Movement Patterns are First Indicators of Trouble
Monitoring your horse’s movement and musculoskeletal system is one of the most effective ways to catch medical, orthopedic, and mental issues quickly. Scheduling physiotherapy sessions is more than just a feel good thing. Rather, these sessions are a monitoring system that help you keep tabs on your horse’s body condition and response to work and stress.
Think of the musculoskeletal system as the window that looks into other body functions. By looking in this window, you can start to tell when something isn’t working as well.
There are six body function domains (some sources combine these into five):
Posture and movement
Metabolic processes of all sorts
Neurological integration throughout the body
Circulatory and respiratory functions
Psychosocial and behavioral elements (influences how you train your horse)
Cultural and spiritual elements (reflect how horses are valued, influences their energetic field)
Changes in any of these areas can change how your horse moves. Let me give you some examples from horses I’ve worked with over the years.
→ A horse became sensitive to touch on his belly and girthy when the saddle was put on. He was later diagnosed with liver disease.
→ A horse started tripping when ridden and couldn’t jump straight. He was later diagnosed with arthritis in his neck that was pinching a nerve
→ A horse lost weight and topline muscle. She was later diagnosed with kidney failure.
→ A horse started to hold his head in a different position when trotting and cantering. He was later diagnosed with an airway disease.
→ A horse got very stiff and had trouble bending around a circle well. She was later diagnosed with gastric ulcers.
→ A horse started bucking after jumps. He was later diagnosed with kissing spines.
→ A horse started twisting in the air over jumps and refusing to land on her right lead. She was later diagnosed with a fracture in her lamina near the left front heel.
→ A horse developed anxious behavior, lost weight and topline muscle, and started weaving and pacing when moved to a new barn with less open space and turnout. He was cleared medically, but his behavior could not be resolved until he was moved to a quieter barn with a more open barn. If he was a person, I think he would be diagnosed with claustrophobia.
I used to think a lot of these issues were training problems, and I tried to deal with them by talking to trainers, getting more lessons, using training aids, changing tack, etc. I didn’t have a great system in place to notice the physical changes that were occurring in these horses' bodies, nor did I connect the physical changes with decreased job performance. I focused on the horses and my skills, and when skills were degrading or not developing quickly enough, I would train harder (I’m not proud of this, but that’s what I used to do).
However, what often happened is that someone who rarely saw the horse would say “wow, their body shape has really changed” or something along those lines. That would cause me to notice and go “oh wow, you’re right.” Then off to the vet I’d go and the issue would be discovered.
Now fast forward to the present. I’ve had a lot more experience and education, and I’ve learned to flip that script. When a horse isn’t performing as anticipated, I think compensation first, training issue second. Meaning, what is the horse compensating for or dealing with that’s causing this physical change? In my equine physiotherapy practice, I treat about 80 horses per month. When horses are struggling to perform, by working with vets, farriers, saddle fitters, nutritionists, animal communicators, and other team members, we find it’s a physical issue about 80% of the time.
Yes, seriously, 80%. If I took 10 horses that were plateaued in their training program to the vet, eight of them would have issues that explain the plateau. This is my observation only, not research data.
Most of the time, something is wrong and holding your horse back (pain, tack fit, health issues, strength, nervous system issue, hoof issues). Horses truly want to step up and be our partners. When they say no, it’s usually because they can’t physically handle the work.
Which brings me the point of this blog post -
One of the best investments you can make with your horse is working with a physical therapist, osteopath, or another educated movement specialist/bodyworker.
There’s a ton of value in having a fresh set of eyes on your horse, but eyes that know your horse well enough to see trends and changing patterns. It’s also valuable to work with someone with excellent palpation skills who can tell when tissue and muscle tone feels different. Often it’s small changes in muscle or energy tone that are an early indicator that your horse is dealing with a health or pain issue.
Personally, I don’t think your trainer or coach can be that person for you. They have a different job - to teach you and your horse new skills, prepare you for competitions, help you gain confidence on your horse, etc. It’s not reasonable to add “notice small changes in my horse’s muscle tone” to that list, because they are too busy trying to figure out how to get you and your horse to be a partnership.
I advocate for treating horses every 1-3 months, based on the complexity of their work, conformation, history of injuries, competition schedule, current movement and strength issues, and rider preference.
When I treat horses, I assess posture and movement (both with my eyes and using the Sleip gait analysis system), range of motion, muscle tone, reactivity to palpation and energetic balance. I check tack fit, review videos of the horse being ridden and/or watch them under saddle, talk to the rider to see how the horse feels to them, and overall look for the needle in the haystack of small changes (positive and negative).
Lots of times I see something that looks a little odd, but the overall picture of the horse is great. When this happens, I put the horse on a “watch list.” There’s no need to get overly reactive with every little change, as horse’s do need to develop their body and skill set, and that’s not always a perfectly linear progression. It often looks more like a very poorly designed staircase, with the general direction being upwards. The watch list concept has been really helpful, and helps catch issues early.
Takeaways from this blog -
Movement is your window into many body systems, so pay attention to little changes, both physically and energetically.
Consider adding a professional who’s specialized in monitoring movement and musculoskeletal health to your treatment team. Have them see your horse every 1-3 months. It’s a great investment and will help you keep your horse sound and healthy.
Need help or want to talk about this more? You can reach Shelley at info@shelleythomasphysio.com with questions and comments. Thank you!