Kitty Hawk Ranch

How important is the Poll in your horses posture? The small muscles that connect the head to the neck are critically important for postural information they ...contain 500x the density of muscle spindle cells compared to limb muscles. Afferent (towards the brain) information from this region is so critically important that there is not even a dermatome (skin sensory segment) associated with the C1 nerve all of the afferents go to postural control. - Dr Gellman Just One piece of a much bigger system

SOAP BOX FRIDAY ! People talk a lot about fascia which is great, but..... Their thought process is always linear even though they talk about fascia sorounding e...verything. Fascial lines are a concept to illustrate connections in the body, and yes its hard to get past the concept when all the illustrations are two dimensional. It’s hard to get past the concept when people draw lines on horse, I’m just as guilty Think bags and pockets not lines. This is part of what is coming to The Art of Seeing the Horse ,its still very raw and unpolished but it should give a different perspective. This is the superfical dorsal line but it really should be the superficial dorsal bag chain. To take the point further, everything that lies next to the marked green area will be affected because fascia is a continuous web. This is why tension is dispersed in the body and the tensegriy model can be applied to the body.

It’s been great to connect with all the wonderful horse people that have joint the art of seeing the horse. I have added more material to this quarter to answer... some of the questions I received. I really like this ability to stream information so will probably add more through the quarter. Here is another sneak peak. See more

What do your riders horses look like from the side? They may not know what their horse is really doing with its head position. To help them see it might be time... to take photos of what is happening or even better videos (you can use your smart phone) to show them when it does happen. What other training techniques do you use to teach your riders how to "see" where they horses head position is? See more

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE THORACOLUMBAR FASCIA! GETTING ON MY SOAPBOX !! Lets talk about fascia, piloerection and dermatomes! ... All to often I see horses backs that tell a story or rais issues. Learning to look at the texture,and the topography of the equine back is important. PEOPLE WHEN YOU SEE WRINKLES, DIVITS, LUMPS AND BUMPS, STRANGE HAIR PATTERNS, STRANGE SWEAT PATCHES AND IMOBILE SKIN YOU MAY HAVE A PROBLEM. DERMATOMES are zones of skin whose sensory input is "assigned," so to speak, to individual spinal nerves. Each nerve root has an associated dermatome, and each dermatome is supplied by many branches of that single nerve root. Dermatomes are a bit like highways through which information about sensations in your skin related to your central nervous system. Sensations such as pressure and temperature, are transmitted to the central nervous system via nerves that converge on single nerve roots. When a spinal nerve root becomes compressed or irritatedoften because it comes into contact with another spinal structurethe result is often seen in the coat of the horse. PILOERECTION - The scientific term for hair standing on end is. It’s a reflex that causes tiny muscles near our hair follicles to contract and raise the hairs. This can be caused by a number of stimuli for example, cold weather will cause the hair of the horse to raise and then fall back, where it will trap warm air close to the skin ,this action creates insulation. Another cause of piloerection is the sympathetic nervous system. This is a series of autonomous reflexes that are activated when danger is sensed and manages a bunch of physical reactions to get ready for action. In addition to quickening the heart rate and activating the sweat glands, the horses body raises our hair in order to look bigger and tougher to a potential threat. Interestingly, this reaction to danger will causes goosebumps from musical stimuli in humans. THE THORACOLUMAR FASCIA is a tough membrane composed of three layers that cover the deep muscles beneath the back, covering the thoracic spine. Muscles are also enclosed within the layers. This fascia tissue crosses the entire back area. This transitional area between the front and back half of the body allows forces to be transferred as needed for athletic and daily movement. Besides enabling movement, the thoracolumbar fascia is also important for stability and sensory roles. Some tasks can take a toll on the fascia, resulting in thoracolumbar fascia back pain or a loss of mobility of this tissue over time. Excessive strain, overuse, repetitive stress or having poor posture when carrying a rider can lead to dysfunction. Besides back pain the horse may develop adhesions and scar tissue that can diminish strength and range of motion. Pain in the back will also cause the horse to alter motion to compensate for the discomfort, leading to pain elsewhere in the body. These symptoms will worsen over time. An important note the thoracolumbar fascia players a role in maintains internal abdominal pressure(IPA) insufficient IAP leads to poor stability and compensatory lumbar and hip compression. The high number of mechanoreceptors found in the thoracolumbar fascia indicates that the fascial connective-tissue system provides an important sensory feedback role for the body. Signs of TLF Dysfunction What are some possible signs of an overworked / compensated Tightness and increased tone in the lower thoracic and lumbar spine. Increased lumbar lordosis with chronic lumbar spine pain / fixations. Sacroiliac joint locking. shoulder and hip pain. Inability to expand the rib cage with diaphragmatic breathing. Hip joint fixation with decreased range of motion. Altered gait patterning. Poor cross chain diagonal movement. Sub-occipital restriction or pain due to the fascial attachment via the "superficial back line" and pull on the nuchal ligament.

