FASCIA Health

Varying training to maintain your horse’s suppleness and flexibility

by Dr Raquel Butler

n recent years our understanding of the importance of fascia health and function in athletic performance has been growing specifically in relation to its crucial role in training and

Injuries, repetitive movements, stress, dehydration and emotional trauma can all affect the health of a horse’s fascia - the connective tissues that surround and support muscles, bones and the horses’s vital organs - resulting in compensations in the horse’s movement, fatigue and potential injury.

Fascia is a continuous multidimensional layer of connective tissue comprised of collagen microtubules and a fluid matrix, it surrounds and supports muscles, bones, organs, blood vessels and nerves in our horses. It is very important in transmission of information and forces throughout the body with multiple myofascial lines being identified in horses in the past few years identifying direct connections from the hindfeet to the jaw as well as a number of lines crossing the body. These connections highlight the importance of fascia in posture and motion of the horse’s body.

Repetition of movements can create fascial stiffness and inflexibility, which may lead to pain, reduced range of motion and increased injury risk. Incorporating varied and dynamic movements in the way the horse uses its body and muscles into your horse’s training promotes fascial pliability and responsiveness, therefore promoting mobility, strength and injury resilience. Maintaining healthy fascia will promote optimal bone, muscle, tendon, ligament and nerve function, allowing for smoother movements and overall reducing stress on the horse’s musculoskeletal system.

Fascia is very adaptable and responsive when healthy and will adjust and renew to meet demand. However, fascia renewal takes time and it is much preferred to maintain its health than rely on renewal.

Fascia protects an injury while it heals by restricting its flexibility—which, over time, can become ‘stuck’ due to adhesions/scar tissue, however once the injury is healed, the fascia stays ‘stuck’, which creates compensations in the horse’s movement to develop, such as difficulties bending or cantering in one direction. Bodywork can help release the stuck places for a return to flexibility.

MAINTAINING HEALTHY, SUPPLE FASCIA

Research has shown that the quality of fascia is influenced by nutrition, specifically hydration, age and mobilisation.

Hydration

Fascia really does not like dehydration or immobility; it will become stiff, lose integrity and be more inclined to tear. Unfortunately if the fascial covering of muscle tears it does not heal due to the bulging of the muscle through the fascia (like cutting the skin of a sausage) so it is important to look after it as best we can. To address dehydration adequate salt in the horse’s diet is a must, at least 1-2 tablespoons a day and access to fresh, clean water.

LOSS OF e LASTICITY

When movement of the body is limited the collagen fibre angle in fascia is altered and leads to a loss of elasticity and adhesions. Age also influences the adaptability of fascia with increased stiffness, loss of organised structure, deterioration in collagen quality and reduced components of the fluid matrix such as hyaluronan that provide the fascia with its flexibility.

VARIATION IN TRAININ g

Variation in training is an integral way to maintain fascial health and hence musculoskeletal health of your horse regardless of whether you ride dressage, jumping, camp drafting or polo. Understanding the demands of your discipline can be beneficial when determining the types of variation, for example is there a requirement for a lot of twisting and turning, hind end strength in collection or rebound actions such as in jumping.

If properly applied, variation in training does not only benefit fascia, it has wide reaching benefits such as improving circulation, joint mobility, aiding motor control and development of correct reflexes, allowing time for recovery, reducing swelling and improving repair of all connective tissues including microtears in tendons and muscles with improved alignment. Training variation will also promote muscle balance and avoid certain muscles becoming large and overworked while others are weak and floppy or tight, this will aid in postural stability and joint support. Variety is the spice of life and psychological health of the performance horse is a vital component of training.

Variation in training is a good way to maintain fascial and musculoskeletal health of your horse, regardless of discipline.

O V e RTRAININ g

A further benefit of variation in training is to prevent overtraining. Overtraining can result in fatigue, immune suppression, joint wear and tear, poor performance, increased injury risk and psychological challenges.

Those that are performed from the ground (unmounted) and involve teaching the horse to follow a food treat (bait) or track a target with its chin while keeping its feet stationary)

• m icro mo V ements

Slow and controlled, such as stepping over a pole or really slowing the gait down to deliberate individual steps

• d ynamic bouncing mo V ements

Such as gymnastic jumping

• s low and melting mo V ements

Such as massage

• r ehydration breaks

• i n-hand and ridden work

• a whole body approach

This involves onsidering anything and everything that could affect a horse’s health and looking at the whole picture for soundness and wellness in the horse

The aim is to create differing types of variation in your horse’s training and incorporating the important aspects of any training regimen for any discipline. The focus is a happy horse with good posture, balance,