If you want to understand what this is all about, please refer to the “About Emma” page. This will let you know the brief (believe it or not) overview.
This past monday morning I woke up after spending four days watching and listening to Dr. Gerd Heuschmann speak about biomechanics in the horse. I woke up tired. Normally, I don’t have any trouble at all falling asleep, but each night after the clinic, there was so much information spinning through my head that I found myself awake waaaay past my bedtime. So, exhausted but inspired, I headed off to work Monday morning. I returned home that evening with a plan in mind.
Let me preface The Plan by describing my current concerns about Emma:
- At the trot to the left, she has a subtle limp, Left Fore
- She tends to carry her hind quarters to the left (I assume to support the LF – this may be purely habit)
- At the canter, free in the field, she seems perfectly happy to cross-canter, either direction
- Left shoulder blade is higher than the right
- Left hoof is “clubby”
- LF suspensory has had mild damage (several years ago)
- The LF forearm is significantly smaller than the RF
It’s probably safe to say that there’s significant opportunity for breakdown to occur if this is handled poorly. But part of what was so cool about the weekend was that Dr. Heuschmann demonstrated some cases of rein lameness. I have to say, I think “Rein Lameness” can be a misnomer, because it implies bad riding and sets off all kinds of defensive alarm bells in the heads of riders and trainers. Sure, sometimes it is bad riding. However, in some cases I think it can be a kind of leftover pain. I know that horses don’t necessarily limp because they remember that they should (like a person would do). We’ve all seen cases where a horse has foot pain, the veterinarian performs a nerve block and the horse is off and jogging sound as a dollar (can I still say that?). I think, though, that I would like to compare the non-bad-riding related rein lameness to the situation where you’ve hurt your foot, so you walk funny, and before you know it your knee hurts, or your hip, or your back. Eventually, the foot pain is gone, but you’re still lame because your back is screwed up. I had also previously associated rein lameness with a gait abnormality that only appeared when a rider was in the saddle. I didn’t realize that it would carry over to a horse out on his own.
To continue: Dr. Heuschmann ( I am going to start calling him Gerd, no disrespect intended, but “Heuschmann” is too prone to typos), Gerd worked with these rein lame horses, being very particular about their movement, for 30 to 40 minutes and improved them significantly. I mean IMpresssive. These horses were sore enough that I would have sent them once around on the line and put them up. No way I would have worked them. Which brings me to another point: please don’t get the idea that I advocate the “Just work them through it” philosophy. If a horse comes up acutely lame, he needs to be checked out. Abscess, fracture, soft tissue injury, etc – these are not to be messed with. The rein lame horses I saw at Gerd’s clinic had been checked and rechecked by farriers and veterinarians. He says, “This is the kind of lameness that will make a vet crazy.” He ought to know, he is one.
I should also note that Gerd’s approach (the principles of classical dressage, but sometimes applied in ways with which I was not familiar) made some other concepts that I have struggled with fall into place. I will probably have friends reading this who say, “Knot-head, I have been telling you that for years.” You know who you are. Lana . She might not use the term “Knot-head.”
The Plan: back to Monday… I came home and measured & documented what I could. I have pictures and notes. Hoof angles, forearm measurements & wither tracings. I am hoping that I can get Emma straightened out and loosened up so she can start to build back her muscle symmetry.
My Goal: It’d be really cool if Emma could be a jumper someday. When she was a yearling, she jumped a 4′ fence and a water tank in order to go visit Mom & Uncle Frank in the neighboring pasture. I think she has the physical capability and the mental tenacity to be very good at it. That being said, if jumping turns out to be more than she is physically capable of… well, trails are awesome, too.
I know, Lana. Years.