Talking to the nervous system

Last week we talked a little bit about the nervous system, so this week I thought I'd share a nice little exercise as an example of working with the nervous system. It's a gentle technique that is safe to do with any horse, so you can go out and try it for yourself!

I am a huge fan of techniques that involve facilitating rhythmic oscillations or, put simply, rocking a body part side to side or back and forth. This kind of gentle mobilization has a huge effect not only on relaxing the muscles and fascia, but it speaks volumes to the nervous system as well. In the exercise I want to share with you today we will be gently rocking our horse's front end in order to release tension and wake up the nervous system. This will make it easier for him to use his thoracic sling and base of the neck properly.

First of all, a few ground rules. Only do this with a horse you know and trust. Some horses can be sensitive, so make sure they are ok with your touch in the areas we will be working on. Pick a calm, quiet time and place. This type of work requires the horse's full cooperation and attention, so make sure the atmosphere is calm enough that he can focus. Take your time and don't rush. If we want the horse to be calm and relaxed, we need to be calm and relaxed too. And finally, always ask for permission. In this kind of work, we need the horse to be ok with what we are doing. If he says no, don't force it. 

In the first part we will be rocking the lower vertebrae of the horse's neck left to right. Take a moment to (gently!) palpate your horse's neck and locate the lower cervical vertebrae. Place a palm on each side of the vertebrae and wait until the horse relaxes. When he does, start gently rocking the vertebra side to side. Keep the movement as small as you can. The goal here is not to »see how far we can go« or to force a greater range of motion. We are simply asking the horse how much movement he is comfortable with. Look for relaxation. If the horse tenses, make the movement smaller or go back to simply holding the vertebra between your palms. As the horse relaxes, he might be ok with a slightly larger range of motion, but be careful not to overdo it. If your horse is ok with it, you can move your hands up one vertebra and do the same again.

In the first exercise we are gently rocking the neck vertebrae side to side.

In the second part we will be applying the same rocking principle to the thoracic sling. Place one hand on the withers and the other on the sternum (some horses can be sensitive in this region, so be polite). Once the horse relaxes, try rocking his body side to side. Again, the movement should be very small, barely noticeable. To a bystander, it should almost look like you're not doing anything at all. As your horse relaxes into the movement, you can try increasing the range, always keeping the relaxation. A good sign of a relaxed horse is his head rocking gently side to side along with the movement. How long you should do this depends entirely on the horse. Some enjoy this movement a lot and can't get enough of it, while others will only relax for a short time. Listen to what your horse is saying and never force anything.

In the second exercise we are gently rocking the horses front end between his front legs.

I recommend doing this exercise before work to bring awareness to the thoracic sling and neck. Feel free to do it every day, as long as your horse enjoys it. 

If you have any questions about this exercise, feel free to contact me!