Basic Info

2004 Highlights

Stallions

Clinics/Training

Sales/Imports

What's New

Shows/Results/
Inspection Dates

Educational
Articles

Photo Gallery

In the News

Links

Contact us

Contact webmaster

Friday Lecture: Performance Through Fitness

By Ingrid Klimke and Ina Gösmeier, DVM

Athletes are naturally becoming interested in non-traditional medicine as a means of helping their horses without violating prohibitions against doping. Natural therapies have helped to speed recovery of 3-Day Event horses and can also help to calm the horse. Dr. Gösmeier has accompanied the German national team since 2002, and uses a variety of therapies, including traditional medicine, acupuncture, acupressure, chinese herbs and Bach Flowers.

Each sport has its own specific problems. For example, flying changes tend to produce tightness in the back and lumbar regions, and piaffe produces cramped muscles.

The foal has the natural ability to perform all of the movements, but then must bo schooled in order to stabilize the ability as the horse matures. The rider has the greatest influence on the horse's mobility, particularly through the rider's seat, and may often be the first to feel a difficulty. The horse may look fine--but appearances can lie, because the muscles that control movement are deep.

• musculoserratus must be strong and flexible, but it is a deep structure.
• internal abdominal oblique is required to keep the belly from dropping.
• pectoral muscle is required for half pass.
• The deepest layers of muscles contain the greatest number of receptors for self-carriage to send messages to the brain.

In nature, the horse's neck is stretched. If we don't allow the horse to stretch his neck periodically, it will cause problems in riding. The rider sits over the horse's lungs/diaphragm. The horse cannot do his best without rhythmical breathing. If the rider's seat/position is incorrect, or the leg position is incorrect, it will affect the back muscles, ribs (no freedom), pectoralis and abdominal muscles. An appropriate connection is lost with improper positioning and it will also interfere with the horse's breathing.

There are often multiple causes for a horse's pain, and so it is often appropriate to choose more than one way to approach it. Dr. Gösmeier advises against chiropractic in horses that have arthritis, inflammatory condiditons or cancer, and also says that horses with neck pain require xrays prior to manipulation. Additional, proceed with caution before performing chiropractic on older horses because the chances of uncovering other problems elsewhere is high.

When to consider non-traditional therapy? When the horse has stiffness, loss of mobility, difficulty bending to the right or left, or a disjointed canter. Even foals may benefit at one point or another.

Avoid early specialization for either horse or rider.

Stable Set-up

• Treats every horse like her own.
  • 10 boxes
  • 2 co-workers, making a team of 3
• Horses are trained for the long term to bring them to the highest level of sport.
• Carries on the classical traditions of her father
• All horses have pasture turnout and are kept out for short periods if they are easily bored and not interested in grazing.

Ms. Klimke believes that all riders must strive to develop a balanced seat, independent hands and to keep the horse on the aids so that the horse is given the best opportunity to do his job.

***Rider must be fit.*** The rider must also work to be even on both sides of his body or how can s/he make the horse straight. Ms. Klimke told of how she has had to struggle to become even after a shoulder injury. Once the rider is straight, the rider must work step by step to build up the horse's muscles, too. Both the horses AND the riders must have the variety of necessary skills and nos specialize too early.

All riders must have a knowledge of the training scale: rhythm, suppleness, contact and acceptance of the bit, impulsion, straightnessk collection. All of the components work together. If the session isn't going well, the rider must stop and ask themselves: WHY isn't it working? Where in the training scale do I have a problem?

Only when a horse is throoughly loose is it ready to work. If the back is loose, the whole horse is loose and it is ready to work. ***The horse must be worked evenly in both directions. Each horse has an easy/soft side (Ms. Klimke calls that the "chocolate" side) and a more difficult side. All horses are crooked by nature. As riders, we are challenged to develop gymnastics to help the horse loosen his back--gymnastic exercises work because the horse will look down looking for the next fence. Each session must be a good experience for the horse. The rider must use lots of praise and NEVER a harsh voice, rewarding the positive and ignoring the negative. Finish early enough that you can end on a positive note.

The keys to training are:

• Trust
• Obedience
• Consistency

Training should progress from easy to difficult in small steps with demans that are never unreasonably. NO FIGHTING. There is a saying: "Power lies in calmness." The goal is to make a partnership, building and strengthening trust, and understanding the horse's individual personality.

Return to Table of Contents.