Five Ways to Strengthen a Swayback Horse

Lordosis, commonly known as swayback, is the weakening of a horse’s supporting ligaments along the spine. Swayback can be caused by a number of different things such as genetics, age, conformation, pregnancy, excessive strain on the back and a lack of exercise. There is no permanent cure for swayback however there is different exercises and precautions that can be taken to strengthen a swayback horse.

5 Methods to Strengthen a Swayback

1. Longeing your horse with side reins at a working walk or trot encourages the horse to drop their head and round their back. This is a very good exercise for a horse with swayback. Whenlongeing the horse, the horse must move forward with enough energy to stretch his legs under him and round his back.Ground Driving
2. Ground driving is an in-hand technique where the horse is equipped with a surcingle, bridle, and a pair of long driving reins. Ground driving is a good alternative for riding a horse with a weak back. The handler will hold the reins and walk behind the horse to drive him forward. This will encourage the horse to swing and lift his back while engaging his abdominal muscles.
3. Cavaletti work is riding the horse over ground poles. This encourages a horse to lower his head and lift his back. Thecavalettis help improve balance, flexibility and strength.
4. Carrot stretches help to stretch a horse’s spine and surrounding ligaments. Simply hold bait (such as a carrot) close enough to the horse’s mouth where he will stretch to get it. Move the bait around the horse’s body(i.e.toward a shoulder, elbow, or hip). This will help your horse use his full range of motion by stretching and relaxing the body.
5. Using properly fitted equipment on your horse that fits him properly will help them tremendously. It will help to properly distribute weight on yourhorse’s back while riding and keep from pinching or irritating your horse’s muscles. Therapeutic saddle pads are extremelyhelpful in this aspect.

In addition to these methods, Benefab’s Therapeutic Fitted Saddle Pad is made up of ceramicnano-particles. This fabric emits far-infrared rays keeping back musclessupple and relaxed.It also helps harmonize bodily functionssafely and naturally stimulating recovery time, promoting blood circulation, increasing oxygen flow, and ultimately reducing pain and stiffness. The material isbreathable withwicking qualities and is water resistant foreasy cleaning.

Although there is no cure for swayback, it is easy to control it and prevent it from getting worse. To purchase your very ownBenefab Therapeutic Saddle Pad, click here.

For more information on swayback, click here.