Horse Hoof Motion

09/09/2026

If a horse is the least bit heavy on the forehand, they will have a tendency to drop their inside shoulder in a turn. This can feel like they are throwing the weight of their forehand sideways as they pull forward in the turn with their shoulders instead of driving forward in a bend from their hind.

The overall feeling a rider gets from their horse in this kind of turn is heaviness when we want lightness in our horse's movements. There is a simple trotting exercise using ground poles that encourages a horse to lighten up by making them balance equally with both their forehand and hind.

As shown in the image we lay five or six ground poles in an arc on the ground with spaced, as shown in the picture, 4 feet apart at the center of the poles and 6 feet apart at the outer ends of the arc.

It is important to approach the first ground pole perpendicular to it and then to stay on a line in the center of the remaining poles through the arc.

Horses will have a tendency at first to try to make a straight line through the poles rather than a bend. When they do this we must apply the inside leg and bend the around that leg as we trot through the poles.

I made a video of this exercise and put it on my You Tube channel. However, because Facebook shuts down the reach of all posts with videos hosted on other platforms, I have to put the link in the comments. So please go there and like the comment with the link to keep it at the top and watch it from there.

It is a very simple exercise that is extremely effective in lightening a horse's movement in a turn, which is most important for horses that are heavy on the forehand.

09/09/2026

Fascia and the Tension Cycle: How the Body Adapts—and Gets Stuck

What begins as a normal, protective response in the body can sometimes become a pattern that’s hard to undo.

A small injury, strain, or even repeated stress can create tension in the tissues. Over time, the body adapts to that tension—and if it isn’t resolved, the system can become organized around it.

This is how helpful becomes limiting.

Fascia, Fibroblasts, and Tension in the Horse

Fascia can tighten and compress surrounding structures—nerves, blood vessels, lymphatics, and the extracellular matrix (ECM)—reducing their ability to move, glide, and communicate effectively.

A key driver of this process is the behavior of fibroblasts and myofibroblasts.

What Fibroblasts and Myofibroblasts Do

Fibroblasts

Fibroblasts are the primary cells responsible for maintaining and remodeling fascia.
• Produce collagen and ground substance
• Respond to mechanical load and movement
• Help maintain tissue elasticity and hydration

In a healthy system, fibroblasts support adaptability and resilience.

Myofibroblasts

Under certain conditions—such as injury, inflammation, or sustained tension—fibroblasts can transform into myofibroblasts.
• Have contractile properties (similar to smooth muscle)
• Generate and maintain tension within the tissue
• Continue responding to mechanical stress when tension persists

This is beneficial during short-term healing, but becomes problematic when it continues long after it’s needed.

How This Creates Restriction

When myofibroblast activity remains elevated:
• Fascia becomes denser and less elastic
• Tissue layers lose their ability to glide freely
• Nerves may become mechanically restricted
• Blood and lymph flow can be compromised
• The ECM becomes less fluid and more resistant

This creates a system where:

Tension reinforces tension

Effects in Key Areas of the Horse

Thoracolumbar Fascia & Back Muscles

This region is critical for force transmission between the front and hind end.

When fascial tension increases:
• The back becomes rigid or guarded
• Reduced ability to lift and swing through the topline
• Decreased shock absorption
• Altered coordination between limbs

You may see:
• Hollowing
• Shortened stride
• Resistance to bending or collection

Latissimus Dorsi

The latissimus dorsi connects the forelimb to the trunk and helps coordinate movement and stability.

With increased fascial tension:
• Reduced ability for the forelimb to reach forward freely
• Increased load through the shoulder
• Reduced ability to control ribcage movement
• Compensation patterns through the back

Pectoral Muscles

The pectorals support the trunk between the forelimbs.

