Troy Brandenburg stretching Roanie
Is your horse trying to tell you that something is beginning to go wrong? Is something bothering your horse? Changes in your horse’s normal behavior can be an indicator of the beginning of something amiss. Hence, one of the best things you can do for your horse is to get to know him. By that I mean get to watch his habits – his eating, drinking, & his general demeanor. Take notice of any subtle changes in his behavior. Notice if he is not eating or drinking as what would be normal for him. Notice if he is just standing in the corner of the stall. Even take notice of any small difference in how your horse rides. If he usually rides relaxed and all of a sudden he is on the muscle, this can be an indicator of something beginning to be wrong.
When you’re brushing your horse, look for differences in the hair. If you see tufts of hair standing up or hair turned back against the grain particularly in the saddle area, this is an indicator of something happening there.
Watch your horse moving at a trot, there should be a nice fluid stride. Take notice. Are the hocks lifting at the same height? Are the knees extending forward the same distance? If not, this could be an indicator that something is going on.
Take notice of how your horse places his feet. The hind feet should track over where his front feed land. Let me simplify that statement. Watch your horse’s hoof prints in the dirt. The hind foot print should land in proximity of the front hoof print. If one foot is not tracking the same distance as the other, you can figure that there is a restriction of the foot that is not tracking through.
If you walk your horse in a tight forward circle, the inside hind leg should be able to cross over the outside leg. If not, this may be an indicator that something is going on with the SI joint. Likewise if you pick up a hind foot and the horse leans away from you or cannot stand square, you may have an indication that something is wrong around the SI joint.
I know that this is just a few key elements to watch for. I could really continue on. But the real point that I am trying to convey is… If you take a few minutes each day to actually observe your horse & get to know his Normal behavior, you could eliminate a lot of anguish & head scratching. Truth be told, our horses try to let us know that things are not quite right before we have a potentially catastrophic issue. Really, it is just learning to hear – what he is trying to say.
For more information on Troy Brandenburg and Brandenburg Equine Therapy click here
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