Bucking, Rearing & Refusing: Recognizing Topline Issues

This video is a snippet of the full-length training video. Please click here to join and view https://www.taoofhorsemanship.com/video-library A horse with a weak, underdeveloped topline cannot perform at it's best, causing many of the riding behavioral issues we often face such as bucking, kicking out, rearing, refusing to do x, y and z under saddle such as lateral movement and lead changes, not to mention not standing still being mounted. Many factors can contribute to a weak topline: improper training, improper saddle fitting, bad riding, stall rest, injury, arthritis, kissing spines, poor nutrition, and hoof imbalance. It’s important that we learn to recognize the signs sooner than later. Two of the most common, but not always recognized, are: - Sunken, or underdeveloped, topline - Kyphosis or Roach back I am going to spend most of our time talking about Kyphosis or roach back. This is a common issue found more in OTTB’s, eventing horses, barrel racers and jumpers. Basically, Thoroughbreds that are raced then change careers and become professional eventing horses or jumpers. It’s an area that is rarely recognized or understood and one that causes so many lameness and behavioral issues, as well permanent damage to the spine such as kissing spine. So, what is roach back? I offer a few illustrations and pictures in this video. I will also show you Joey, one of my OTTB’s, who has suffered roach back from his racing career. Roach backs are caused by excessive flexion of the lumbar spine and sometimes the thoracic spine. They can be congenital (genetic) or functional (caused by musculoskeletal dysfunction). Historically, there is little we can do for congenital roach backs but there is a huge amount we can do for functional roach backs. Scoliosis (lateral spinal curvature) in humans is a good example of a condition that can be congenital, pathological or functional and is similar to Kyphosis or Roach back. In horses, and ourselves, the lumbar spine is a vulnerable region. The lumbar spine, in walk and canter, should function like a spring. It compresses and lengthens when it’s functioning biomechanically correctly. If there is an issue within the lumbar spine itself (such as lumbosacral joint restriction) or an issue that causes the lumbar spine to protect itself by remaining in flexion, the spring action of the lumbar spine decreases or stops completely. As discussed above, a roached back may be congenital but more often is a functional adaptation of the lumbar spine by the horse to cope with a number of factors including poor saddle fit, injury from slips/trips/falls, incorrect hoofcare, compensating for pain in another area of the body, compromised core muscle strength or inappropriate riding or training. If the lumbar spine does not flex when ridden, the hindquarters cannot engage. If this is the case then the muscles of this area become strained and inflexible thus leading to stiffness and a roached spine appearance. This is not to be confused with a horse who has a underdeveloped or atrophied topline - in horses where this is the case, the spinous processes of the lumbar spine will appear more prominent and there is often dip between the lumbosacral junction and the sacroiliac joints. This makes the spine look roached, but it’s not. Prevention of lumbar dysfunction also includes a correctly structured training and strengthening program (especially for the core muscles which play a huge role in stabilizing the lumbar spine). I offer a complete strengthening and suppling program in my work – one that also includes straightness and balance training. You can also include pole and grid work, just know that it’s unnecessary when you are teaching your horse to stretch longitudinally. The stronger and more biomechanically correct your horse is, the less likely it is to get into dysfunctional patterns in the first place (apart from when the mechanism of injury is traumatic - crash/fall ect). As mentioned above, I cannot stress how important correct hoof care is, not only for the health of the hooves but for the whole musculoskeletal system. The hooves influence the horses posture and biomechanics and nothing we do as osteopaths/bodyworkers will ever work as a long term solution if the hooves are not correct. If you would like to learn how to develop your horse holistically: emotionally, mentally and physically, I offer a step-by-step guide in both my Spirituality of Horsemanship Course and MasteryMembership Program. Please click here for details www.taoofhorsemanship.com