So why is this not considered in a horse? A heart warming video of horse and rider in harmony, jumping with no saddle or performing dressage moves with no bridle, is becoming commonplace on social media these days. But dare to comment anything other than ooo`s and coo´s, and people immediately want to shut you down. No matter how constructive or relevant your comment may be, you are tutted out the room if you point out the unbalanced hooves, or the falling-in shoulder, or the leaning seat of the rider etc.. It truly is great that people are becoming more and more aware of how much happier their horse is, and how much better they go, the less paraphernalia used. When people take the time it takes to bring a horse on, instead of forcing outlines and gaits in horses much too young, it is a joy to see. But, and its a big but, if they don’t bring on a balanced horse, in the long term, they are gaining nothing.
In short, an uncentered rider will have the horse counterbalancing to compensate for this. This counterbalance alone will cause asymmetry in their muscles. But even with a balanced rider, if a horse is not asked to work in balanced lines this same asymmetry can occur. If hooves are not cared for correctly, again, sooner or later there will be imbalances in the horses body compensating for the lack of correct foundations. Teeth are so rarely even considered in the equation when it comes to a horses balance. A dentist often comes along, rasps the molars and doesn’t even glance at the incisors. They will take money removing the wolf teeth, often very unnecessarily so, and floating in ´bit bites`, without a thought for the balance of the incisors and why, possibly, a horse is wearing his molars in a certain way. They just don’t look at the whole horse!
Balanced feet + balanced teeth + balanced muscles + balanced rider = A Balanced Horse
When it comes to resolving imbalances in a horse, we have to trim their hooves for balance, whilst working on resolving any muscle misalignments. During the process careful observation of the horses way of going must be made to assure balanced hooves are what a particular horse requires, and not, actually, some imbalance due to his conformation or way of going. It is always very much a chicken and egg situation. Teeth are very much incorporated into the process.
Not so long ago I was called to a new client, with a 7 year-young horse, who’s hinds had a severe mirrored imbalance. The owner was most surprised to see me look in his mouth before even picking up his feet! Despite having been attended by a very popular barefoot trimmer for some time, no one had ever checked this horses jaw, and no one could figure why he continued to wear his hinds in such an odd unbalanced fashion. His molars totally imitated his hind feet. Happy to say a couple of visits from the dentist and his hooves, once rebalanced, maintained their symmetry. This is why we practice the Whole Horse Protocol. Keeping quiet about the little things, makes them become big things and it is the horse, not the defensive oo’ers and coo’ers, who suffer.
In short, an uncentered rider will have the horse counterbalancing to compensate for this. This counterbalance alone will cause asymmetry in their muscles. But even with a balanced rider, if a horse is not asked to work in balanced lines this same asymmetry can occur. If hooves are not cared for correctly, again, sooner or later there will be imbalances in the horses body compensating for the lack of correct foundations. Teeth are so rarely even considered in the equation when it comes to a horses balance. A dentist often comes along, rasps the molars and doesn’t even glance at the incisors. They will take money removing the wolf teeth, often very unnecessarily so, and floating in ´bit bites`, without a thought for the balance of the incisors and why, possibly, a horse is wearing his molars in a certain way. They just don’t look at the whole horse!
Balanced feet + balanced teeth + balanced muscles + balanced rider = A Balanced Horse
When it comes to resolving imbalances in a horse, we have to trim their hooves for balance, whilst working on resolving any muscle misalignments. During the process careful observation of the horses way of going must be made to assure balanced hooves are what a particular horse requires, and not, actually, some imbalance due to his conformation or way of going. It is always very much a chicken and egg situation. Teeth are very much incorporated into the process.
Not so long ago I was called to a new client, with a 7 year-young horse, who’s hinds had a severe mirrored imbalance. The owner was most surprised to see me look in his mouth before even picking up his feet! Despite having been attended by a very popular barefoot trimmer for some time, no one had ever checked this horses jaw, and no one could figure why he continued to wear his hinds in such an odd unbalanced fashion. His molars totally imitated his hind feet. Happy to say a couple of visits from the dentist and his hooves, once rebalanced, maintained their symmetry. This is why we practice the Whole Horse Protocol. Keeping quiet about the little things, makes them become big things and it is the horse, not the defensive oo’ers and coo’ers, who suffer.
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