Vikings and temple dancers

Temple dancers are very flexible, but need stability.

Not all horses are created equal. They are different in character, temperament, conformation and, according to Thomas Mayers, connective tissue properties. Myers, one of the pioneers in the exciting field of fascia research, divides people into two groups when it comes to the nature of their connective tissue. The first group are vikings, people with slightly stiffer connective tissue. They are less flexible, but gain muscle mass quickly. On the other hand, we have temple dancers, whose connective tissue is looser. They are very flexible, but not as strong as vikings. 

Vikings are strong, but require more flexibility.

The same concept can be applied to horses. Some are naturally more flexible and less stable, while other have lots of stability, but lack the flexibility. Think of a big, elegant Warmblood as an example of a temple dancer, and a draft type as a viking. This is not only a fun fact, but something we can use in practice. Generally, temple dancers are great at activities that require diverse movements and big range of motion of the joints - like yoga or dancing. On the other hand, vikings are great at sports that require strength and stability – like weight lifting. Ideally, we want to strike a balance between flexibility and stability, so temple dancers would do well do incorporate strength training into their routine, while vikings would need to make sure they stretch and do activities like yoga. In this way both groups are working on injury prevention, each in their own way. Once again, the same goes for horses. If we want to prevent injuries, we need to strike the balance between flexibility and stability. In doing this, knowing whether your horse is a viking or a temple dancer helps a lot.

If you have a temple dancer on your hands, making sure to build up his core strength is a must, before you ask him for ridden work. Before he can carry a rider effectively, he needs to be able to have control over the range of motion of his flexible spine. He can only do this with a strong core and an understanding of good posture. Most horses these days are temple dancers and the more mobile they are, the more difficult it is to keep them healthy. If they're not strong, the body will compensate by creating stiffness and tension, especially around the pelvis and lumbar spine. This is why it so often happens that temple dancers actually end up being really stiff. When this is the case, we need to first release tension, then build up strength, and only then start working the horse under saddle. When building strength, we can use everything from static core strength exercises, to transitions, working on slopes and the like – anything that gives more stability. The important thing is that it is all done in correct posture. Otherwise, we are just creating more compensation.

You can be creative when building up strength in temple dancers.

On the other hand, vikings are strong and stable and can carry a rider for a long time before something starts to go wrong. The more work they do, the stronger they become, and the more they rely on their big muscles to tackle the extra weight. The downside of this is their bodies eventually also become very stiff and they lose whatever flexibility they had to start with. With vikings, it is very important to do suppling exercises and to diversify the work. Lateral work, cavalleti work, turns, leg yields, all of these are good to supple up a viking. Because they are very stable, a lot of this can be done with a rider on board, assuming the horse has learned what good posture means.

Stretching is a good idea with vikings.