|
|
Discussion on Chronic neck stiffness on one side
|
| Author |
Message |
|
Posted on Tuesday, Sep 4, 2001 - 9:45 pm:
I've had my mare for about three and a half years. She's now ten years old. In many respects she's a dream, a good learner, good attitude, lovely gaits. We've progressed through various forms of training--NH, eventing, Classical Dressage--all with experienced, competent trainers. But from the beginning, the mare has been unusually pliant to the right and stiff to the left. It is ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE to get her to soften on the left rein, although occasionally she will do so. Usually she braces, tilts her nose left, and gives you the impression she has a two-by-four implanted in her neck. It's more pronounced at the trot than the walk, and especially bad at the canter.
She was basically not put into full training till she was seven, so had many years to develop her "own style." I also suspect she may have some weakness in the right hind. She tends to throw her hindquarters to the right when tracking in either direction.
My question--and Dr.O, I'd love your opinion on this--is, if I decide to do some kind of diagnostic workup, where should I start? We have an excellent local vet who is also an acupuncturist.
Next, if the problem is primarily a weak right hind, what kind of exercises/therapy can I use that will build up that particular limb?
The problem has been so long-standing and intractable I'm ready to go beyond simple training issues to fix it.
Thanks for any help.
|
|
Posted on Wednesday, Sep 5, 2001 - 8:04 am:
HI Zoe,
that's a tough one to answer without seeing what happens but I do have some questions for you:
1. what happens when you lunge her with side reins?
2. are you holding her head up when on the left rein (i.e., do you feel that there's more pressure and are your hands, arms and shoulders tired after going that way?)
3. can she turn her head to the left and right at a halt (either mounted or dismounted)?
4. how are her turns on the haunches and forehands?
5. does she bend properly on a 20m circle (i.e, head, spine and haunches all travelling on the same line?).
6. is she coming nicely from behind when you ask for her to come into frame?
7. are you more supple on the left or right? I ask because both my horse and I are 'left handed' meaing I have to work much harder on the right rein for us to travel correctly.
8. when you ask for her to bend are you using a 'giving' hand that asks and then softens to allow for it to happen or are you holding until she gives?
9. when you ask for her to bend to the left are you ensuring that her shoulder is straight (not popped out to the right) and that your right leg is slightly behind the girth to keep the haunches travelling correctly?
10. what happens when you give her a long rein and ask her to stretch at all three gaits? If her head comes up then it means that she's not trusting and reaching for contact.
11. have her teeth been checked to make sure that your not inadvertently hurting her?
12. how's the saddle fit?
13. when she's travelling to the left how are her gaits? are they forward moving and coming from behind or is she short and choppy and/or on the forehand?
14. what happens when you leg-yield on a circle from 20m to 10m and back out again? Does she lead excessively with her shoulder?
sorry for the interrogation but it's so easy to miss something when these questions are asked on the internet. The best advice would be to find a person trained in dressage (my preference is for one of the Walter Zetl school, but I'm biased) and work on that to straighten it out. You may always have to struggle with it but it doesn't mean it's impossible. As riders we all struggle with our various strengths and weaknesses so whynot our horses too?
As for a weak hind, if the vet says it's okay there's nothing like travelling up and down hills in open fields (or through the woods) to muscle up the hind end. I also like circles of various sizes . You need to be build it up slowly so that you don't strain anything.
good luck
Teresa
|
|
Posted on Wednesday, Sep 5, 2001 - 9:37 am:
This can be a diagnostic dilemma and Teresa goes a good way into some of the specifics to look for. If after a thorough review of technique and a good physical exam a cause is still not evident I like to do a test with antiinflammatories.
I will use fairly high doses of bute for 14 whole days and reevaluate. During the 14 days the training routine remains the same. If there is no remarkable change, you can be pretty confident pain is not an issue. If you do feel that there is significant improvement, come off the bute and see if the problem returns in the next 14 days. If it does you can continue with the idea this may be a disease process and consider other diagnostics: second opinion, further radiographic work up, gamma scan, infrared, etc...
DrO
|
|
Posted on Wednesday, Sep 5, 2001 - 10:10 am:
Thanks, Teresa and Dr. O!
