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SEPTEMBER 2006 • VOLUME 13 • © Copyright HORSES For LIFE™ Publications
Injury, lack of exercise, and improper use can all lead to limited range of movement. We must carefully assess both the rider and the horse for full range of movement, as limited range of movement often leads to even more limited range of movement. Limit the range of movement through training or riding techniques and you will also limit the muscles' ability to work properly; and we thus weaken the horse, rather than strengthen him. When we ride, when we train, we must keep full range of movement as one of the single-most important things that we must maintain to provide full health to the horse. Otherwise, our riding literally becomes detrimental to the horse. Unconsciously or subconsciously, we as riders can frequently limit range of movement of the horse through our own imbalances or through our lack of knowledge on how to fully follow and encourage the horse's full range of movement. We must welcome the power of the whole horse and his full range of motion if we are going to ride him in such a way that is healthy for our horse. All of this contributes to making it difficult to find examples of what good range of movement looks like. One of the things that we can do is to look at some of the older breeds, while another is to look at very young foals that have not been handled, then compare those to the best examples of upper level work that we have around us. Of course, each breed and each individual will have unique conformation that influences their way of going - one of the reasons that it is important to look at as many horses and as many breeds as possible. Thus, we hope to present this ongoing series on range of motion, examining different breeds, different horses, different ages, and looking at the range of motion of the different joints of the horse. The Caspian is one of the oldest breeds. While he has some distinct anatomical differences from other horses, it can be educational to examine his range of motion. The Caspians show us truly incredible movement. When we look at the two following pictures, pay particular attention to the shoulder blades - specifically, the shoulder blade and its relation to the neck.
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