Here is one of the two muscles we’ll focus on: the longissimus dorsi, which both extends the horse’s back and flexes his spine laterally.

Photos © Jim Leiby

How do you feel and behave when you get out of bed in the morning with tight or painful back muscles? Chances are you move stiffly or tentatively and your range of motion is restricted. Until you get relief, you don’t have your usual enthusiasm for normal tasks.

It’s much the same for your horse when his back muscles are stiff or hurting. He may

• flinch or sink away when you’re saddling him;
• travel with his head elevated and/or his back hollowed;
• canter less freely than usual;
• experience a decrease in coordinated power;
• trail his hind end rather than stepping under himself;
• jump flat rather than with a rounded bascule;
• drift sideways, either on the flat or over jumps;
• resist lateral work.

One thing your horse will not do as a response to back pain or tightness, by the way, is buck. He needs to round or flex his back to buck, whereas his normal reaction to pain and tightness in his back is to move away from the discomfort by hollowing.

What’s Hurting

The longissimus costarum, just below the longissimus dorsi, extends across the horse’s ribs. This muscle assists in extending the spine and in flexing it laterally.

© Jim Leiby

The muscles whose tightness is frequently a cause of these signs are the longissimus dorsi—the longest and largest muscles in your horse’s body and a powerful extensor of his spine—and the longissimus costarum, which lie below the longissimus dorsi across the ribs on each side and are important in lateral flexion of the spine and in breathing (see photos page 66 for the location of these muscles).

As part of understanding how tightness develops in these and other muscles, let’s take a quick look at how muscles work. Every muscle has two ends, each connected to bone by a tendon. One end is the anchor and the bone to which it is connected doesn’t move. The other end is connected to a bone that moves when the muscle is used. The middle part of the muscle, which does the work of moving the bone, is called the belly. It’s composed of hundreds of tiny fibers, each of which has its own blood supply. When a muscle is working normally, it tightens, then immediately relaxes or ­releases. Muscle tightness occurs when the muscle doesn’t release as it should. When a muscle becomes chronically tight, the fibers lie closer together. This constricts the flow of blood through the muscle belly, somewhat like stepping on a garden hose reduces the flow of water. The muscle ­operates less effectively when it’s tight, and it may be painful.

All muscles work in pairs of opposites: As one muscle contracts, its opposite ­releases. When a muscle is tight, the ­release process of the muscle is affected. The back muscles extend the horse’s spine, and tight back muscles can’t release to allow for the spinal flexion your horse needs to, for instance, round himself for a bascule over a fence or a nice collected canter. Tightness in the longissimus ­costarum will also affect your horse’s ability to bend around your inside leg.

What Causes It
Back muscle tightness can result from a number of factors. Some of the most common are

• the strain and exertion of repetitive schooling, such as working much more on one canter lead than the other;
• footing that is very deep or too hard;
• an ill-fitting or out-of-balance saddle;
• a very imbalanced rider (whose horse will attempt to compensate for her ­one-sidedness);
• poor saddle placement (for instance, too far up on the withers, which drives the cantle into the back muscles);
• too many pads under a correctly fitted saddle. Contrary to some riders’ belief, this does not reduce pressure on the horse’s back but is more like cramming two pairs of socks inside your shoes.

Tight back muscles can also signal a deeper problem such as hock or ankle issues, weak stifles or ligament problems. How can you know whether you’re dealing with simple muscle tightness or with something more serious? If your horse’s discomfort is not relieved after you have done the massage and exercise sequence I’ll describe on the next two pages a couple of times, you need to involve your veterinarian. (As a general rule of thumb, in my 20 years of practice as a massage therapist, if I find persistent tightness in the forward area of a horse’s back, it may indicate a deeper problem in his front end; if the muscles remain tight in the area near his haunches even after massage, there may be a bigger problem in his hind end.)

Even if you don’t show your horse, you may wish to give him a light clip. At the very least, you should clip a bridle path to separate the mane and forelock, providing a place for the headstall to sit comfortably.

