Hyperflexion of the neck – a failure of Olympic dimension
Baca Juga

The horse’s caput weighs close 10% of the horse’s body weight. Therefore, a 1200-pound athlete carries 120 pounds at the halt of his neck. The burden lessens every bit the caput is carried high approaching the verticality of the shoulders. By contrast, the burden increases every bit the cervix is held inward a longer position.
In the 19th century, this uncomplicated police force of physics prompted the Prussian Cavalry to promote the total elevation of the neck. Starting inward 1825, the horse’s cervix together with caput were held inward an upright position. The experiment lasted several decades together with then, when the damaging effects of the cervix posture on the horse’s dorsum overwhelmingly disproved the theoretical gain of balance, the technique was abandoned.
By contrast, the Prussian Emperor’s riding Master, Paul Splinzner (1853-1920), lowered together with over-flexed his horse’s cervix completely.
Hyper-flexion of the cervix is non a novel concept. From Splinzner’s days to actual rollkur, the horse’s cervix together with caput went upwardly together with downwards every bit ane fashion succeeded to the other. While on the E side of the Rhine River, Splinzner lowered together with over-flexed his horse’s neck, Francois Baucher (1776-1873) on the westward side promoted inward his “Dernier Enseignements” (last teaching): the systematic elevation of the neck. Decades later, Etienne Beudant (1863-1949) rode his horses amongst the poll the higher yell for of the cervix but occasionally practiced the “ramener extreme,” inward which the writer over-flexed his horses’ cervix “until the horse’s mentum almost touches his breast”.
Years later, inward his “Equitation Raisonee,” (1951) Jack Licart practiced the “extension” of the cervix introducing the concept of stretching. In the French language, “extension” does accept a pregnant of elongation together with stretching. In reality, the lowering of the cervix is a flexion created yesteryear concentric contraction of the lower cervix muscles. In 1973, Harry Bolt warned against the exercise of over-flexing the horse’s neck. Today, hyper-flexion of the horse’s upper cervix is viewed every bit a winning recipe.
Curiously, whether the cervix was held inward a high or depression posture, the theoretical effects were invariably the same: suppleness, stretching, together with greater hind-leg engagement. The rationale may live that the positive results obtained amongst either cervix posture were due to the rider’s science together with the horse’s talent rather than, or fifty-fifty maybe inward spite of the cervix position.
The idea behind the total elevation of the caput together with cervix was to trim back the weight burden of the caput together with cervix on the forelegs. Strangely, the line of piece of work concern that the weight of the caput together with cervix loads the forelegs does non apply to the theories promoting a lowering of the neck. Perhaps the omission is strategic; it is best to avoid a tidings of a work when ane does non desire to know the answer. Maybe inward the proponent’s mind, the idea that the lowering of the cervix stimulates greater appointment of the horse’s hind legs cancels the loading number of the caput together with cervix on the forelegs.
In contrast amongst the idea that the hind legs are propelling the Equus caballus into lightness, technologies that our predecessors did non accept demonstrate that the forelegs, rather than the hind legs, hit the greatest percent of upward propulsive force. “In horses, together with most other mammalian quadrupeds, 57% of the vertical impulse is applied through the thoracic limbs, together with solely 43% through the hind limbs.” (H. W. Merkens, H. C. Schamhardt,G. J. van Osch, A. J. Van den Bogert, 1993).
Hence, loading the forelegs does hamper the horse’s powerfulness to displace frontward together with perform soundly together with efficiently.
In 1969, James Rooney illustrated the kinematics of the forelegs yesteryear demonstrating how the forelegs hit an upward propulsive force. Each line of the master drawing represents a segment of the forelimbs, scapula, humerus, etc. For clarity, nosotros supersede the lines amongst existent bond structures. The termination demonstrates how the forelegs hit upward propulsive forces.
At the walk, the horse’s limbs primarily human activity every bit levers (inverted pendulum), pushing the horse’s body forward. At the trot, they human activity similar springs. The canter combines both a pendulum together with bouncing action. “In inverted pendulum gaits similar walk, the limbs human activity every bit stiff struts over which the body vaults. In the bouncing gaits similar trot, the limbs human activity every bit a fountain together with the body centre of volume moves similar a bouncing ball. Equine gallop mightiness accept both bouncing together with pendulum aspect.” (Mechanical Analysis of Locomotion, Liduin S. Meershoek together with Anton J. Van den Bogert, 2002).
The fountain metaphor is non close a spiral-like construction compressing together with rebounding, but rather the piece of work of elastic structure; similar tendons together with ligaments that shop unloosen energy when they elongate. The unloosen energy is released when they provide to their normal length. “The muscular piece of work of galloping inward horses is halved yesteryear storing together with returning elastic strain unloosen energy inward spring-like muscle-tendon units. These brand the legs human activity similar a child’s pogo stick that is tuned to stretch together with recoil at 25 strides per second.” (Alan M. Wilson, M. Polly McGuigan, Anne Su, Anton J. Van den Bogert, Horses Damp the Spring inward Their Step, 2001)

