Spine lengthening is a wonderful thing for our horses, and ourselves!
Have you ever experienced sitting at the computer or on your phone and you're getting into it, you get distracted with social media? Do you notice something that creeps into your body?
Like Susie Sloucher. So where do you feel that?
...In your neck
Where else might you feel it? Shoulders and lower back.... So basically neck and spine right? What is happening there is that parts of your neck and/or your spine are getting shorter and more tense or they could be also getting looser.
Let's take a look at the wonders of the spine lengthening...
If you'd like to work one on one with Chris and her team, to find out how to move your body in synchronicity with your horse's body, click HERE. You'll find this especially helpful if you want to progress quicker and easier with your horse.
#1. Anatomy of Spine Lengthening
The brachiocephalis goes from our head to our clavicle and in the horse to front legs. If that is short or too loose, it will inhibit the movement of the front legs.
The front legs won't move and also the vertebrae won't move. The head and neck won't swing... and the hindquarters won't swing as much as we would like. If they're too tight or if they're too loose or if they're too saggy, you'll have similar problems.
If it's long it is able to perform to give the most movement of the front legs to pull the front legs forward.
Another part of the anatomy in action are the spinal muscles. The spinal muscles attach the hips to the vertebrae and to the base of the neck. So if those muscles are too tight, like us sitting at the computer, there will be a highly reduced wave down the spine, in both humans and horses.
The TMJ and poll are other important joints.
These are just a couple of the anatomical areas to consider, but we do always need to keep in mind that the body acts as a whole, not in separate parts.
Use these key principles that we use in our For the Horse Program; Spinal Spiral and Slide Points, Equal Distribution and Balance so you can ride your horse with ease and flow.
#2. Benefits of spine lengthening
The spine lengthening has many benefits all of high value (if done correctly):
#3. How to do a spine lengthening
Spine lengthening is an extending and opening of the head and neck forward with the nose going forward without closing joints in the process.
To do this you give your hands forward...give the reins forward. It's not much of a give forward and all depends on what the horse that you are working with is giving you. You will respond to what you need.
If you have good contact and everything is in place you will get spine lengthening by allowing the head and neck to stretch forward... that's what you're looking for.
The other way to do this is with flexion.
And a third way to ask for spine lengthening is with a cue to ask for the head to go down and out.
Spine lengthening applies to the whole body. Not only are you extending the neck, you're lengthening the brachiocephalis and the vertebrae and all of the connective tissues involved as well.
Spine lengthening is a tool that we use, a very important tool, a very effective tool to get elongation, and to get tone in the muscle and provide support of the spine.
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