It’s also a good idea to get your horse used to clippers in case you or your veterinarian needs to clip around an injury.

Here, world champion trainer Lynn Palm demonstrates her gentle clipping technique. She introduces the clipper slowly. “Every time we work with our horses—and that includes grooming—clippers are always a part of it while they’re learning to accept to be clipped.” she notes.

Palm suggests investing in a clipper that has two speeds: a slow speed for the delicate areas around the head and a faster speed for the thicker hair on the lower legs. She also recommends a cordless clipper for maneuverability, especially if you’ll be working on a young horse.

Caveat: If you use a corded clipper, don’t allow the cord to drape in front of your horse’s head, where he might chew/nibble on it. He could be electrocuted. Also, keep the cord behind you, for safety reasons.

Step 1. Introduce sound only. First, Palm advises, get your horse used to the sound of the clipper. Turn on the clipper, and simply move around him. You might need to do this step for days, weeks, or even months, depending on how quickly your horse accepts the sound.

Step 2. Add feel. Second, get your horse used to the feel of clipper. To do this, you’ll first hold the clipper in your hand, then touch him with the back of your hand and arm. Start at the shoulder. (Don’t get near his head, which is the most sensitive area.) Work back and forth, and up and down, never touching him with the clipper.

Gauge your horse’s comfort level by watching where his eyes are looking and his ears are working. When he accepts this touch on his whole body, then move to his head. Start at his jaw, where the hairs are thicker and less sensitive, then move to the front of his forehead. Finally, move to his ears, his most sensitive area. Remember, you’re just touching him with your hand and arm.

Step 3. Clip the bridle path. When your horse accepts the sound and feel, you’re ready to clip his bridle path. Push ear forward, and clip back, away from his ears, for a nice, clean clip.

Step 4. Continue clipping. If you’d like to continue clipping around your horse’s head for the show arena, follow the steps in this video tutorial.

For complete DVDs describing Lynn Palm’s grooming techniques, visit www.lynnpalm.com. 

Lynn Palm is the founder of Palm Partnership Training. She’s shown more than 34 Quarter Horse world and reserve world champions, competing in both English and Western disciplines. She’s won a record four American Quarter Horse Association Superhorse titles and was the first rider to win the prestigious Superhorse title twice on the same horse, Rugged Lark.

As we head into spring, your horse is starting to shed his winter coat. You need to remove shedding hair and dead skin to help prevent growth of bacteria and fungi, and to inspect and treat any wounds. You also need to remove dirt, mud, and burrs.

You can go to work with a currycomb and shedding blade, but fortunately, it’s finally warm enough to give your horse a good bath. Here, world champion trainer Lynn Palm demonstrates her hassle-free bathing technique.

This information is

especially helpful if you’re introducing a young or inexperienced horse to bathing. Palm’s equine model in the video is the yearling stallion My Royal Legacy, by the Quarter Horse stallion My Royal Lark.

You’ll need: Halter; lead rope; bathing kit (bucket; sponge; shampoo; conditioner; mane-and-tail treatment; rubber curry; sweat scraper); wash area; hose.

Before you begin: Prepare the bathing kit. Outfit your horse in the halter and lead rope, and lead him to the bathing area.

First, says Palm, work/exercise your horse, so he’ll be calmer during the bathing routine. Then cool him down. Make sure his nostrils are relaxed, which means he’s cool from the inside out.

Palm uses a wash stall, snapping just one side of the cross-tie at a time, on the opposite side from where she’s working. If you don’t have a wash stall or wash rack, find an enclosed area with a corner barrier. This will give you control while giving your horse confidence.

Allow the water to run in front of your horse before you spray him with water. This will get him used to the water’s sound and mentally prepare him for a bath.

As your horse accepts the water splashing in front of him (watch for a relaxed stance and lip-licking), apply water to his front legs. Praise him whenever he remains calm and accepts the bath.

