Ever since you joined the pony club, you’ve been hearing about your horse’s back. But do you know why strengthening a horse’s back is so important? A horse’s spine can be thought of as a bridge. It’s a series of vertebrae spaced a few millimeters apart, supported by two “pillars”—the forelimbs and the hindlimbs. The main muscle of the back is the latissimus dorsi, located on either side of the vertebrae.

This is a locomotive muscle, not a weight-bearing one. Since horses lack a clavicle, their entire dorsal structure is relatively weak.

Horses are not naturally built to support a rider’s weight on their backs. The back muscles are a critical area—extremely fragile and heavily stressed in sport horses. Proper conditioning is therefore essential if we wish to preserve their health and make the most of their physical and mental potential. It is thanks to the proper functioning and tone of the topline that the horse will be able to support the saddle and the rider’s weight. It will also be able to propel itself with power to walk, trot, gallop, turn, jump, and more…

When you mount, your weight presses down on your horse’s back and causes it to hollow. Over time, this can cause your horse pain. Poor rider posture, an ill-fitting saddle, or improperly managed work can also exacerbate this pain. The rider must quickly address even the slightest weakness or stiffness in the horse’s topline. By teaching your horse to keep its topline taut, engage its back, and contract its abdominal muscles while carrying you, you improve its comfort.

1. Focus on the consequences of an ill-fitting saddle

The saddle helps distribute the rider’s weight across the horse’s back and absorb shocks. Having a saddle that fits your horse’s body type is crucial to avoid impairing its movement and injuring its topline. Imagine going for a jog in shoes that are too small or too big. Every step would likely be painful. It’s the same for your horse. The same saddle cannot be suitable for Tornado, the big club pony with a short back, and Venus, the delicate Thoroughbred mare with a long, arched back.

Physically speaking, an ill-fitting saddle leads to repeated pressure points. This results in poor blood flow to the affected area and atrophy of the back muscles. Over time, these consequences can also affect your horse’s performance—such as reluctance to bend, change gaits, or respond to the bit…

It is important to note that the way you saddle your horse can also affect the back muscles, even with a properly fitted saddle. Far too many riders position their saddle either on the shoulders or on the withers, thereby restricting their movement. Since the back muscles are hindered by the rider’s weight, the horse’s movement is then impeded by a lack of impulsion.

2. How can you strengthen your back?

During the training session, your horse’s back flexes continuously, and its topline changes depending on the degree of collection, the degree of bending, and the height of the head carriage. The most important factor for proper back function is freedom of the neck.

Here are a few exercises to strengthen your horse’s back. First and foremost, it’s important to know that the trot is the ideal gait for this. Additionally, to relieve the strain on your horse’s back, it’s best to work in a raised trot.

➢ Exercise to lengthen the neck

Exercises to lengthen the neck, particularly during the horse’s warm-up, are often recommended. The goal is to have the horse work with its neck extended (rather than rounded) and its muzzle held vertically, gradually bringing the muzzle to a height of 30 cm above the ground.

This exercise helps stretch the line from the tip of the nose to the tail and round out the back. In this position, the horse will be able to build muscle and release tension accumulated along its spine. The stretching exercise can be performed on the lunge or under saddle, always ensuring that the work is done symmetrically.

It’s worth noting that when working a horse from the bottom up, it’s not the back that’s engaged first, but the abdominal muscles. They are what help the back maintain its posture and then strengthen. These are known as antagonist muscles. Just as with humans, to have a strong back, you need strong abdominal muscles.

➢ Curvature Work

Bending work is a good way to engage the horse’s hindquarters laterally. From a purely theoretical standpoint, bending involves flexing the head-to-tail axis around the leg. Proper bending helps engage the inside hind leg, thereby building muscle and flexibility in the horse—but only on one side. It is therefore important to balance the work on both sides to develop harmonious musculature. The quintessential arena exercise for working on bending remains the circle. Serpentines, figure eights, and half-turns will also be your best allies.

➢ Work on a cavaletti course

The provisionsCialis cavaletti are useful for working the entire topline. They also allow you to work on engagement during the drive. As with other exercises, the most important part is the work at a trot. Canter work is less beneficial but can be useful for certain show jumpers. Start with two or three cavaletti, and you can eventually work your way up to six. The course should be set up in a way that minimizes rider intervention, allowing the horse as much freedom of movement as possible.

See you soon for a new article,

The Seaver team