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This article looks at the common area of stiffness in the back and hind limb. It includes signs to watch out for and simple home exercises to improve your horse's flexibility.

© Kate Sagar

By Kate Sagar B. App. Sci. (Physio) M. Anim. St. (Physio)

THE BACK AND HIND LIMB This article looks at the common area of stiffness in the back and hind limb. It includes signs to watch out for and simple home exercises to improve your horses’ flexibility.

THE BACK In the perfect world our horses would be soft and flexible both laterally and upwardly (as in rounding), but unfortunately this is often not the case. Most horses find it easier to do one or the other, if they round easily they are often stiff laterally and vice versa. This is not entirely their fault either; to some extent the anatomy and biomechanics of the back are to blame. If your horse finds it easy to round, he will do all he can to please you and often over round his back. When the back is excessively rounded it actually becomes stiffer or locked, with respect to lateral bend. Conversely if your horse finds it easy to bend laterally, he can be a bit like a snake to ride, using this as an evasion. When the back is excessively bent laterally it then becomes stiffer to round up. The third scenario is the horse with the roached back, which is round before you even start, but can not come back to a hollow position. Although a hollow backed horse is not desirable, it is important that the back has flexibility in both directions (what goes up, must come down!). These horses are difficult because they have a false sense of roundness and can be very stiff laterally. The overall amount of mobility up/down and side to side in the horse’s back is also relatively small, so it is very subtle amounts of stiffness that we are looking for. Often you will not be aware of stiffness until you fix it and can then FEEL the difference.

LATERAL BEND OF THE BACK

(Note most of the movement occurs at the mid to lower thoracic vertebrae or under the back of the saddle.)

HOME EXERCISE:

This is difficult, but if you ask for an exaggerated side bend of the neck with a carrot but stand further back (about at the saddle), then let the horse make a lunge for the carrot, which will incorporate some back lateral flexion as well as neck bend. (Or teach him to scratch his ear with his hind hoof, which creates the perfect bend.)

ROUNDING OF THE BACK AND PELVIS (TOP) and FLATTENING OF THE BACK AND PELVIS

When we talk of rounding the back, a small amount of movement takes place throughout the back, which has a cumulative effect of raising the back; however the largest amount of flexion occurs between the back and pelvis as seen above. In older horses this joint can get stiff and arthritic, as a result of years of wear and tear (because so much movement occurs here). Other horses, such as some western cutting horses, also over use this region, which may in turn lead to premature stiffness and arthritis.

HOME EXERCISE:

Walking the horse backwards is an excellent way of mobilising this area. Simple rounding reflex exercises can also be achieved by running your nails down from the side of the rump to the poverty line (as seen in the picture).

THE HIND LIMB The stifle is the most common joint to get stiff in the hind limb, which often occurs in older horses. Horses with very straight stifle conformation may also be prone to stiffness and lack of movement in this area. The mechanics of the hind limb are such that if the stifle flexes, so must the hock and if the stifle straightens, then the entire leg straightens, which makes it difficult to assess where the stiffness is coming from. However the stifle is usually the problem.

HIND LIMB FLEXION The picture right shows the stifle and hip flexing normally, and the picture below shows how reducing the stifle flexion leads to less total flexion of the limb.

HOME EXERCISE:

Simply bending the leg up and down (about ten times) before and after work can be very effective in reducing stiffness of the stifle.

NOTE: Although most exercises are simple and safe, it is recommended that you consult a physiotherapist before attempting them at home. Incorrect technique or pre existing injury may lead to problems!

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