Next time you ride you might consider the hero of weightbearing, your lumbar spine. This segment, between the thoracic vertebrae (associated with ribs) and sacrum (which is part of the pelvis) bears the weight of your body allowing you to sit quietly on your horse yet has enough flexibility to follow his motion. (Photo 1.) […]
In Comparable Parts #7 Carpi Diem I discussed the comparison between your horse’s knee and your wrist. Both have 8 bones in two rows and in many ways are quite similar in the way they function. However as we proceed down below the wrist we find some significant differences between the horse and human skeleton. Below […]
Ever wondered why you have trouble controlling your arms when you ride? Do you have wandering elbows? Do you know where the horse’s upper arm is or how it influences his movement? The humerus sometimes known as the upper arm, long bone of the arm or arm bone might not make you laugh but it […]
Have you ever had anyone poke you in the ribs? Did you tell them to “quit it!” because it was painful or ticklish? Maybe you have learned how to stiffen your ribcage so that when your friend poked you it didn’t hurt. This is what I learned to do as a kid living with a […]
If I asked you to point to your horse’s knee where you would point? Most likely you would point at your horses’ front leg about halfway down, between the upper arm and cannon bone. This is the joint we call the knee in the horse. Where would you point if I asked you to point […]
Have you ever watched your horse standing in the field gently swishing the flies away with his tail? Have you ever been the recipient of one of those tail swishes? It’s amazing how it can sting when the tail hair lashes across your face. You might even have thought on occasion it would be great […]
How many times have you watched your horse reach to scratch his leg or his back? Have you ever had him reach out to you for a carrot? Did you ever wonder about what happens in his neck as he does these movements? If so, you may have realized that he has the advantage when […]
Written by Wendy Murdoch The horse and human skeletons are quite similar, even though we stand in completely different orientations, on either four legs or two. There are some major differences between our skeletons: a horse’s bones are much larger than ours, the proportions are different and we each have a few bones that are […]
Written by Wendy Murdoch How many times have you cleaned your horse’s feet without thinking about it? You take the hoof pick and remove all the dirt, making sure there are no rocks caught between the hoof, the sole and the shoe. While you were cleaning out that hoof, did you ever consider what your […]
Have you ever considered how much your head weighs? Or how much your horse’s head weighs? Well this and other interesting facts might surprise you when you start to compare your head to your horse’s head. Your head weighs about 8 –15 lbs or approximately 8% of your total bodyweight. If you have ever gone […]