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Based on the information in my last blog, Equine Insights: How the Equine Shoulders Affect Performance, it’s obvious that the thoracic sling is an important component in the quest for collection. Lifting the withers by activating the sling is the first stage in achieving the uphill posture and balance required for self-carriage.Regardless of whether a horse is conformed with high withers or a high croup, learning to activate the thoracic sling muscles will improve posture. I’ll describ …

In this blog, I will describe the horse’s chest and shoulder region focusing on how they differ from our own and the implications this has for locomotion and performance.Locomotion is defined for humans.People are bipedal – we walk on two legs with our bodies in an upright posture. During the transition to bipedal locomotion, the forelimbs evolved into arms and hands with opposable thumbs enabling us to perform tasks that require dexterity and fine motor coordination. We don’t use our ar …

Have you ever asked yourself, “how do I properly sit on my horse?”Today we’ll look at where we sit on the horse’s back and how the horse’s conformation affects our leg position.In previous blogs, I’ve explained how the vertebrae are joined together to form a bridge connecting the forelimbs and hind limbs that transmits forces and coordinates movements during locomotion. The vertebral column also forms part of the ribcage that protects the internal organs. The ribcage consists of the v …