When restricted:
• Decreased ability for the thorax to lift and stabilize
• Reduced shock absorption
• Increased strain through the forelimbs and shoulders

Where Massage Therapy Fits In

Massage therapy helps interrupt this cycle by changing the environment the tissue and nervous system are responding to.
• Reduces excessive mechanical tension within the fascia
• Improves glide between tissue layers
• Supports circulation and lymphatic flow
• Provides clearer, more organized sensory input to the nervous system

This can help shift fibroblast and myofibroblast activity away from persistent contraction and toward a more adaptable state.

Rather than forcing change, massage:

Creates the conditions for the body to let go of unnecessary tension

The Bigger Picture

When fascia is under chronic tension:
• Movement becomes less efficient
• Load is distributed unevenly
• The nervous system receives less clear input
• Compensation patterns develop

Over time, this affects performance, comfort, and durability.

Why This Matters

Myofibroblasts are not the problem—they are part of a protective and adaptive response.

The issue arises when:
• Tension is never resolved
• The system does not return to a more relaxed, adaptable state

Final Thought

Movement reflects how the body coordinates itself under load.

Fascia doesn’t just tighten—it adapts.
And when that adaptation becomes chronic, it can restrict movement, communication, and function throughout the entire system.

https://koperequine.com/fascia-immunity-and-the-role-of-manual-therapy/

09/09/2026

Wieder einmal ist es bei der Jagd zu einer tödlichen Verwechslung gekommen: Im Schweizer Kanton Graubünden hat ein Jäger aus Versehen ein Pferd erschossen, das er für einen Hirsch gehalten hatte. Er ist geständig. - ProPferd ist ein unabhängiges Pfe...

09/09/2026

09/09/2026

09/09/2026

Vor allem im Herbst und Winter ist die Gefahr, dass Pferde an Strahlfäule erkranken, besonders groß. Strahlfäule wird durch Umweltfaktoren, die Beschaffenheit des Hufs und ungenügende Pflege begünstigt – lässt sich aber durch Vorbeugung und frühzeiti...

09/09/2026

Thanks to Kate Bossence for suggesting today's extract, which is from If I Could Ride, by Caroline Akrill.

I'm doing something I almost never do, which is post the end of the book. This is because when I first read it, I felt it was a real cliff hanger. The only problem was that the series finished there. Many, many years later I found the final part ... and there will be an extract from that later in the week.

But back to If I Could Ride. It's the third book in the series, and in it Caroline gives up her stud management course to go and help her cousins with their new riding school. But Caroline still has her own ambitions and dreams .... the success of the school is not enough. Here she is, at the ball at the end of the book, trying to make her mind up.

*****
Inside the indoor school, the dance proper was well under way. To my relief, the floor, which had been like a giant jig-saw puzzle to fit together, was a triumph. The striped lining was also very effective. It gave the Ball an atmosphere of Arabian Nights. The Pony Club were everywhere, flushed and over-excited, unfamiliar in dresses and suits. At the buffet supper, provided by the parents, I sat next to the District Commissioner, overwhelming in red satin. I told her my plans.

‘Splendid,’ she said. ‘When do you start?’

‘January,’ I said. ‘Except that … ’

‘Have you told them?’ she interrupted.

‘Actually, no,’ I said. ‘The thing is … ’

‘You’ve changed your mind,’ she said accusingly.

‘Not exactly,’ I said. ‘Only … ’

‘It’s a mistake,’ she said. ‘If you miss this opportunity, if you flunk it this time, you will regret it for the rest of your life.’

‘I know,’ I said. ‘But … ’

‘Oh, you’ll get the odd ride, I don’t doubt it,’ she said. ‘And the chance to instruct will occur once every full moon, but is that what you really want? Your cousins are charming people, there is no doubt about it, but are you destined to trail in their glorious wake for the rest of your working life? To be the poor relation? To be the dogsbody? To have no career, no qualifications and no confidence? Because that is how it will end. That is how it will finish.’

‘I know you are right,’ I said miserably. ‘But now that the time has come, I am not sure that I can make the break. I am not even sure that I want to.’

