Bodywork and Young Horses

Apr 15
3 min read

There’s a lot of awareness these days bringing continual education into the negative effects of working young horses too hard too soon – particularly in the racing industry. I’m sure many of you, like me, see the Facebook posts detailing musculoskeletal damages such as a sprung pelvis, metacarpal disease, tendon damage, kissing spine or even gastric ulcers to name a few various presentations. But I’m curious to know, how far along are we coming in terms of recognizing the benefits of bodywork for our young horses?

Yes it’s another expense, especially for owners who are also needing to engage the services of a trainer for foundational training and starting, but the advantages of preserving the longevity of our loved equines - in my opinion - far outweigh the potential negative outcomes.

Younger horses can look older than what they are mentally and physically. Did you know that physical growth and full maturity of their bodies doesn’t occur until (on average) around 6-7 years of age? This make it all the more important for us to be mindful of their journey into ‘adulthood’ as we build our relationships and begin to ask more of them.

Bodywork helps bring together the best possible outcome between physical and mental development for your young horse. What affects the body affects the mind – and what affects the mind affects the body.

Although young horses may not have the chronic aches and pains that come with age, there are still plenty of reasons to start bodywork early.

A Quick Look at Inside vs Outside

Did you know, according to the research of Dr. Harold Hintz, Thoroughbreds and other light horse breeds will reach 84% of their mature height at just 6 months of age? At 12 months, they will have reached 97%.

To the eye, a younger horse may look well put together and developed - but now let’s take a look at what’s happening on the inside, because being put into full work before their bodies have had a chance to catch up is likely more than their still developing bones are able to support.

Physical growth and full maturity of a horses body (on average) doesn’t occur until around 6-7 years of age – and bone density is directly impacted by the horse’s ability to move.

This great graphic, created by Naomi Tavian (@equinaomi), illustrates just how long it takes for the horse to fully mature.

This second graphic backs this up, and demonstrates the growth plate fusion time frames – this is where areas of cartilage at the ends of long bones ossify and close as the horse matures.

As you can see, there is still a lot going on in these bodies until full maturity is reached, and as mentioned above, the horses movement can have a direct impact on this development. This is where bodywork joins into your team of qualified professionals – and let’s not forget the early mental development and response to physical and mental stressors. What affects the mind affects the body, and what affects the body affects the mind.

So How Can Bodywork Help?

Equine bodywork consists of static and dynamic observations, palpations and techniques to help identify and address patterns and abnormalities. Overall, early intervention enhances your horse’s well-being and fitness through:

Supporting their bodies through growth spurts. (Such as tension in the stifles/hocks, which also causes other secondary concerns due to compensation).
Improving posture – and can help correct limb deviation in foals.
Reducing the impact of compensatory patterns. We can also include intercepting the development of club foot here.
Improving range of motion.
Helping to balance the body and support symmetry.
Aiding in reduced pain and discomfort.

If left untreated that one small problem could potentially come one big problem as the continual cycle of compensation through the horse’s body starts to affect more than one area, and your horse becomes increasingly uncomfortable.

Other Advantages:

Assists in addressing behavioral problems.
It is a good way for your bodyworker (and you) to get to know the ‘baseline’ for your horse.
The relationship and trust between you and your horse will deepen in a sustainable way.
Helps to release ‘somatic’ energy. Focuses on the mind-body connection. This energy is stored in the body based on their early experiences and is linked to the emotional, psychological, and nervous system states.

The ability to process and release tension is a learned skill. A young horse that is comfortable being touched, knows how to release tension and has a healthy musculoskeletal system, will be much easier to train – leading to a healthier, happier life. In the young horse’s development and training, physical and mental health are equally important. How this develops will shape their adult life.

Bodywork is truly a mind-body approach to the foundational well-being of our young horses.