physiology

Question
QUESTION: Hello,
I own a 9 yr. old exracehorse mare TB. I'm not sure why, or if it even comes from her racing years, but she is long in her back and it doesn't look normal. Her back seems to look choppy and not straight. Its odd. I recently started to jump her, and after a workout, her back goes from choppy to straight. Could this be from structure or or how hard they rode her in her racing years?

ANSWER: Probably the back has nothing to do with actual racing. Race horses are in the best muscular skeletal heath and fitness from that kind of training. Plus, the weight of the rider and the fact that we don't actually spend much time actually sitting on the saddle. Usually we are riding off our feet and knees. These days, race horses are not really trained as hard as they should be, since most people are afraid to hurt them. Most injuries come from not training a horse properly or enough for the actual racing.
If your horse's back is not sore then she should be fine. I would have to actually see the horse's back to make a better assessment. It sounds like it may be a muscular issue. Maybe after the muscles warm up, they are more relaxed. If your mare's back is actually bothering her then I recommend having an equine chiropractor and acupuncturist look at her. I use them often on the race horses for working out stiffness and sore backs. Sore backs can come from improper riding or flipping over. The spine is a horse is very different from ours. They are locked together and do not become misaligned like a human spine. It may just be how she had always been or just tight muscles in those areas.

Christopher Crocker

www.CrockerRacingStable.com

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you! I was wondering if you would like to see pictures of her. Her does not seem sore when I ride her (she actually wants to run and be a racehorse!). I have pressed in some areas near the spine and she does not "dip in" at all. I think she might have a so called "hunters bump because her spine disappears after the loin.

 Jamielyn

Answer
Great. Send them to [email protected]. I have had two horses that have the same sort of back, that I think you are describing. One of them won this past Tuesday, July 1st (Running Gear). The other (City Avenger) ran second last fall for me. Both pretty fast.

Christopher Crocker

http://CrockerRacingStable.com