Top-10-List---shutterstock_365560994-[Converted]I remember a couple of years ago when David Letterman was still on TV and his ‘top ten’ lists were probably my favourite part of his show. So I thought it would be a fun idea to post some ‘top 10’ lists that I have compiled over the years; many thanks particularly to Cavallo magazine in Germany, which provided a lot of the ‘food for thought’ on these lists. And someone once told me that lists containing 10 items are the most popular because “10” is a significant number. (We have 10 fingers, 10 toes, there are 10 commandments, etc.)

10 Signs of Saddle Pressure Caused by Poor Saddle Fit

1. Tight muscle at front edge of shoulder blade
2. Lame in the front, if insertion of longissimus pinches at withers
3. Pinched withers cause twitching at the elbow
4. Muscle atrophy (visible dip) at the withers
5. Hair loss, blisters, inability to move the skin around in the SSA
6. Bucking reflex activated by saddle that is too long – causes ‘hopping’
7. Atrophy at the croup – pressure on the spinal nerves causes one-sided development of the muscles as horse tries to avoid pain
8. Energy blockage to the meridians can cause heart, circulatory, and breathing issues
9. Gullet channel which is too narrow impedes expansion of the longissimus can block the movement of the forehand and cause uneven sweating
10. Girth pinching will shorten strides

10 Pros and Cons of Smart Horses

PROS of Smart Horses:
1. have a quick reaction time ( these horses are observant and sensitive to intention – may react before rider actually gives the aids)
2. can concentrate (able to work long and hard and can deal with more repetition when learning)
3. will learn quickly (new tasks are interesting – love the challenges)
4. are easily motivated (praise and rewards increase their willingness to learn)
5. have a great memory (once a lesson is learned, even years later they will react to the stimulus or aid)

CONS of Smart Horses:
6. they tend to spook (will react intensively to distractions)
7. are escape artists (generally very capable motor skills)
8. can be too sensitive (quick reactions and don’t forgive inattention of the rider)
9. will never forget a transgression (will remember pain or lack of rewards – poor experiences are retained)
10. need a smart rider (smart horses need stimulation at least 1/2hour day or will develop stereotypies from boredom.

10 Myths of Horsemanship

Read full article here.

~ Jochen Schleese CMS, CSFT, CSE, courtesy of Saddlefit 4 Life