What's Your Discipline?
General Problem Areas in Relation to Discipline
Due to the different types of conformation, the various breeds of horses are structurally better suited to perform in certain disciplines. For example, the breeds listed below excel in specific sports or disciplines:
- Appaloosas and Paints: endurance, eventing, western performance.
- Arabians: show under saddle, endurance.
- Ponies: hunter, jumpers, driving, mounted games
- Quarter Horses: western performance, hunter, jumper, racing.
- Saddlebreds: show under saddle, driving.
- Thoroughbreds: dressage, hunter, jumper, eventing, racing.
- Warmbloods: dressage, hunter, jumper, eventing.
Each discipline or sport demands the best of the horse’s physical capabilities. Stress points can develop at any time and anywhere in the body. Specific activities definitely trigger the development of particular stress sites, especially if the horse’s confirmation is not ideal for the work that it is being asked to perform.
Dressage Horses - The entire body of a dressage horse is put under a great deal of stress due to such precise movements. The demand is high for performance. The main areas experiencing the strain are the back, hips, stifles and hocks, hind quarters, shoulders and lower legs. Collection can make the horse tense in the jaw area and develop stress points in the neck.
Draft Horses - Tension build-up is evident in the neck, chest, hind quarters and often the shoulders and legs.
Endurance Horses – Tying up, which is a mild form of Azoturia, where the muscles are hard, the urine is discolored and the horse will resist movement. This is very common in poorly conditioned endurance horses and is often referred to as: Endurance-Related Myopathy. After work, profuse sweating, increased heart and respiratory rates, fever, muscle stiffness, and muscle spasms are the most common symptoms and it is sometimes difficult to distinguish “tying-up” from colic. The tension of the muscles is mainly through the back.
Eventing Horses – All muscle groups incur a good deal of stress, so inflammation and cramping is common. Proper conditioning is imperative to avoid strains, stress, sprains, inflammation and other injuries due to poor condition.
Flat Racing Horses – This is most commonly the thoroughbred breed of horses, due to their conformation. Signs of stress or discomfort will be evident in the muscles and tendons in the neck, chest, back and hind quarters and show the most problems due to the quick starts out of the gate. Also, because of the intensity of the race, lactic acid build-up and occasional inflammation may be found in overworked muscles.
Gaited Horses – Muscles of the neck, shoulders, forelegs, abdomen and stifle are areas of discomfort or stress.
Harness Racing Horses – Most commonly trotters and pacers, these horses develop tension in the hind quarters, back, neck and jaw and in some cases the chest. Because of the repetitive nature of the gaits that trotters and pacers perform, they may experience inflammation throughout their bodies.
Hunters – Running across uneven, sometimes rough terrain puts stress on the legs of the horse and jumping puts stress on the chest, forelimbs and entire back. During take-off, the hind quarters experience the highest level of stress.
Jumpers – During the take-off stage a lot of stain is put on the flexors, extensor muscles, tendons and ligaments of the hindquarters. Landing puts strain on the flexor muscles, tendons and ligaments of the foreleg, the entire shoulder, chest muscles and entire back. The impact of landing causes neck tension. Slippery footing may cause a tendon strain. Ground that is very soft or deep makes it difficult for a horse to pick up his feet which could result in a ligament sprain when the joint is required to stretch beyond its regular range of motion.
Pleasure Horses – The problem areas in pleasure horses are very similar to those of school horses, other stresses may occur due to the specific discipline and more difficult training.
Polo Ponies – Strains and bowed tendons are common due to the stress of the ligaments and muscle groups of the legs.
School Horses - Due to the nature of their activity, school horses will most often show neck and back problems in response to stress caused by inexperienced riders. Often older school horses show arthritic pain and gentle massage around the arthritic joint will give relief.
Steeplechase Horses – Running and jumping will cause tension in the muscles of the back, chest, shoulders and hind quarters.
Western Performance Horses – Due to quick starts and stops along with directional changes, stress and discomfort may evolve in the hind quarters, neck and shoulders. There is also a great deal of stress on the tendons and ligaments in the lower legs.