Tightness – what is the body protecting?
Tight muscles are most often a symptom, not a standalone issue. Whenever we are dealing with recurring tightness, we need to ask ourselves - what is the body trying to protect?
Tightness in the hamstrings is very often a symptom of a bigger issue.
Tight backs, tight hamstrings, tight poll muscles – these are very common issues in the ridden horse. While we often like to think of tightness as a standalone issue, it is rarely that. Whenever we are dealing with tightness, we need to ask ourselves, what is it doing there. Tightness is actually the body's response to a threat. It's a way to protect a certain area from injury. So, whenever we are dealing with tightness, we need to ask, what is it protecting?
A tight back for example is very often a protective mechanism for the spine and the nerves exiting the spinal canal. The vertebrae house the spinal cord, which is part of the central nervous system. It's one of the systems that the body simply cannot do without. Excessive movement between the vertebrae could potentially have a harmful impact both on the spinal cord and on the nerves exiting the spinal canal and innervating the body. This is why it needs to be protected at all costs. Whenever the body perceives that there is potential for injury, it recruits surrounding muscles to tighten and limit the movement. Thus, a tight back is actually protecting the spine. One of the main reasons why the spine needs protecting is a weakness in the stabilizing muscles – the small, deep muscles surrounding the vertebrae. If these guys aren't doing their job, the spine is in danger and the bog muscles of the back have to pick up the slack. So, if your horse tends to have a tight back, it might be time to start addressing those stabilizing muscles. When there is no more danger of injury, the tightness won't be necessary anymore.
A tight back is often a compensation for weak stabilizing muscles.
Something similar often happens with tight hamstrings. Very often we see horses with overdeveloped, sensitive and tight hamstrings – the muscles at the back of the thigh. This is always a sign of a bigger issue. Hamstrings tightness goes hand in hand with pelvic dysfunction. If there is a limited range of motion in the hind end, and we still ask the horse to perform elements that require hind end engagement, instead of lowering the hind end and bending the joints, the horse will simply take the extra range of motion from the hip and knee joint. This means the hamstrings will be overlengthened. Nerves and blood vessels don't like being overstretched, so the body protects them by shortening the hamstrings. If we then just release the hamstrings, we are taking away that protection and might cause even bigger issues down the line. Very often, this will show up as an SI issue.
If your bodyworker tells you your horse is tight in the same region every time they treat your horse, it's time to start thinking about what the body is trying to protect and what we can do to protect it in a better way. Maybe we need to develop more stabilizing muscles, maybe we need to increase the range of motion, maybe we need to teach the horse how to use his body better. A good bodyworker will be able to give you advice on where to start and how to tackle these issues so they don't keep coming back.