OMG! And Long Reining

[Jade2007]

Two posts in one

1. Boomer's been lame for quite a long time now. When he first went lame we had the chiropractar out and she said he was fine, saddler had also said before the saddle is fine so no problems there. We had the farrier out on Tuesday and discovered that his shoulders are odd (posted about this) and his lameness looks more shouldery.

he recommended a different chiropractar for us (he works with her which is handy) and she had had a cancellation for Wednesday and is 2 mins up the road from our yard! So Wednesday Tessa came to have a look at Boom. I feel so guilty

He's got loads of problems, his poll is very tight which affects his muscles down his neck & back and has a bad pressure point on his back where the back of the saddle is (he threatened to kick when she pressed it, we can trace his owners 10 years back and he's never been known to kick). I am VERY angry that the so-called-professionals that I used before didn't pick any of this up! But also feel bad because he's been doing loads of jumping and the such when he's been in pain, but he never complained at all. It's all sorted now, we've been given 'carrot stretches'

to do (got told I would be made fun of forever if I said that, but hey-ho

) and in a couple of days we are going to start long reining him and doing a bit of light work. We've also been recommended a saddler (2nd saddle we've bought in about a month! the other boy has changed shape as he's got older and needed a new saddle aswell).

2. Long reining - we've never done it before. We were told to put saddle on, run stirrups down and use something to go from one to the other underneath his belly to secure them by his sides, and put a lunge line on each side of his bit and put them through the stirrups. Any do's and don'ts we should be aware of?

Thanks for reading, Boomer was feeling a lot free-er today and was trotting down from the field like he was 4 years old

Thanks for reading
x

 

[DollyDolls]

Glad you've got it sorted now.

As for long reining. When you first start, have 2 people, one at the head & one on the reins.......it helps to prevent things going wrong if your horse objects.

I use another stirrup leather to secure the two stirrups -ie run it under the belly next to the girth.

Then do one side at a time, make sure the horse is used to the feeling of the lunge line along his tummy/ bum, when he's calm, thread it from the bum through the stirrup to the bit & get the other person to do the same. Take both reins & slowly ask the horse to walk on (Do not flap the reins, unless you want to ski down the school). Then make sure you're in control with plenty of transitions. Only other tip is to keep 1/2 horse length behind so he cant kick. When horse is well behaved your helper can leave you to it.

 

[Ezme]

This is a different style to longreining that I do, I prefer to run the reins through terrets, either driving pad or lunging surcingle as i think its kinder on thier mouths. Anyway anythin you do under saddle you can do on long lines so its great thing to do.

Oh and as for "carrot stretches" I found saying "stable stretches" lessens the mick taking!