Horses 101, October article (continued from September)

Are You Creating a Sway-backed Horse? Part II

Last month we discussed the first two reasons that can be causes for sway-back in horses: poor riding habits, and a bad fitting saddle. This month we will consider the two remaining reasons that you, as a horse owner, can prevent.

Riding bareback: Riding bareback repeatedly will cause the horse to dip away from pressure. If you don’t think that your unprotected seat bones may cause pain, try getting down on your hands and knees and have a large person point two fingers into your mid-back area and hold them there.  You will quickly find yourself dipping your spine to avoid the pain in your back.

Rider too heavy for the horse’s size or conformation: Many knowledgeable horse people, experts in their field, have often said that a horse should really carry no more than 20% of its weight. If you are a really good rider (with a good saddle) and not doing high mountain work, maybe 25%. If your horse has an unusually long back, this amount of weight needs to be reduced dramatically. Long backed horses are especially prone to sway-backs. Long-backs are when the back portion is longer than the hip area in inches. See Deb Bennets Secrets of Conformation for details on this. Even too much weight on a horse’s back just one time can set the stage for future sway back problems. If your horse has a long back it is essential to make sure your saddle has plenty of skirt distributing your weight evenly over the horse’s back. I know light weight saddle’s are appealing to use because they are easier to saddle and unsaddle the horse is really paying the price in pain now and even more so in the future. Ask yourself how far you can hike in a cheap pair of sandals.

Obesity in a horse, like in humans, where excessive weight is carried in the stomach and can lead to back pain problems. You are not doing your horse any favors letting it carry that extra weight, even if you don’t ride him.

One of the best ways to help a horse reverse some of its sway back problems, depending on how old the horse is and how long the problem has persisted, is to ride the horse in collection, or on the bit, or in frame. This asks the horse to lift its back up using it’s stomach muscles. Riding consistently in this manner can and has saved many of horses from being unusable because of pain. In addition, it helps the rider’s back, because it makes the rider use his or her stomach muscles, helping to prevent lower back pain. It’s a win-win situation.

So riders, let’s think about the long term health of our horses in every way possible. It helps to make the horse come running to you when you go out with the halter, looking forward to a session of fun exercise, instead of running from you in anticipation of unending pain.

Darleen Finnigan, CHA ARIA, specializing in teaching adult beginners at Saddle Soar Ranch, Inc. for 11 years.  253 927-6899,  www.saddlesoarranch.com