To answer your questions, Teresa:
1. We lunge her with Viennese sliding side reins and she actually goes better, softer, when tracking to the left, reaching down more easily and in a more relaxed fashion. To the RIGHT she takes longer to relax, stretch down and get her back up, but after about five minutes, she starts to loosen up.
2.Yes. Definitely.
3.Yes. I'll check again today with carrot stretches. I seem to think the problem is most acute when she is ASKED to bend to the left, not when it's her idea.
4. Much easier to the right than the left. But I'll double check.
5. No. She throws her quarters out to the right, in both directions, so is fairly correct going to the right, but braced in front and inverted behind going to the left.
6. When I concentrate (GRIN) and usually in a lesson, yes, very nicely. But we are just beginning this phase....
7. Bingo. I am MUCH stiffer and less coordinated to the left, being right handed.
8. Yes, I use as giving a hand as possible, very slight vibrations, etc. I've tried everything.
9. I do try to do this, yes, but probably am not aslways as coordinated or successful at it as I'd like to be. But in fairness, when she is ridden by my trainer or her working student, both far superior riders to myself, they have the same problem with her.
10. On a long rein she will reach and stretch quite nicely.
11. Her teeth are checked and floated twice a year. She's fine in that department.
12. Custom fitted Passier PSL.
13. Very heavy and on the forehand usually. Trot better than canter. Canter almost impossible to sit to to the left.
14. Yes, in fact leg yields left to right and very difficult for her. Right to left she is much better.
As for my dressage trainer, I have a top notch Classical Dressage expert, and we are working on it. She attributes the problem to a weak right hind. I do agree with her but at this point am willing to check out physical problems as well.
Dr.O, I will speak to my vet about the bute experiment. It sounds very sensible.
Thanks again.
|
|
Posted on Wednesday, Sep 5, 2001 - 11:00 am:
Hi Zoe,
thankyou for your prompt and honest replies  . It's interesting that she travels well on the lunge but presents the opposite under saddle. I would tend to concentrate on getting her going forward from behind and building up the strength in her hind leg before asking for too much frame too soon. Chris can explain it much better then I can, but the correct frame comes from the horse moving into the hands from behind, not from the hands to the hind. Check how you are sitting on her to the left at all three gaits (videotape is great). You need to sit balanced with an 'open thigh' to allow the horses back to come up and make sure that your not tilted forward (in a dressage saddle a good test is to see how sore you are in your...well youknow... after a ride  . What happens when you go into a 2 point at the canter? It's easy to get into the habit of supporting the horses neck and head (trust me, I know) but this tells you that they are not truly travelling from behind because they are using your hand to balance on. Half-halts and frequent transitions are good for getting the horse to come more from behind. The other issue is to give with the inside rein so that the horse can move into it and don't allow them to lean on it. Cantering and trotting uphill will help you and her to learn how nice it feels to be off the front end.
A good method to teach a horse to move her head when asked is to have her in a nice square halt. Then very gently put pressure on one rein. When she turns her head the smallest bit stop, scratch her withers and praise. Do it both ways a few times per ride. When she will stretch around to your leg with the slightest pressure (remember you don't want her feet to move) try it a walk, then trot, etc.
good luck
Teresa
|
|
Posted on Thursday, Sep 6, 2001 - 11:07 am:
I used the method that Teresa suggests to "teach my horse that she can carry and move her own head around, independently of her body," in my instructor's words. Once she "got it" at the halt, we started doing it at the walk and trot. The side-to-side is less pronounced when moving forward, but my horse really gets into it. It gives her a nice swing-y movement in her neck. The fact that she gets stiff again tells me that my riding is a big part of the problem (I too am doing baby beginner dressage).
Of course, be careful not to overdo . . . I would praise the heck out of my horse when she was first learning this at the halt. I was so proud of this baby step toward the ideal of the light and supple horse/rider combination. Now she will stop nice and square, and instantly bend her neck around to one side then then other! She looks at me like "aren't you going to tell me I'm brilliant?" Good thing we aren't into showing! :-)
Lisa
|
|
|
