the iliocostalis muscles all the way to the lumbar area over the origin tendon of the gluteals. Do not forget to effleurage every 10 to 20 seconds or so. All along, observe the horse’s eyes to see his reaction to your pressure. If the horse appears to be enjoying your massage, then continue by using a gentle double hand friction all along the muscles to further loosen the tight fibers. Complete your work with lots of drainage to get circulation moving. Finish your massage application with lots of stroking movements to relax the muscles. Move on to the other side of the horse and repeat the entire sequence.Your entire massage session should last from 20 to 30 minutes, including hydrotherapy time when applicable.

Do not hesitate to reapply some cold hydrotherapy over the back muscles right after your massage to further numb the nerve endings and to secure a good, lasting vasodilation. Always keep in mind that inflamed tissues are extremely painful. Use a very light pressure at all times and make sure your do not overwork them.

In the early stage of cold back, during the acute phase, keep your overall treatment time very short. As the inflammation decreases and becomes more chronic, you can proportionally increase the duration of your massage sessions as well as the pressure used.

According to the severity of the inflammation, 3 to 5 sessions might be necessary to see this condition disappear. Give the horse’s back a break for a few days if possible (no saddling) but keep him fit with longeing exercises. Consult your veterinarian to see if some anti-inflammatory medication might be prescribed to assist the horse during his recovery.

Daily care of your horse can speed up the recovery by 40 percent, a considerable benefit that not only helps your animal feel better, but also gets him back to work faster.Your devoted attention in that particular time of pain will strengthen your bond.