There are a number of different phases within carriage driving, which means we have to take into account the different demands of these phases on the horses and their driving team. Physiotherapist, Megan King explains the importance of working on strengthing exercises and regular check ups for both humans and horses. First Published in Carriage Driving June 2019

Some of the most important elements of carriage driving to prevent injury are balance, posture and stamina.

Just like the ridden horse, driving horses are required to lift their back and ‘push’ from their hind limbs to generate forward propulsion into the collar and harness but in addition, unlike ridden horses, the majority of the load being pulled is taken through the neck and shoulders. So, in healthy working horses, it is not uncommon to find tension patterns around the working muscle groups in the shoulders and hind limb. Physiotherapy is a good way to manage this tension to prevent injury but also ensure the core muscles are working effectively to manage the load.

Baited or carrot stretches are an excellent way to strengthen the spinal muscles of the horse as well as improve the lateral flexibility of the spine to aid in turning. Asking your horse to bend towards its girth line, point of hip or reach down to their fetlocks are examples of baited stretches which can help recruit the appropriate local muscles to support its back.

For drivers, core strength is just as important and helps maintain the required sitting postures (often over prolonged periods) helping reduce the occurrence of common patterns of back discomfort and muscular restrictions through the pectorals and psoas of the hip are quite common. For the drivers and back steppers, having the postural strength to remain balanced and correct the forces that take you outside of your centre of gravity, will benefit your own performance but also benefit your horse’s ability to achieve symmetry during a dressage test or remain stable when travelling at speed and negotiating obstacles.

Injuries that may be more likely to present in a carriage driving horse are joint concussion injuries and ligament strains, due to the repetitive nature and torque loads produced by the tight turns during the faster disciplines. So, alongside strengthening our local core muscles, the larger movement muscles which produce more powerful, explosive movements are also very important to strengthen, as fatigue can lead to compensations and therefore increase our risk of injury.

In order for the horses to sustain even and symmetrical paces for the required period of time, we should develop their paces through exercises and work routine to ensure they have the stamina to sustain their performance and prevent injury. When schooling our horses, working through a variety of different movements, going forward and backwards within a pace, changing circle size and working through lateral movements are all very useful strengthening tools which protect the structures of the limb from excessive torsion and ground reaction forces and will also make your horse more accurate when working in and around hazards on a course. Changing the surface demands during training can be a really useful tool to improve and build stamina but also has the added benefit of improving joint proprioception, which in simple terms is the horse knowing where its limbs are in space allowing it to adjust to the footing of its environment more easily to prevent stumbling, falling or injury.

Another great strengthening exercise for your horse is pole work. It is great as a strengthening tool, especially if you would like to create a more expressive gait when carriage driving. With guidance from your physiotherapist it can be a great tool for enhancing joint flexion, so try working over some ground level or cavalletti poles in alternating straight and bending lines. Alternating the lines requires balance and provides a strengthening component often best achieved in the slower gaits.

For the drivers, limb strength is needed to be able to absorb the shock forces created when travelling across ground and around hazards. Making sure you have sufficient lower limb strength and sound biomechanics will protect your knees from injury and excessive loading. Stamina needs to be achieved as counterbalancing the carriage requires repetitive movements and this must be able to be sustained to achieve accuracy around a course. A physiotherapist could work with you to establish some exercises that will assist with the strengthening of the relevant muscles and could include squatting on an unstable base such as a wobble cushion or using bands for resistance work.

Alongside your training, regular physiotherapy checks throughout the year are advisable to ensure your horses are comfortable in their work and to prevent injury or discomfort down the track. Some signs that might indicate your horse is in discomfort may present as behavioural changes, head tossing, ear flattening or nostril and eyebrow wrinkling. Is there any sensitivity when grooming your horses or fussing when picking out their feet or do they show any aversion to being tacked up in harness? If any limb unsoundness is identified, they should first be seen by your veterinarian before commencing their rehabilitative programme with your physiotherapist.

A terrific rehabilitative and training tool which is useful in both ridden and carriage horses, yet is under utilised is long reining. Particularly for carriage working horses, it simulates the driving process from the ground, without the need of pulling a weight. Working in a walk even though it may seem slow and counter-productive is often a very good pace to get extra strengthening as walk requires muscular effort, unlike trot where there is a moment of suspension and a lot of elastic energy used to propel themselves along. Progressions would then be advised by your physiotherapist to increase movements to performance.

Physiotherapy can be used to prevent, rehabilitate and enhance performance in all areas of driving and routine checks across the calendar year are advisable. Your ACPAT physiotherapist is able to guide you as well as your horse on your individual needs to protect you both from injury and get the best out of your driving.

For more information visit:
www.megankingphysiotherapy.com
Chartered Physiotherapist & ACPAT Veterinary
Physiotherapist, BSc, MSc, MCSP, ACPAT Cat A

First Published in Carriage Driving June 2019