How to help your horse kiss ‘Kissing Spine’ goodbye
Visconte
Simon Cocozza suggests a ridden method to strengthen your horse’s core
muscles to improve gaits, engagement and alleviate Spinal Crowding
Syndrome – otherwise known as Kissing Spine or Dorsal Spinous Process.
The pursuit of mental and physical harmony with our horses has to be
the ultimate riding goal. That is where the magic happens. Our
traditional training methods aim to build a horse’s muscles,
reactions and fitness to power him when jumping over things, galloping
fast or performing impressive dressage movements. There are, though, key
muscles deep within our horses that can remain weak in even very fit
horses making it impossible for them to work with core fluidity, leading
to self-restraint and in some cases, pain.
A clue to the origin of a disconnected ride are the symptoms we
encounter when we are aboard. Over the years it has become obvious that
whatever the build, breed, discipline or even history, the same groups
of resistances are experienced by most horses and their riders, only
intensity varies. Bad backs are often disguised as schooling issues
until they become severe enough to easily identify.
Core weakness shows itself initially with a heavy, one-sided contact
amongst other all too familiar resistances, and can indicate the onset
of ‘Spinal Crowding Syndrome’ (SCS), which is extremely common and
overlooked. Unfortunately if not addressed it can ultimately lead to a
‘Kissing Spine’. ‘Core Correction’ is a ridden system of Yoga for
horses. By precisely targeting, reversing then
strengthening this inherent weakness under the guidance of the rider,
the pair can together develop a permanent understanding of what improved
self carriage feels like and what to do about it.
The horse’s spine without the rider’s weight. The proximity of the processes is naturally very close.
What is Spinal crowding syndrome?
Spinal Crowding Syndrome is a precise term for the complications of a
hollow back, and can be slight to severe. Evolution has perfected the
horse’s skeleton over millions of years to make him/her a great mover,
but it did not make the horse’s back naturally strong enough to carry a
human, however big and strong they appear.
The horse’s natural reaction to the rider’s weight.
When a young horse first carries a rider, the new weight placed over
the middle of his spinal column causes it to slump, or dip slightly.
This is of course invisible to the eye due to the presence of a saddle.
This closes the already narrow gaps between the vertical spinous
processes of the thoracic vertebrae. As his work progresses into trot
and canter he can begin to feel discomfort as the nerves running between
the processes risk becoming rubbed and if not corrected, pinched.
To limit discomfort as training becomes more demanding, the horse
will instinctively tense his back muscles and ‘lock’ the area, to limit
the rubbing action. As horses are creatures of habit, once this defence
begins it is likely to continue and he loses the natural flexible
qualities of his spine that are key to the elastic connection of his
large body sections.
Natural gap between processes.
Narrowed gap of a slightly dipped back.
As he is asked to perform more trot and canter work he responds as
best he can by using his limbs instead of his whole body, deliberately
avoiding bending through the spine by triangulating the gait and
swinging the quarters to the inside. It is for this reason so many
well-bred horses are uncomfortable, never seem to fulfill their actual
potential irrespective to their level of fitness, and why most horses
move well in the field yet lose their natural cadence under saddle.
The weak link
There is a complex system of muscles that run under the spine called
the Multifidus System. These are the body’s ‘core’ muscles and need to
be strong and short to counteract spinal dipping and keep the gaps
between the processes open when carrying the rider.
Simply asking the horse for more forward effort in an effort to
engage the quarters will not build the Multifidus system, particularly
if the spine has learned already to dip as the horse is working
against himself.
In fact, more impulsion worsens the problem.
Left, a weak Multifidus the allows spine to dip; while at right, a strong Multifidus keeps the spine flat.
