We cannot expect the horse to offer their best work for that day if they feel vulnerable!!!
Today’s job was to install an irrigation system for the arena.
Usually we have plenty of rainfall here so the arena keeps the perfect consistency, I designed my surface to cope with heavy rainfall however this means it is not at it’s best when it is overly dry like it has been.
Lately the arena has been too soft and inconsistent underfoot which is not ideal for working any horse but especially a horse in rehabilitation.
Too soft underfoot puts strain on
the horses sling system and often results in muscle, ligament or tendon
injuries. Soft or deep footing also requires a lot of push like action for the
horse. This is helpful if wanting to create a horse that is able to push or
thrust itself further forward in a big step each time say like a racehorse
which we are trying to create speed. To create horses that can work in self
carriage functionally the horse needs to be able to carry itself with more of a
sitting than a pushing from the hind leg. Soft or deep surfaces make it very
difficult for the horse to become strong in sitting as the need to push out of
the sand requires maximum effort.
To hard underfoot creates a jarring effect on the body which results in damage
to the skeletal system as well as sore muscles.
An inconsistent surface when it
goes from steady underfoot to too soft underfoot creates not only physical
issues but also makes a horse feel anxious.
If they cannot rely on the ground underneath them to be reliably steady then
the horse becomes unwilling to open themselves up to try that little bit more
as this is already asking them to go a little out of their comfort zone which
you have spent the time allowing them to discover and want to try to only have
the surface compromise them and make them feel vulnerable or worse, the
collapse in footing causes pain in their bodies.
The same goes for many aspects when working with horses and
being reliable.
🐴🧡💦🌞