Favorite Finds 40
Today is leg day for Favorite Finds! All of today’s finds relate to legs, human and horse!
Cannon Keratosis
Leg crud, stud crud, cannon crud…I think everyone has seen this or dealt with it first hand with their horses but do you really know what it is? The waxy hair that develops on the hind legs of some horse and when you brush it or pick at it, it comes off in clumps? It’s real name is cannon keratosis and this quick article and video describe what it is and how to handle it. There are many misconceptions around why some horses get cannon keratosis but this article hopefully clears up any misunderstandings you may have.
Hamstring Exercise
Tight hamstrings are a common issue with riders, a lot of times it makes the leg pull upward in the saddle not allowing the leg to drape nicely down, especially if the rider has tight hip flexors. This exercise from Jack at @jack.equibody.fitness is a great start to lengthen your hamstrings. As the caption says, your start point will not look like Jack’s but you want to edge towards uncomfortable but not painful.
Tendonitis or Bowed Tendon
Most equestrians have heard of a bowed tendon but did you know they can vary in severity and the sooner it is diagnosed the better? The cause is generally an overextending of the superficial digital flexor tendon, commonly seen in racing and jumping but not limited to those disciplines. Be sure to read through the whole caption as well as looking at the pictures to better understand what to look for when you suspect a bowed tendon or tendonitis.
Opening the Hip and Lengthening the Leg
I love these article by Susanne von Dietze for Dressage Today. Susanne evaluates a picture of a horse and rider and then Susanne suggests a few ways to work on the biomechanics of horse and rider. In this specific article, Susanne explains how the rider in the picture needs to open her hip and lengthen through the leg. She suggests many ways to help this rider with her hip and leg issue and I think many riders can relate to the position this rider takes in the saddle. Be sure to read through the exercises Susanne suggests, Susanne has such great ideas, I know these exercises will help many of you out there!