When our horses become more mature and we ask for work in a more
advanced outline, the muscles over the spine can become very tense as
they further attempt to defend the spine from the
potentially uncomfortable twisting of an active gait, while the
increased impulsion and muscular tension creates a critical counter
force leading to further compressions of the processes. Some horses
stabilise and learn to work like this, by becoming sufficiently supple
in the limb joints, although their gaits will be incurably crooked,
one-sided and limited. In some cases horses experiencing this syndrome
develop very tense back muscles leading to severe behavioral and riding
resistances. At that stage it has possibly become a ‘kissing spine’
where the vertebrae have become kinked by the strong Longissimus Dorsi
muscles in spasm, where the processes are touching and crushing the
nerve.
An example of 4 separate kissing processes.
A secondary effect of the spine losing elasticity is that kinetic
force is thrown forwards towards the shoulders as it can no longer be
absorbed through the horse’s centre. This pushes the lowest part of
the cervical section of his spine, the base of the neck, downwards
between his shoulder blades and robbing him of forehand ‘suspension’,
plunging him downhill, onto the forehand and heavily into the rider’s
hand making straightness and balance physically impossible.
It is likely that advanced cases may have spinal interference in the
C6, C7, T1 which contribute to the bracing resistance found in the rein
contact of affected horses.
The spine carried low between the shoulder blades.
How to tell if a horse has spinal crowding
In motion our bodies are just a biological mechanism, a machine for
moving around. As with any machine, the angles that forces travel must
be carefully aligned. A car with a flat tyre will pull heavily to one
side, for example. Any mechanical misalignment will wear parts quickly
due to the excess strain put upon them. When the horses spine, or
‘chassis’ is misaligned, all the subtle dynamics of limb flight and
joint trajectories are thrown out of line causing all sorts of
imbalances, restrictions and
excesses. As difficult as it is for the horse to do as asked under these
circumstances, things are almost as awkward the rider who is severely
jiggled about or even downright ejected, unable to ride in a soft, light
way and therefore reinforcing the horse’s tension.
Our aids then become impossible for the horse to understand creating a
vicious circle of defensive tension that is tricky to break.
As horses are generous and silent triers they don’t yelp in pain like
people or other pets, making the initial signs of spinal crowding hard
to notice. The signs are often seen as individual problems with no
common cause, but they do have telltale predictability.
As spinal crowding symptoms come in groups, we can start by giving
each horse a ‘Core score’. If we were to ride a horse and score his way
of going on a scale of 0 to 5, where a 0 is a faultless, free and strong
spine and a 5 score is a painful kissing spine, here is a table of
symptoms as a guide.
Secondary effects
As with a tyre when cornering, lateral force distorts growth of the pliable hoof.
When any machine has dynamic misalignments, individual parts will be
asked to support a different kind of strain than that for which they
were designed. Unfortunately the secondary effects of spinal crowding
will show excessive strain in the area most used by the horse to
compensate for avoiding his back correctly, and this often appears in
the limbs as a seemingly unrelated problem.
Hoof flares are a good example. The ‘sway’ of hoof growth on one side
of the foot shows a repetitive lateral slide of that limb, like a car
tyre under cornering.
The presence of forces from a direction which the limb was not
designed can form all manner of reaction over time. Bony growths, joint
swellings, self interference and excessive wear show that a
body part has endured excessive repetitive strain. By correcting the
horse’s core strength, these ailments and injuries tend to diminish,
heal or disappear altogether.
Core Correction – What can you do
If we want our horses to dance, we must train them as we do a human
athlete. Continuous analysis of human training methods has us
concentrate upon core suppleness and strength before adding power and
speed. With human athletes we discovered long ago that the core must be
in excellent condition or peak, painless performance will never be
achieved. Due to the presence of spinal processes in the horse added to
the fact that he has to carry a rider, the condition of a horse’s spinal
supporting mechanism even even more critical.
If a Grand Prix Dressage performance is comparable to a Ballet then
it is obvious that the traditional practice of a walk, trot and canter
on a loose rein both ways is simply not enough to properly condition a
horse for movements that require a high level of balance, suppleness and
flexibility, as it will just loosen the legs.
The whole body must be trained, weak areas made strong and then what was difficult becomes easy, beautiful and sustainable.
