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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 342
 
Location: Alabama | I know that Facebook articles are not always accurate or completely researched, however this one actually made a lot of sense to me & a few vets a talked to agreed with what it said so I’m putting up here for your input.... the write up is below
“SI injection? This picture shows it is not such an easy thing as we may believe it to be- and it also illustrates the reason why we have so many issues with it when we compete in events that require a fast change of direction and collection. The SI joint is not a ball and socket joint like the hip or shoulder joint, it is actually a FLAT joint which means the SACRUM attaches to the ILLIUM (hip) via strong and broad ligaments called the Sacroiliac Ligament. The first two pictures show the minimal clearance a horse has between it's pelvis and the sacrum, which keep in mind, the sacrum is basically the rudder of your horse - (when it goes down, it slows the forward momentum and raises the back for collection, and when it is up the hind legs can extend for a longer stride). So if you contemplate the side to side sheer of the SI area required when performing extended trot vs a collected lope, you will see why traditionally, SI injuries were mostly isolated to the race trotters who had to trot at 30 mph to win a race. This brings into question, how long should one spend on extended trot during an exercise session when training for maximum thrust propulsion at a gallop, such as what is required in rope horses, barrel horses, and other equine activities that require a strong two legged thrust off the mark? The sacrum does not move side to side, it only moves up and down, think about this and look at the pictures and decide for yourself the best way to exercise your horse. Strong SI ligaments are created by using them how nature intended, (up and down, not side to side) and weak SI ligaments are created by repetively forcing the sacrum to twist side to side within the limited confines of the tuber sacrales (highest points of the pelvis) which essentially pull and stretch the ligaments by the awkward sheering forces placed upon them by an unnaturally lengthy extended trot.”
-whole horse connections llc Facebook post.
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Gettin Jiggy Wit It
Posts: 2734
 
| I've been rehabbing my good horse from a pretty major injury to the sacroiliac joint over the last year. Trotting is a big part of our rehabbing program. HOWEVER it's the quality of the trot that is most important. Throwing your horse the reins and Long trotting with their head up, back hollow, strung out and not driving from the hind end gives your horse a very potty, peggy, uneven gait. That is what is hard on the SI. You are doing nothing for the back to build up the top line and strengthen. When you strengthen the top line/ back those muscles help improvebthe function of sacroiliac joint and helps stabilize it. Unfortunately I see a lot of horses ridden this way when being conditioned. The horse is not in Frame, working towards rounding the back and driving from the hind... Eventually collection. I spent the last 6 months working my horse in a lunging system called a pessoa or another version is called an equiami. It gets the horse working long and low. Head drawn down, abdomen up, back round and hind end driving underneath. It encourages the horse to step up deeper in their stride and trot in cadence. That is what type of trotting is important and beneficial to the back and sacroiliac joint. After I worked in the lunging system over ground poles I stared riding her long and low and encouraged forward motion. This made a huge difference. It saved her to be honest. Here is a video of her just regular lunging to check her lameness progress. The first half is from August before I started doing any rehabbing with the lunging system and ground poles. The second half of the video is 3 months later after 3 months of the lunging system with ground poles and 2 weeks of riding. Her sacroiliac lameness improved so much. Its even better now! I go back for a recheck in 3 weeks. Fingers crossed! https://youtu.be/aLoiAG87z18 | |
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Regular
Posts: 79
| There's a big difference between an extended trot and what we barrel racers call a long trot. However, the article actually talks about western style work. I wonder which is harmful - extended or long trot?
PS, have been using the Pessoa system along with trotting poles for years.... excellent overall fitness tool, as well as a training tool for dressage.
Edited by J Cunningham 2018-01-31 10:30 PM
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Gettin Jiggy Wit It
Posts: 2734
| J Cunningham - 2018-01-31 10:27 PMThere's a big difference between an extended trot and what we barrel racers call a long trot. However, the article actually talks about western style work. I wonder which is harmful - extended or long trot?PS, have been using the Pessoa system along with trotting poles for years.... excellent overall fitness tool, as well as a training tool for dressage. Yeah good talk about extended versus long. In my opinion I went on my tangent about long trotting in barrel racers definition lol.... Mainly because the article mentioned trotters and trotters in my mind are the exact opposite of a dressage extended trot. It's more of a type of long trot that a lot of people that barrel race do to condition. A trotters head is up, backs are hollow and they are pushing forward. They are great at having good stride length but have a weak back for collection because of the body position they are worked. I honestly think long trotting would maybe be harder in a western/barrel racer definition because many times the horse is given its head and they just go with out much structure to help strengthen the back. In my thinking an extended trot in dressage has more cadence and the horse is still moving in frame in longer strides. They are still working off their hind end and maintain a strong back to achieve extention. Maybe an extended trot is still to aggressive because their is to much extention and to maintain that for a long work out would get very hard. I think a working trot is the most beneficial and is a good healthy movement. Most of my pessoa exercises were working trot. Just my thoughts.
Edited by WetSaddleBlankets 2018-01-31 11:39 PM
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Red Bull Agressive
Posts: 5981
Location: North Dakota | Trotting, or any other gait, will always be harmful over time if the horse is hollow through their back and neck, with their hind legs trailing behind them. Trotting for any length of time with your horse not collected, but stretching over their topline with their pelvis engaged, back rounded, neck stretched long and low will only strengthen them and protect their joints. That has to be established before you can think of a horse actually being collected. I've rarely seen a horse ridden this way. As most people think getting a horse in a "frame" is collection and they aim for that. It's not. | |
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 Reaching for the stars....
Posts: 12704
| I trot a lot in conditioning. I have noticed with my Zan stallion that when we travel up the long side of the arena that he bows his neck down and really extends and lifts himself, a true extended trot. When we enter the curve he collects and shortens his stride, then extends again down the long side. He has never been taught to truly collect, but he is very balanced and does this on his own. My rocket mare had more issues with this. She was easier to collect, but it seemed she hollowed some and her long or extended trot down the long sides of the arena were not what Zan's are. She had issues with SI and stifle, he never has. I will also point out that I stay in 2 point for trotting so that my seat does not interfere with their hard working back and hips. If I'd've seen this article while the rocket mare was still running I would probably have stopped trotting and stuck to loping, or set up cavalettis for her. | |
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