The District Commissioner’s sigh billowed out her red satin bodice. ‘They will manage perfectly well without you, you know,’ she said gently. ‘If they have made you feel that they need you, you have been bewitched in the nicest possible way. You have been taken advantage of. I know your cousins well, and I also know that they have taken you for granted. I have seen exactly what has happened for the last three years. We need a rider for the hack — get Caroline. We need someone to show the hunter side-saddle — send for Caroline. We need a secretary — why, Caroline will do it. How long can it go on? Where will it all end? You need to show them that you can make it on your own. Later on, if you really want to, you can come back under your own terms — as a fully qualified instructress, not as a doormat!’

‘It’s true,’ I said. ‘I must make the break now, while I have the chance. In my heart I know that everything you say is true. My cousins would have me believe that they are dependent on me, but in reality, it is the other way round. Yet I have only myself to blame. If I have been a doormat and a dogsbody, I have been a willing one, and in return they have opened doors for me which I never knew existed. They have shown me a whole new life and I am grateful for it.’

I drained my glass of red w**e and shuddered. ‘I shall go to the Training Centre,’ I said decisively.

The D.C. looked relieved. ‘That’s the spirit,’ she said. ‘All you have to do now is to tell them.’

‘I’m not looking forward to that,’ I admitted. ‘I shall have to find the right moment.’

‘You never will,’ she said. ‘No moment will ever be the right one, and then suddenly there won’t be any time left. You must tell them soon. After all, they will have to find a new secretary. Tell them and get it over with. Tell them tonight. It is the least you can do.’

‘I can’t,’ I said. ‘Not tonight.’

But later on, warmed by the atmosphere, delighted by the success of the evening, elated by the lights, the company, the music and the w**e, I found the courage I needed to tell Simon. I had to tell him before I told the others. In all fairness, he had to be the first to know.

I left Aunt Sybil sailing majestically round the dance floor with Mr Fairbrother. Adrian and Sarah were dancing a jig. I bumped into Mr Marmalade whose spell of duty was over.

‘Dear heart!’ he cried, taking me in his arms. ‘You are divine. A dance, I pray you.’

‘Later,’ I said. ‘If you wouldn’t mind. I am looking for someone.’ Mr Marmalade swooped down on Mrs Grey instead.

Simon was leaning against a stable in the back yard, smoking a cigarette. Above him a sign proclaimed ‘No Smoking’ in angry red letters.

We stood for a while in silence, looking at the lights. Listening to the distant chatter and music.

‘Simon,’ I said eventually. ‘I’m going away.’

‘For how long?’ he asked.

‘I shall go home for Christmas,’ I said. ‘And I won’t be coming back.’

‘Why not?’ he said.

‘I want to ride,’ I said. ‘I want to teach. I’m going to take a training course.’

He stared at me for a moment. He said, ‘You can ride here. You can teach here. You don’t have to go away to do it.’

‘No,’ I said. ‘It wouldn’t work. I have to do this on my own. In any case, I have arranged it. I have made the decision and it is no use you, or anyone else, trying to change my mind.’

‘I see,’ he said. He dropped his cigarette on to the gravel. He ground out the ember with his heel. Then he turned away.

The next time I saw him, he was dancing with Angela Beauclerk.

****
If you want to find out how Caroline got to where we leave her, the book is available in eBook and paperback. You can also buy the whole series (and save money) from my website in eBook and paperback. Here are the links for you:

eBook bundle of 4 books (£10.99) https://shop.janebadgerbooks.co.uk/products/caroline-akrill-showing-series-bundle
paperback bundle of 4 books (illustrated, £29.99) https://shop.janebadgerbooks.co.uk/products/caroline-akrill-the-showing-series-paperback-collection
eBook (£3.25) https://shop.janebadgerbooks.co.uk/products/copy-of-caroline-akrill-caroline-canters-home
paperback (£8.99): https://shop.janebadgerbooks.co.uk/products/caroline-akrill-if-i-could-ride-paperback-showing-3