Science of Cranio Sacral- Common Equine Conditions

"Equine Cranio Sacral (ECS) work is a holistic healing practice which uses extremely light finger pressure to optimize body movement. When applied correctly, this gentle and subtle technique can be highly effective in addressing a number of conditions in the horse."

- Maureen Rogers
Equine CranioSacral Workshops

The area from the LS joint to the last rib is the Lumbar span. This area being long can also have a horse go toward a ventro gait and short to a dorsiflex gait. To long of functioning back can tend to be vento as well. But keep in mind length of back can be compensated by length of pelvis. A croup set higher than the wither can also cause a horse to be more ventro in gait. A high croup adds more weight to the front quarters making it harder for a horse to come off the ground in front and increasing concussion to the front hoofs. This can make for an uncomfortable ride.

Lumbar and common conditions

Cow hocked has been taken to the extremes in some of the gaited breeds.

A horse that is cow hocked puts more stress on the inside of the hock and the stifle.

This is due to the stifle being pushed out, away from the side of the horse.

A true cow hocked horse will also toe out and not be an efficient stopper and can be a rather sloppy mover behind

Cowhawks

EVALUATIONS

In evaluation, take into consideration the hind limbs: are they straight or more angular?

Being too straight can cause:

A stressed horse to become a stifled horse.
Being too straight such as a post legged horse can also make for a rougher gait.

Then there is sickle-hocked, which can put strain on the back of the hocks. It is not uncommon to see sickle hocks in some of our gaited breeds. The reason being to help a horse to get under it's self. A little bit of sickle hocks may be fine but I see it having (in some cases) gone far beyond the expectable limits for prolonged sound function.

Being too straight can cause: A stressed horse to become a stifled horse. Being too straight such as a post legged horse can also make for a rougher gait.

When evaluating a horses’ hindquarters we must first understand the importance of its function to the horses body. The hindquarters are “the power source” for forward and upward movement. This power source is used to distribute the weight off the front quarters when the horse is in motion. Just as with the front quarters, the hindquarters must be evaluated for the strong and weak points in the structure. This is important to be able understand how to correctly engage the hindquarters for maximum efficiency of gaits without undue stress. This stress can come from:Asking an individual to do more with their hindquarters than their structure will allow. Not asking a horse to use itself enough (or correctly) to maintain proper balance. Asking a horse to use itself incorrectly for it's specific structure.

hindquarter evaluation

This power source of the hindquarters is transferred through the very important lumbosacral joint (where the loins meet the hip). This is the uppermost joint of the horses’ hind limbs. If this joint is too far behind the point of the hip can cause a horse to go more toward a Ventoflexed (hollow) gait. When this joint is closer to aligned over the point of hip this lends the horse more to a Dorsiflextion (raised back). The most Ventro gait being the pace, less the stepped pace, Sobreandondo, rack, corto/ largo. Level, the running walk, slight Dorsiflextion towards a fox trot and the trot being the most dorsiflextion.

Dental and Cranio

When we go to the dentist they make sure our jaw accepts the new work done on our teeth. That is what the little film of black paper is for. Equines need the same consideration only it's more difficult for them to let us know what feels okay.

Most still eat even though they are sore and in pain. Even with the best equine dentals, the horse's and pony's jaws are affected. Help ease the soreness with Craniosacral Therapy. Why make horses perform with headaches? There is no need.

Jerry Schmidt