Core Correction takes human body conditioning disciplines such as
Yoga, Pilates and recent developments in kinetic chain sports training,
and applies these principles to the horse’s weak areas with the same
philosophy of controlled, progressive strength building movements under
saddle. As the exercises are performed in partnership with the rider,
this not only produces the physical conditioning and confidence that the
horse needs but also dramatically develops the psychological and
physical bond between the partners to make advanced work possible and
more harmonious.
There are four distinct elements to keep in mind with this method.
Understanding them guides our decisions of when to continue, when to
stop and when to move on.
- Stretch – to elongate the muscles and spine, relieving pressures and increasing motion range
- Trust – build confidence in his own body to bend freely under our seat without self restraint
- Strength – to build the core muscles and peripheral joints to move fully and freely
- Education – to teach the horse to permit us to control this new freedom with our aids
Exercises – The Stretching
Below are four introductory exercises that look quite simple, and in a
sense they are, yet they will produce a noticeable improvement in the
horse’s willingness to flex through the spine. They combine stretch and
twist motions at low speed that break down the defensive ‘locking’ habit
of the back, to encourage the horse to learn to let go and allow
progress to the strength building phase of exercises that will develop
true engagement under impulsion. The movements should be repeated slowly
and deliberately until fluid and easy, in a similar way as a pianist
would repeat the scales to perfection. As SCS is in part a psychological
defence the effect is not only a strengthening of the horse’s core but
also to practising the basic ‘language’ of movement between horse and
rider that will increase ease in a performance by developing trust at
the same time as strength.
To be performed initially from walk and repeated until the horse
feels more fluid before moving onto the daily programme. The human Yoga
version is pictured which has the same effect on our bodies as it does
on the horse.
1. Inside ‘Half Moon’ bend and stretch
Quite simply a small circle around a cone or block in walk, with long reins and lots of inside bend.
This stretches the outside of the body and helps the horse to let go
of his lateral back tension. Don’t insist, encourage. Relax, wait and
repeat until his head drops and he bends more freely and regularly.
Bend and stretch
Yoga’s half moon side stretch
2. Leg yield ‘Triangle’ stretch in walk
As with the revolved triangle for people, a stretched leg yield
encourages the hips to rotate in the opposite direction from the
shoulders, encouraging the spine to twist freely and gradually release
its kinks. The horse may initially block himself. Persist
sympathetically and he will let go, drop his head willingly to the
inside rein and step sideways with more and more elasticity.
Low, deep bend …
… and crossing.
Yoga – Revolved triangle.
3. ¼ to full turn about the forehand – The ‘Half Split’
Great for opening gates and even better for building the Multifidus
system. This exercise works on many levels and when perfected later on,
the horse will work in a very fluid outline. It teaches the horse to
move away from a light inside leg which is the basis of straightness
control, lateral work and precise cornering later on. It also builds the
lateral and rotative pelvic control muscles, as well as simultaneously
lifting the spine and separating the processes to relieve impinged
nerves.
Get one or two correct steps before asking for more. The horse must
step under his body with the inside hind and rotate his quarters around
the inside fore. Back up the inside leg with a gentle whip aid to get
the first steps and watch out for evasions such as stepping backwards
and walking out of the outside shoulder.
When the horse easily drops the inside rein to you and willingly gives the outside rein a contact, the correction has been made.
High turn
Low turn
Yoga half split
4. ¼ to ½ Pirouette – Turn about the haunches to ‘Thread the Needle’
This is essential for suppleness in the shoulders and rider/horse
communication. From standstill with an open reined inside bend, increase
the outside rein pressure until the horse steps away from the aid.
This develops thoracic sling motion range, encouraging the horse to
carry his spine higher between his shoulder blades. This raises his
centre of gravity and gives him the ability to push his front
end upwards in each stride making his movement ‘uphill’ and supple, and
allowing a space for his rear end to engage into. The result is light
outside rein influence of the shoulder, allowing precision turns and the
key to easily controlled shoulder in, half-pass and pirouette.
Rotating the shoulders around the inside hind.
Yoga – Thread the needle pose.
