The Human Horse Connection
Often we spend so much time focusing on our horses that we forget that taking care of ourselves is also taking care of our horse. While most of us know that our emotional state affects our horse, our physical state and imbalances affect them as well. These can cause compensation patterns or even injuries to our beloved best friends.
For example, if the riders SI joint is not functioning properly, it can cause your hips to not be even in the saddle. This may cause you to lean one direction over the other forcing your horse to compensate. Eventually over time this can lead to SI joint disfunction in your horse as well.
Are you having a training or behavioural issue you can’t seem to overcome? It could be coming from you:
- Human shoulder pain can cause horse neck pain
- Tight dysfunctional lats may can a horse to rush a jump and potentially injure themselves.
- A painful shoulder may cause stiffness and tension through your hands. Your horse may feel it through the bit and tense against the pressure.
- Tight hip flexors contribute to an anterior pelvic tilt. A sensitive, well trained horse may misconstrue this to be GO!
- Weak, misfiring glutes do not allow us to properly apply our leg, making it harder to ask for collection or more impulsion.
- Pain in your rib cage may cause you to lean to the affected side, this can cause your horse to drop the inside shoulder when you are on the circle.
There are plenty more compensation patterns that you and your horse may be suffering from. Come talk to one of our amazing Equus therapists today to help assess and diagnose your problems today!
About the Author: Jessica Bateman, RMT, E
Jessica Bateman completed her Bachelor's in Human Kinetics from the University of British Columbia Okanagan. She has received the necessary 2200 hours to practice as a Registered Massage Therapist in Alberta. As a former hockey trainer Jessica is experienced with traumatic injury treatment. She strives to bring people as close to their post injury form as possible through massage and exercise. Her passion lies in whiplash treatment as well as low back injuries.
Her professional training contains various modalities including but not limited to: taping, prenatal massage, lymphatic drainage, hot stone therapy, exercise prescription for the general population as well as athletes, cyriax frictions, myofacial release, cupping, injury prevention, return to work conditioning, work hardening training and shockwave therapy.
When not working, you can find Jessica hiking in our beautiful mountains, swimming or riding one of her two project horses. Traveling is a huge passion of hers as well she is constantly searching for new destinations to check out.