Continue to bathe your horse, following the steps in this video tutorial. As you work around his head and poll, never get water in his ears. Always work slowly, and be sure to praise him as he accepts water on each new area. And don’t forget to give him a drink!

For complete DVDs describing Lynn Palm’s grooming techniques, visit www.lynnpalm.com.

Lynn Palm is the founder of Palm Partnership Training. She’s shown more than 34 Quarter Horse world and reserve world champions, competing in both English and Western disciplines. She’s won a record four American Quarter Horse Association Superhorse titles and was the first rider to win the prestigious Superhorse title twice on the same horse, Rugged Lark.

You may think that you control your horse with the bridle and bit, but that assumption is actually only partially true. After all, your horse’s “engine” and turning apparatus are in his hindquarters. Control the hindquarters and you control your horse.

Bit-and-bridle pressure simply cues your horse to go forward, whoa, turn, back, etc. It’s a way of communicating to your horse what you’d like for him to do. However, your seat and legs, when fine-tuned, also provide excellent cues. When your horse understands your seat and leg cues, he doesn’t necessarily need a bridle to be under your control.

Here, world champion trainer Lynn Palm, along with her husband, horseman Cyril Pittion-Rossillon demonstrate how you can begin teaching your horse to respond to your seat and leg cues only, so you can ride bridleless.

You’ll need: An experienced helper (to longe your horse while you ride and to provide feedback); a halter and longe line; a longe whip; a riding helmet; and your usual tack (including your bridle).

Before you begin: Outfit your horse in a saddle and bridle. Then apply a halter over the bridle. Attach the longe line to the halter’s side ring. Lead your horse to an enclosed arena with good footing. Put on your riding helmet, mount up, and ask your helper to move you and your horse out onto a wide circle on the longe line. Warm up for about 20 minutes, then follow the video tutorial.

Ride Without Reins
To learn to ride bridleless, you’ll first learn how to ride without the reins. This will teach you to “ride from the waist down,” says Palm. It’ll also refine your balance in the saddle.

On the longe line, you’ll drop your reins, and learn to use your seat and legs to cue and control your horse. You’ll do this as you perform upper-body balancing exercises at the walk, trot, posting trot, and lope or canter.

You’ll change direction so you’ll develop both sides evenly. (Change of direction also helps your horse develop both sides evenly, which helps to prevent muscle and joint soreness.)

After you’re comfortable dropping your reins on the longe line, your helper will detach the line, and you’ll perform the same steps. You’ll ask your helper to stay in the arena with you to provide feedback

and in case you need assistance.

At this stage, you’ll pick up the reins when needed to cue your horse.

Neck-Rope Cues
Next, you’ll learn how to use a neck rope and leg aids, along with the bridle, to teach your horse to respond to neck-rope cues. (Your horse will need to know how to neck rein with a bridle.) You’ll teach him to turn in both directions, stop, and back.

You’ll work the rein and the neck rope at the same time. You’ll start at the walk, then stop and back. (The stop-and-back cue will help you put on the brakes as you move on to the faster gaits without a bridle.)

You’ll then ask your horse for a turn on the forehand, a turn on the haunches, and a leg yield (a lateral move with some forward motion) in both directions. Finally, you’ll progress to an extended trot and the canter.

When your horse does well executing these maneuvers with both the bridle and neck rope, you’ll remove the bridle and repeat the maneuvers with just the neck rope. You’ll ask a helper to stay in the arena with you in case you need assistance.

For more on riding bridleless, visit www.lynnpalm.com, and order the "Bridleless Training" DVD.

Lynn Palm is the founder of Palm Partnership Training. She’s shown more than 34 Quarter Horse world and reserve world champions, competing in both English and Western disciplines. She’s won a record four American Quarter Horse Association Superhorse titles and was the first rider to win the prestigious Superhorse title twice on the same horse, Rugged Lark.