A quick lesson on the Quarter Turn. This turn is used in the Ranch Horse Tests from Level 1 up. It's useful for any horse to know, builds athletic agility and balance. If you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer them.

I made this cover for my floating tank heaters a few years ago. It keeps some of the busiest horses from messing with the heaters.

In my previous post about the stomatognathic system I have made a reference to horses standing posture. I said that when a horse stands at rest it is called a ...neutral stance. Meaning all legs are square and canon bones are perpendicular to the ground. Often clients will ask how I know about problems the horse may have before I have walked in the stall or touched it . There is an art to collecting information from the body long before you make contact . This post is about the art of collecting some of this information and using it to help understand what your horses fascial lines are doing. How their body maybe compensating or restricted by simply observing them . By understanding some of what is going on in your horses body you can help, prevent injury and help them come back to a more balanced physical state . These will be just some examples, please remember that there are other things to consider and theses observations are just starting points. When you collect information from a horses body you must always consider their foot care, their dental care, their food and their movement and their tack. Confirmation , previous injury are also important to remember . Think about us as humans trying to alleviate tension patterns in our body. We do this by sitting with our feet up ,cocking a hip , leaning forward and generally trying to find a more comfortable position to sit , lie down or stand. Horses are more limited , as they only lie down for short periods of time. This means they need to put their body in different positions in order to relieve tension patterns with in their body while standing. Think about how your horse stands in its stall at liberty. Look at their foot placements and Weight distribution. When horses engage their stay apparatus obviously one hind one hind leg will fall out, but the horse should still maintain a square position. When I come up to barn doors and paddock doors, I see horses stand in all sorts of strange peculiar ways. They are trying to alleviate tension and find a comfortable position. There is a lot we can learn from simply observing them. I have drawn simple rectangles and have placed hoof imprints in them. The placement and orientation of the foot will tell you which way it’s facing. The darker the print the more weight it bares. Click on each image to get the information. I have only done a few of the most common things I see to give you a concept. Each horse is different and each case has other factors but it’s a good starting point as horses are particularly good at hiding their issues. All Rights Reserved 2019 Tamara Elkayam

This is a neat knot

The hyoid has direct and multifaceted connection to both front limbs and tension in the connective tissues affects relaxation and range of motion in the poll, n...eck, shoulders and whole body. The TMJ and hyoid are large components of the stomatognathic system, which includes everything from the withers forward and governs the posture and balance for the entire body. Because of its proximity and close interaction with the poll and cranium the balance of the TMJ also has a large impact on craniosacral wellness, affecting greatly the balance and movement of the hind end. See more

A while ago, I drew this diagram of the equine thoracic sling and I thought it's worth a reshare! Horses don't have collarbones! The thoracic sling’s function i...s to suspend the rib cage between the forelimbs and is responsible for lifting the withers during locomotion. When a horse is crooked; whether caused by an asymmetric rider, saddle, or by injury (usually relating to asymmetric riders/saddles!), the weight distribution across the forelimbs is unequal. One limb will carry more weight and have more of an influence on direction than the other. To facilitate this unequal movement, the muscle development will be asymmetrical- the more dominant forelimb will have a ‘bigger’ shoulder and the opposing shoulder will be flatter in appearance and sit ‘higher’ on the ribcage. Transferring this into ridden work, horses with thoracic sling asymmetries usually present by being difficult to circle in one direction, falling in on the more weight bearing limb and over compensating by bending too much in their neck. In order to rectify these issues, the horse will need to improve their vertical balance- learning to carry weight equally on both forelimbs.

