Stiff shoulder - Exercises please? - Also lunging issues!

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Spacejet

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My horse hurt her shoulder a few weeks ago, she was on box rest a couple of weeks, then she started going out again Wednesday.
Not quite sure what she'd done to her shoulder, i believe she fell or slipped and pulled her muscle or damaged the muscle/soft tissue as there was a little bit of swelling, no heat and was a little lame, really only visible in trot and gradients.
Shes now sound again, and I've let her 'just be a horse' for a few days out in the field, and rode her first time yesterday.
She was very stiff in the right shoulder. I was doing circles and leg yields to help try and stretch it out, but is there anything i can do? Mainly doing walking work atm until shes abit more supple..
Also, tried lunging her today.. She was fine on the left rein, right rein she'd nap at the gate no matter how far away we were, spin and face me and then just stand there until I came over.. Put her back out, repeated several times.. In the end I physically walked and trotted her round the circle :rolleyes::rolleyes:
I wanted to get a video of her lunging to show you guys her stiffness!! :mad: Any tips on how to get her to stop spinning?

Sorry it's long winded! :D
 
Do you mean she has only started being difficult to lunge since the shoulder issue, or has she always done that / you've never lunged her before?
 
I would get a physio to look at her, if she is still stiff they will be able to treat her and give you exercises to help that are appropriate.
 
Okee doke :) If they only do this on one rein, IME they tend to do it when they're finding doing a true circle difficult because of a lack of suppleness or balance, which she'd certainly be feeling after her injury and recovery. I'd probably lay off lunging proper for a bit and work on loosening her up with some gentle leg yielding etc out on hacks. Then I'd look at doing some basic suppling & straightening in hand work on circles where you can ensure she's bending properly, you can control the shoulders and ensure she's not leaning on either one of them, just in walk initially, getting her to stay off the inside shoulder and ensure she's stepping under with her inside hind into the centre of gravity with her neck properly relaxed. Once she's doing this fine on both reins you can stand further away from her and gradually work your way backwards to achieving the same on the lunge IYKWIM.

I'd be quite conservative and wouldn't be doing passive stretches or anything unless a physio or someone had told me the shoulder was ready for it :)
 
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