The new Ph.D. column covers a wide variety of topics important to the senior horse

owner, such as weight maintenance and proper body condition, , health concerns, and seasonal considerations for aging horses. In addition, live chats on the forum allow senior horse owners to ask Dr. Young questions and receive real-time answers.

“Today's horses are living longer lives, and proper nutrition plays a critical role. I’m excited to help other senior horse owners like myself in this role,” said Dr. Young.

Dr. Young has more than 40 years of experience in the horse industry as a rider, trainer and riding instructor. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Missouri State University and holds a doctorate in equine nutrition and exercise physiology from Texas A&M University. In her role as Manager of Equine Nutritional Services with Purina Animal Nutrition, Dr. Young develops and maintains horse feed formulas and standards and provides technical support to customers, sales representatives, dealers and veterinarians.

“We are excited to feature Dr. Young’s considerable expertise on the Purina^® Senior Horse Resource Center,” said Equine Network Group Publisher Dave Andrick. “Senior horses are a special part of the equine world, and we’re fortunate to be able to provide wonderful educational resources for the people who care for these horses in their golden years.”

Launched in 2011, the Purina^® Senior Horse Resource Center on EquiSearch.com is the online hub for senior horse owners. Rich with information about all aspects of senior horse care, the Resource Center is home to articles, videos, photo galleries and forums.

Visit the Purina^® Senior Horse Resource Center at ActiveStill.com.

About The Equine Network
The Equine Network provides, creates, and distributes relevant content and services to passionate horse enthusiasts while connecting them to each other and the marketplace. The Equine Network is the publisher of award-winning magazines: Horse&Rider, EQUUS, Dressage Today, The Trail Rider, Spin To Win Rodeo, American Cowboy, Practical Horseman, and Horse Journal. The Equine Network also publishes a proprietary line of books and DVDs for sale through its store, HorseBooksEtc.com. The Equine Network provides emergency roadside assistance to equestrians through its recent acquisition of USRider, and is home to several websites including: EquiSearch.com, Equine.com, MyHorseDaily.com, DiscoverHorses.com, AmericanCowboy.com, and Horse-Journal.com.
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About Purina Animal Nutrition
Purina Animal Nutrition LLC (www.purinamills.com) is a national organization serving producers, animal owners and their families through more than 4,700 local cooperatives, independent dealers and other large retailers throughout the United States. With an uncompromising commitment to animal excellence, Purina Animal Nutrition conducts industry-leading R&D initiatives that create and sustain North America's most valued portfolio of complete feeds, supplements, premixes, ingredients and specialty technologies for the livestock and lifestyle animal markets. Species served by Purina Animal Nutrition include both large animals — cattle, horses and swine —and small pets, including hamsters, gerbils and rabbits. Headquartered in Gray Summit, Mo., Purina Animal Nutrition LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Land O’Lakes, Inc.

Pulling the shoes of a horse headed to a major international event and doing barefoot dressage isn’t typically part of anyone’s training strategy, but Shannon Peters believed it could be successful for Ravel and Steffen Peters. Just a few months earlier she’d begun working with barefoot trimmer Sossity Gargiulo, who had undertaken a dramatic transformation of Shannon Peter’s own Grand Prix horse, Flor de Selva. The Westfalen gelding had suffered from soundness problems for two years.

Steffen was more skeptical. He wondered how he would keep Ravel in the condition needed to compete against the world’s top equine athletes in London. “I had no personal experience with this,” he says, “but seeing that Shannon had success gave me the confidence to try it.”

Fortunately, a new generation of hoof boots enables newly barefoot horses to maintain their training routines, says Gargiulo. “The shoes can come off and the horse can be ridden the same day.” For Ravel, that meant a pair of Easyboot Gloves for his front feet (he remained shod behind) that were put on prior to training sessions and removed afterward. The gloves have a tough rubber

tread and a neoprene gaiter that fastens around the pastern, protecting the hoof while allowing it to expand and contract and adjust to the ground below. Using heat, Gargiulo and her husband, Mario, are able to fit the boots to each horse’s hoof.