Pixie’s DIY therapy tip 3 Thoracic sling As we roll into another week of confinement and more open space is closing, here are some more tips to help you and yo...ur horse relax. Many horses are spending more time in their stall standing around just like many of us are spending more time sitting around. I’m posting theses to bring some positivity and relaxation for equines and humans. NEWTON’S FIRST LAW: Inertia. A body at rest tends to stay at rest, and a body in motion tends to stay in motion unless acted on by a net external force. Remember in the last tip I mentioned that breathing in air and getting the blood moving is the most important thing. So here is something to get you out in the fresh air and moving and will give your horse some much needed release for their thoracic sling. Please remember these are simple exercises that I chose so everyone can do them and there is no way to harm the horse. For those that asked for videos, its in the works. Please remember to do these on a day you don’t ride or after the ride, be soft and remember to breath. Most of you know that horses don’t have a clavicle. There are no bony attachments from front limb to the trunk. All that is holding that leg on to the body is soft tissue, the thoracic sling. I’m not going to go into deep anatomical explanations just the plain basics. Fascia, nerves, ligaments and muscle, all of these can change due to stress. Stress can be physical, environmental or emotional so just about anything. This change generally comes in form of adhesion in fascia and locked muscles that trap nerves and put more stress on tendons and ligaments. Here are some simple therapy moves to help release some of the tension in the thoracic sling and make you and your horse a little more zen in theses crazy times.

Bonnie Benson, Peggy Zilm

Prayers for Australia

4 POLES 7 EXERCISES A series of exercises that can be done with minimal equipment and in short preparation time. These exercises are based on precise lines ...and the right timing to get your horses swiftly through. Ideally the poles are placed so that the innermost circle has at least a 6-7 meter diameter. The goal of these exercises is to improve aids/communication and precise changes of direction absolute focus by both horse and rider is needed. EXERCISE 1 Ride a circle over the outer sides of the poles this can be done in walk, trot or canter. Ensure the horse is slightly bent to the inside to promote an active hind. With an experienced well trained horse you can do this exercise over the innermost part of the poles in walk or trot still too easy? Try to back up your horse around the outer circle :-) EXERCISE 2 Ride in a big circle around the poles and a small circle around each pole when you reach it. Start with larger circles and reduce them when the horse is properly warmed up make sure the horse does not lean on the inner shoulder. This exercise too can be ridden in walk, trot or canter experienced horse/rider combinations could do this in pairs. Or you can change gait, e.g. ride the large circle in trot and walk the smaller circles around the poles. This needs both precise aids by the rider and excellent response to the aids by your horse. EXERCISE 3 With this exercise ensure your horse is absolutely straight on the straight lines in the middle (marked darker in the picture) and that your horse is not leaning on the inner shoulder. Ride this on both leads in walk and trot. EXERCISE 4 Whilst you can do this one in walk, trot or best in canter. The change should happen at X. Whichever gait you are in, you should focus on changing hands precisely at X ensuring that your horse is in an absolute straight frame at X. Do this exercise on both leads. EXERCISE 5 This one looks much easier than it is especially if ridden in canter. Approach each pole in the middle in canter there should be 3-4 canter strides between each pole (depending on the horse’s size, stride and the ridden circle). Try to have the same number of strides in each quarter of the circle. EXERCISE 6 Great to teach flying changes. The moment your horse goes over the pole, change your leg position (the new inner one now being forward and the new outer one going back), slightly bend your horse to the new direction and make sure you look into the direction you now want to go to. Ideally your horse would use the stride over the pole to correctly and swiftly change and to land on the now leading leg which needs an exact timing of your aids and a quick response to those by your horse. Less experienced riders /horses might want to start this exercise in walk and trot to establish exactly timed aids and quick response of the horse. EXERCISE 7 Can be done in walk, trot or canter. Ensure the horse is correctly bent whilst in the half circles and straight inbetween. This exercise is great to combine with exercise 4 just to avoid repetition and boredom :-) HAVE FUN :D :D :D :D (by Hummel Pferdetraining)

Happy New Year. Thank you for being so kind this year.

What could possibly go wrong?