Do foals and youngsters need bodywork?
Even though they are not in work, foals and youngsters still benefit from bodywork. Solving minor issues ca prevent bigger problems further down the line.
Research shows that birth trauma is actually very common in foals.
People often ask, if bodywork is appropriate for foals and horses that haven't been ridden yet. While not all horses need bodywork at all times, very often horses will need manual therapy before they start ridden (or any kind of) work. Why is this?
Despite what we might think, riding is not the only thing that can trigger compensation patterns and tension in the horse's body. Compensation is actually a very normal thing in nature, as it assures that an animal can go on living with minor (or sometimes major) dysfunction in its body. Compensation patterns can be triggered by many things – anything from birth trauma, to unfortunate falls and slips or even challenges in the environment, such as deep mud or a particular feeding arrangement.
Research shows that as many as 20% of new-born foals have some degree of injury on the ribcage area (D. Jean 1999). While the problems might not be glaringly obvious, and might not even cause any lameness in the foal, they do influence the way the foal moves and carries himself. By the time we start working with him when he is four or five, the compensation patterns are already developed. This will most likely cause some issues in his work, like a preference for one lead over another, a difficulty bending on one hand and the like. If problems stemming from birth trauma are treated early, we can prevent them from becoming in issue in the future.
Falling or slipping in the field is another reason why a youngster might benefit from bodywork before he starts to work under saddle or on the lunge. What I often see in youngsters is dysfunction around the pelvic area, stemming from the horse slipping forward with one of the hind legs. When this happens, the horse might not even be lame, because there are so many muscles around the area that can tighten to add support to the painful region. If the muscles around the pelvis are tight for long enough, the horse will adapt a new »normal« way of moving. This might include over-stabilizing the pelvis or reducing the range of motion of one or both hind legs. In the long run, this not only creates stiff movement, but negatively impacts the function of the back as well. This might not be a huge problem as long as the horse enjoys his care-free life out in the pasture, but once he starts working, it will most likely cause many issues. Since prevention is better than cure, solving these issues before they become real problems, is always a good idea.