When beginning this work the rider must think of a gentle, suppling
guidance as the resistances are a combination of psychological as well
as physical. Great care needs to be taken to ask for more effort and
strength only after the horse has let go of his defences.
Top tips:
- Long and low will stretch the horse but when you have an improvement, do the exercise at least once ‘on the bit’.
- Try to keep your weight in the saddle and stirrups always even sided whatever is going on.
- If you can’t sit to the trot or canter, don’t. Use the exercises to
get more spinal freedom and then try later when the gait feels smoother.
- When bending the horse never pull the rein, only ever hold steady at
the angle you want and wait till the horse gives to the rein in
response to the leg. When he wants to drop his head and stretch out, let
him.
- You and your horse need understand each other very well in order to
bond and become one. If you feel that you can do a bit more, try it and
let your horse be your guide.
- A core score 0 horse will walk, trot and canter in balance with his
nose very near the sand the moment you fully give the reins. This is
your goal.
- These exercises encourage legs to cross. Boot up!
- Every training session is a fresh beginning and it is never too late for a horse and rider to put the past in the past.
When you have felt the improvements brought about by mastering these
simple exercises, move onto the more demanding ‘Core Correction –
Advanced’ movements that encourage the individual’ full range of motion
combined with impulsion.
Conclusion
When
a horse has achieved a core score 0, then we can choose a preferred
method of equitation whether it be Podhajsky, De La Gueriniere, Savoie,
The Scales, etc. The horse will now be in the physical condition of
those that these principles were developed to apply. One must remember
the circumstances under which they were written are not those of today’s
equine marketplace.
With horses that core scores a 4 or 5, the first advice to seek is
from your Vet. A lateral thoracic x-ray will show immediately if there
is any crowding or kissing. Depending on the severity there are a
few options, which are traditionally surgical and/or anti-inflammatory
medication. My preference as a trainer is to retrain the Multifidus
system to eliminate the original cause of the misalignment rather than
alleviate the symptoms. When done carefully, even very severe cases have
been reversed with this method.
Well, my friends, I hope these words are interesting and of use.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have problems, breakthroughs
or wish to go further with this method and please, never forget that the
gentle willingness of horses is their most precious quality and the one
most loved by us humans. If we truly want to bond in motion with these
creatures, we must reciprocate by recognising the silent signals of
difficulty that are hidden by their innocent generosity.
May the horse be with you.
Written with the assistance of:
1. Dr.Richard Coomer, (Kissing Spines FAQ), Cotts Equine Hospital
2. J.M. Denioux et J.P. Pailloux – Kinésithérapie du Cheval – Deuxième édition 2005
3.Walmsley JP, Pettersson H, Winberg F, et al: Impingement of the dorsal spinous processes in two hundred and
fifteen horses: case selection, surgical technique and results. Equine Vet J 34:23 – 28, 2002.
4. Basisafrichting – Relatieve oprichting verus absolute oprichting 2003
Visconte Simon Cocozza
is a European qualified Dressage trainer and rider currently based in
Normandy, France, and a registered Instructor and Examiner for La
Fédération Française d’Equitation (FFE).
After passing the
BHSAI in London, England, he then studied for the Advanced National
Certificate in Equine Business Management and Equitation (ANCEBM) at
Warwickshire College of Equine Studies After graduating, he was
understudy to Dressage Grand Prix rider Bertil Voss (NL) with whom
he learned to ride and train high level performance horses.
After relocating his
stable to Normandy, France in 2000 and continuing training under the
French system, he obtained La Fédération Française d’Equitation’s Brevet
Professionnel in Saumur 2009. Since then he has had the pleasure of
helping clients and horses to many French and European Championship
successes.
His current work in
dressage focuses on competition performance and unlocking the mysteries
of optimal technique. “I have borrowed influences from Masters past and
present alongside the FEI’s continual guidance to improve the lightness,
harmony and expression that modern Dressage is evolving towards by
paying particular attention to core strength, flexibility and sound
bio-dynamics.”
He can be contacted at quadriapony@aol.com.
