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Any form of
jumping is going to put the horse at a greater risk of injury than
doing flatwork. Considering the delicate limbs of the
horse it is surprising they do not sustain worse injuries when asked
to propel themselves over fences, of sometimes excessive heights,
with the additional weight of saddle and rider to land on just one
forelimb on the opposite side. (Surprisingly, research using forceplates
has shown that a jumping horse actually exerts more force on one
foreleg on takeoff)
The most important quality of a good show jumper
is a horse that lifts its front legs from the shoulders, so enabling
it to clear the fences
well. Any restriction in forelimb movement can be related to tightness
in the trapezius muscle supporting the shoulder blades, so preventing
full contraction to lift the forelegs clear. The muscles of the
shoulder extend as the lattissimus dorsi muscle along the whole length
of the
spine and, consequently restriction in the shoulder will have a
direct effect on the vertebrae underneath the saddle region, and the
ability
of the horse to bascule or round himself over his fences.
The horse
is also greatly affected by the compensatory actions developed due
to sharp teeth or bitting problems, which can cause the horse
to raise its head in the air to evade the pain. Similarly, discomfort
in the back region will be emphasised with the weight of saddle
and rider, causing the horse to work with a hollow back in an
attempt to get away from the pain. A hollow back will automatically
lead
to
a raised head and a lack of engagement of the hindlegs underneath
the body to jump fences. Consequently, both these ways of going
will affect the horse making distances between combination fences,
and
judging distances very difficult.
Chiropractically, these horses would benefit from treatment to
release muscle tension related to the shoulder through the spine
to the
pelvis.
As with other disciplines, problems with badly fitting
tack and an unbalanced rider will add to musculoskeletal problems
in the
horse.
The jumping saddle is designed with forward knee rolls, which
aid the rider to maintain a good jumping position. The saddle
however,
is often placed too far forward on the horse, so it is sitting
on top of the wither and due to its own design will cause restriction
in the shoulder movement. The conformation of the horse will obviously
determine the saddle fit. Show jumpers will often be seen in martingales
to prevent the head from being held too high and so restricting
the use of vision to judge distances between fences.
The rider
will adopt a more forward riding position with shorter stirrups
than for flatwork, which has the effect of directing
their whole weight
towards the withers and, over the forelegs of the horse. Bearing
in mind 60% of the horse's own weight is on the forehand, it
requires extra balancing on the part of the horse and again, causes
stress
around the shoulder and wither muscles. If a rider is suffering
back
pain he will undoubtedly be compensating for this in his riding
position and transferring his problem down through the horse's
movement.
Falls over fences, half falls or slipping on mud
while cornering will usually cause misalignment of the pelvis in the
hindquarters
of the
horse, resulting in tightness behind the saddle. The neck
and wither region may also be affected by these traumas to varying
degrees,
and Chiropractic should be used
soon after the accident has occurred to get the best results
in realigning
the skeletal frame and releasing muscle spasm.
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