In the kickoff 20% of the opinion phase, the powerfulness flows downward together with is absorbed yesteryear the flexors of the fetlock joint.
From 20% to 45% the powerfulness catamenia is reversed: the fetlock musculus produces power, piece simultaneously, the coffin flexors absorb unopen to powerfulness from the hoof.
From 45% to 60%, the powerfulness flows downward together with is absorbed yesteryear the fetlock together with coffin articulation flexors.
From 60% to 90%, the fetlock flexors ane time again hit power. Simultaneously, the coffin flexors absorb powerfulness from the pastern together with hoof.
In the concluding 10% of the opinion phase, both the fetlock together with coffin flexors hit powerfulness which is used to increment the mechanical unloosen energy of the lower limb.
The fountain of a child’s pogo stick is designed to rebound optimally when compressed nether the average weight of a child.
If a large adult plays amongst a child’s pogo stick, the fountain volition live compressed beyond its structural efficiency together with the elastic recoil volition live markedly reduced.

Likewise, increased weight on the front end limbs volition markedly alteration the forelegs’ capacity of elastic recoil.
The complexity of the organization underlines its vulnerability to weight increase. For instance, if ane concentrates on the fetlock together with coffin articulation only, a sophisticated network of powerfulness absorption together with powerfulness production occurs.
From the fetlock, all the agency to the muscles supporting the body from the front end legs, the whole construction is designed to shop together with provide elastic strain energy.
For instance, the biceps muscle-tendon organization stretches every bit the forelimb upon set down contact moves backward. At 90% of the back upwardly phase, when the heel lifts upwardly together with the hoof clears the ground, the biceps muscle-tendon organization catapults the front end leg forward.
“Horses cannot attain the high powerfulness output required for rapid limb protraction yesteryear uncomplicated musculus contraction together with they instead deploy an elastic biceps musculus to shop together with thus publish outburst of energy. This muscle’s catapult activity has an output that is comparable to over 100 times its volume of non-elastic muscle.” (Alan M. Wilson, Johanna C. Watson, Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Catapult Action for Rapid Limb Protraction, 2003.)

