25/08/2025
The goal… Lift through the withers and a forwards reach out from the base of the neck into the contact with an open throat-latch.
Horses that are held behind the vertical, particularly for long periods of time and extreme versions such as rollkur have a lot of pressure put on their muscular skeletal system.
Within the neck alone 2 common injuries are arthritis, predominantly in C6 & C7 and also broken neck syndrome - where the nuchal ligament near C2/3 is continuously over stretched and in turn becomes weak and lengthened making it difficult for it to support the weight of the head and neck placing more strain on the muscles.
It’s no easy feat achieving true self carriage especially with a tired/young/inexperienced horse who may try to sit behind the vertical. This is why training should be taken slowly and shorter sessions with regular breaks shouldn’t be over looked after all… could you hold a plank with perfect form, whilst carrying 15% of your body weight for 45 minutes, that’s without adding any movement 😉
But also don’t beat yourself up or judge others if we’re not nailing it, it’s hard, no one’s perfect and we are all learning. So long as we are trying our best, can’t ask more than that!
