Chambon

[Leo's Mum]

I have noticed that my horse is very lazy with his back legs and he scuffs them, squaring off the toes. He finds going downhill particulary difficult and i think that he is just generally weak in his backend.

One of my private instructers looked at him and has seen that there is a slight dip along his back on his quarters which means he hasn't developed his back muscles properly.

We are going to get the chiropracter out to see him and then lunge him twice a week in a 'chambon' to encourage the muscles on his back to be put into use. He dosen't have a high neck carriage even though he is an arab.

What do you think?

Please reply.

[Leo's Mum]

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[KateWooten]

I think that's probably a good idea ! My joePony was doign the same - scuffing his back feet square, unenthusiastic about going downhill. I was busy damaging his back with a poorly fitting saddle - it was too curved from front to back - it was just balancing there on his flat back. Having sorted him out a new saddle, and having the chiropractor in, I've carried on riding him, and kept him at a walk, but really working him at at the walk. He's tired out after 25 minutes, and so am I. Really good schooling at a walk will do wonders for you - well, I mean, when he's ready to take a rider again. I think you'll do great to start with if you do really good lunge work to build his back muscles up correctly.

Another thing you can do is the 'western' version of lunging. With minimal tack, just a rope halter and lead, send him out on a circle, but do lots and lots of inside turns. Start slowly, but if you can get him actively trotting around, and then rock back on his haunches to make the inside turn in one flowing movement, that does wonders for developing the back, and the back end.

[jenren!!]

Either that, or a Pessoa training aid :)

Jenny xx

[colettybetty]

How about lungeing him with 2 lines, use the outside line round his rump and walk and trot in 10 metre circles at different markers around the school ?

[cvb]

Leo's Mum

The thing about any aid or gadget that you use, the success or failure is really dependent on how you use it. If you lunge with the chambon but the horse is still not using his back end, it may put him more on his forehand and not help with his back.

I appreciate this may be a statement of the obvious, but if he was already working as he should from behind, you wouldn't have a problem to solve !

Depending on how big a problem it is, you might want to look at doing some work with raised ground poles (without the chambon) to encourage flexion and activity behind. Anything where he has to think and use his back end. I've not done TTeam/TTouch properly but I have used some of their ideas to help with things like this...