Several years agone trainers attempted to do artificial elevation of the knees during piaff yesteryear hitting the horse’s front end legs amongst a bamboo pole. This is an instance of practices that are designed to encompass the flaws of inefficient grooming techniques.
Such practices are failure of Olympic dimensions.
Instead of using actual noesis of equine physiology to optimize the elastic strain unloosen energy of the forelegs, trainers dusted the bamboo pole from the jumper’s attic, condemning extraordinarily talented horses to performances below their potential.
The forelegs are designed to recoil optimally to a given weight. Influencing the kinematics of the hind legs together with the biomechanical properties of the horse’s vertebral column, riders accept the capacity to regulate the weight loading the forelegs. This tin live done yesteryear adapting the riding techniques to an actual agreement of the equine vertebral column mechanism.
Neck postures that charge the front end limbs alteration proper machinery of the forelegs, together with consequently, the horse’s gaits together with performance. In this matter, the hyper-flexion of the cervix combined amongst a depression cervix posture, which is the Rollkur approach, increases the charge on the forelegs.
During the back upwardly phase, which describes the fourth dimension the hoof is on set down contact, the front end hoof exerts kickoff on the set down a forcefulness inward the direction of the motion. This sequence of the pace is referred to every bit the “braking phase” together with lasts from alighting until close 40% of the back upwardly phase. After peak vertical, which is the instant where the front end leg is acting vertically onto the ground, the front end hoof exerts on the set down a forcefulness inward a direction opposed to the direction of the movement. This sequence of the pace is referred to every bit the “pushing phase”.
The term “braking” is a piffling confusing. Perhaps a ameliorate term would live “shock-absorbing phase”. During this sequence, the joints, ligaments, tendons, together with muscles of the forelegs absorb the behave on forces. The forelegs’ capacity to hit vertical impulse is generally produced during the pushing phase. While measurements gauge that the braking stage lasts during the initial 40% of the fourth dimension the hoof is on the set down together with the pushing stage lasts the adjacent 60%, variables occur inward regard to the province of affairs together with the demand. If the body province of affairs is increased weight on the forelegs, the horses may increment intensity together with duration of the braking phase. When a Equus caballus exhibits a trot that is fast, apartment together with without suspension, amongst a seemingly four-beat trot wherein the forelegs displace faster than the hind legs, the braking activity of the forelegs is increased, together with consequently, the propulsive activity is decreased.

The braking stage lasts from behave on to 40% of the fourth dimension the hoof remains on the ground.


A clip below from the video, “From Mediocre Gaits to World Class Movement” exhibit precisely the province of affairs that led an 18.1 manus Equus caballus to exhibit a mediocre trot. The Equus caballus became an extraordinary mover when it was possible to trim back the weight loading the forelegs. Instead of opposing the braking activity of the forelegs amongst the propulsive activity of the hind legs, the Equus caballus gained residual command together with outstanding gaits, thereby increasing the propulsive activity of the forelegs.
It was possible to diminish the weight loading the forelegs, avoiding whatever cervix posture that could accept increased the charge on the forehand, together with developing the biomechanical properties of the horse’s vertebral column. How such instruction was achieved is beyond the ambit of this tidings together with is fully explained inward the upcoming DVD.
Just every bit the operate of bamboo pole tried to salvage appearances when the grooming technique failed to properly coordinate the horse’s physique for the effort, the hyper-flexion of the cervix denies the Equus caballus the chance of beingness properly educated for the performance. The abuse is close control. The horses are frequently extraordinary athletes, but the riders accept non kept upwardly amongst the development inward education, thus they need submission of their horses, piece inducing strain inward an expanse of the cervix that does non accept the capacity to back upwardly strain.
The riders’ skills are undeniable, but the techniques applied demean the horses’ talents together with jeopardize soundness. Breakdowns occur when repetitious abnormal stresses are loading the forelegs.
A recent written report on human newborn babies has explored the relation betwixt facial facial expression together with physical pain. Like horses, babies do non accept many ways to limited discomfort or pain. The mutual denominator of every facial painting exhibit of horses working inward hyper-flexion of the cervix is distress together with discomfort. It would live gravely unethical to consent that horses should endure for the expert of the rider’s ego. The idea becomes intolerable when ane realizes that in that location is no athletic payoff of working the horses inward such restraint.
It is extremely unfortunate that instead of exploring a to a greater extent than advanced shape of equitation optimizing the horses’ talent through subtle orchestration of their vertebral column’s properties, otherwise skilled riders accept elected to reactivate a technique of the 19th century inward companionship to subdue extraordinarily gifted horses. Even if intense lobbying attempts to brand hyperflexion of the horse’s upper cervix await similar progress, the approach is a pull back. It retrogrades equestrian instruction dorsum a century. However ane looks at it from the perspective of the equine physiology, from an aesthetic yell for of view, or from the perspective of human ethic, the concept of gaining command exploiting a weak business office of the horse’s physique is ugly.
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