The Bio-mechanics of the horse.....why is this important and how do I do it? Part 1

I have discussed the bio-mechanics of the horse in previous articles, but why is this so important? Imagine yourself walking around hunch backed, carrying your head low, or walking with your chest and your rear end sticking out. Try it for a few minutes if you need too......ouch! This can be very painful after only a few minutes, imagine a few years! Now try and wear a back pack!
If you have ever tried yoga or ballet, you have experienced building your core or the correct muscles to carry yourself in a balanced way. This is something that we learn and can be as simple as your mother telling you to sit up at the dinner table, or to stand up straight. This is the same for our horses. When our horses are used in disciplines to carry a rider or drive a carriage, they need to build up there core muscles to stay sound and maintain a healthy structure. 

How do I do this? Encourage your horse to get his hind end moving! Correct posture begins with forward movement from the hind end, which then can allow the horse lift his back and relax his neck to come down and reach for the bit on his own. A great exercise for this while on your horse is to begin at the walk and alternate your legs (left, right, left, right) with the rhythm of the walk, gently squeezing to encourage forward motion. You do not want a fast walk, but one with momentum. The goal is to encourage the energy to come up through the horse's back, not straight forward. If your horse begins to trot simply hold with your reins and soften when the horse walks again. It is good to maintain a slight contact if you are riding dressage or hunt seat. I find riding with a slightly raised hand toward my belly button is the softest and helps the horse with lifting his back.

When the hands are too low, the horse's back can remain hollow and he will become or stay very heavy on your hands.
By building the correct muscles in your horse, you will prevent back injury and alignment issues down the road. You can always refer to the diagram of the horse's structure on the bottom of the page. I will have more simple exercises posted very soon.