Hunter's bump – restoring functionality
Restoring functionality in the hind end will depend on the individual horse.
Last week we talked a little bit about what a hunter's bump is and how it occurs. Today I want to delve a bit more into the practical aspect of dealing with this issue. In most cases a hunter's bump is an indication of an old injury, which has or hasn't yet healed. Usually, we are dealing with a hunter's bump that's been there for years – maybe even since the horse was a foal. Just because the horse hasn't done any work doesn't mean he didn't fall in the pasture, slip in the mud or bump the side of his pelvis at full speed into a fence gate.
Every horse, every injury and every situation is different, so it's difficult to find a one-size-fits-all approach. Often, horse owners will tell me that the hunter's bump which has been there for years isn't a problem at all, and then proceed to say that their horse sometimes drags their toes, that they're lazy, they tend to knock down every cavaletti or they have a hard time with the left canter. These are all symptoms of hind end dysfunction that may well be caused by the initial injury which caused the hunter's bump. The first thing to do when pondering about the significance of the hunter's bump is to write down all the training issues the horse has. They don't have to be major issues, write down even the smallest things. This will give you some insight into how functional his body is. The next thing is to look at muscular development. Are his hind end muscles evenly developed or is there an obvious overdevelopment in the croup? Does one side of the pelvis have more muscle development than the other? Are the hamstrings super tight while there is an obvious lack of the quadriceps group? All of this can tell you that the horse is not using his hind end in a balanced way. The next step is to talk to your hoof care provider. Ask him or her about hoof wear patterns, about left-right asymmetry, about his overall balance. This will also tell you how the horse is using his pelvis.
Unevenly developed muscles in the hind end (in this photo compare the left and right side of the croup) are a sign of dysfunction.
If his performance, muscular development and hoof balance have indicated that his hind end might be dysfunctional, you have work to do. Restoring functionality, especially if it stems from an old injury, takes time and patience. I wish I could say something like, »do these bodywork techniques every day for a month, then start doing this groundwork exercise and after two months your horse will be perfect«. Unfortunately, things are never that simple. Most of the time it's a good idea to start with a bodywork session, to determine the extent of dysfunction, release some of the tension and restore some range of motion. After we know which muscles need to strengthen and which to release, we can set up a selection of exercises.
Overdeveloped hamstrings (green arrow) and an underdeveloped quadriceps group (orange arrow) are very common in horses with a hunter’s bump.
In the beginning, these will include a lot of proprioceptive exercises and exercises to address the overall posture. I usually like to do a check-up after a few weeks to see how things have changed. Release some more tension, restore some more range of motion, come up with a new set of exercises. Eventually, the exercises will focus less on proprioception and more on strengthening. The goal is to achieve even muscular development in the hind end (and the rest of the body for that matter). Even muscles mean an even pull on the joints and an even range of motion in all directions. The road to a functional hind end might be windy and uneven, but in the end, it is well worth the effort.