Strengthening hind stifle on the ground

[equinelibrium]

My vet recommended this exercise for stifles. Set a muck tub upside down and place 4 poles on top so they’re slanted like one-sided cavaletti. Kind of like this picture but with the poles spread out evenly at 12:00, 3:00, 6:00, and 9:00.

https://goo.gl/images/T8Wivi

You start out by walking around the edges of the poles where they touch the ground, and slowly spiral in so the horse has to lift his inside hind leg higher to avoid hitting the pole. It’s supposed to be good at helping strengthen the inside hind leg without putting too much stress on anything else.

Hope this helps!

[anon55755751]

Like Cat Tap’s suggestion, search for “isometric exercises for stifle” or similar to find a lot of ideas for things you can do while the horse is standing still. PT after a stifle injury should include these kinds of exercises, and not lunging. Leading over ground poles or cavaletti in a figure 8 pattern is a good exercise for stifles too. Slow is good - make him think about shifting his weight and deliberately lift the leg to clear the pole.

[Dr_Doolittle]

@Cat Tap

My horse chiro gave me an exercise to strengthen the stifle. While the horse is standing either on cross ties or in his stall, grab his tail half way down and pull it gently to the weak side. You will see the stifle muscle flex if done correctly. Hold it there for a few seconds then repeat about 10 times. My horse had no objection to this procedure but I guess you need to be careful when you first try it. This should be done daily.

This has the bonus of strengthening the core/trunk and stabilizer muscles.

I have a mare with a long back who is straight through the stifle; in order to maintain her core and stifle strength (and soundness and symmetry), I do all of the aforementioned excercises in addition to backing over poles - along with Hilary Clayton’s core strengthening exercises.

[teamfire]

Thanks for everyone’s advice and ideas.

Just wanted to repeat this is not rehab nor a medically weak stifle. Just a strong dressage horse who will be losing his main rider and want ideas to keep UP his strength

I did manage to do a lot undersaddle in walk, lots of shoulder-in/travers on circles and just a tad of collected trot and canter transitions. Felt good while riding but had to hold on to him to walk back to his stall!! Will experiment with just walk excerises only before counting me out.

[Foxtrot_s]

Our well respected physio also suggested the uneven cavaletti poles for our pony - so the leg needing the work had to step higher over the high end of the uneven poles.

[TMares]

Backing in hand along a rail to ensure he’s straight

lateral tail pulls

walking over uneven poles as described above

don’t reject the “PT” approach just because it seems like rehab. It’s work.

[Hazelnut]

Try looking up the book/cd “Activate Your Horse’s Core” by Dr.'s Hilary Clayton and Narelle Stubbs. A whole set of ground exercises that can strengthen the horse using baited stretches and reflexes.

[Dr_Doolittle]

@Hazelnut

Try looking up the book/cd “Activate Your Horse’s Core” by Dr.'s Hilary Clayton and Narelle Stubbs. A whole set of ground exercises that can strengthen the horse using baited stretches and reflexes.

Yes, I have found this to be very effective as an addition to all the ground (and ridden) exercises My vet actually suggested it to me, she has also shown me various stretches and “mobilizations”; every little bit helps tremendously! I do them 5 days a week, but you can do them daily.

[Jackie_Cochran]

The first time I was pregnant when I got to 6-7 months my pubic bone started HURTING when I rode my horse in a relatively deep Stubben Siegfried (I thought it would be more secure for me.) This pain often lasted a few hours after dismounting.

My next pregnancy I wised up and used my Crosby jumping saddle, with a lot shallower seat, and I had no pain from riding my horse even up to the day before childbirth.

If you have to get up on your horse’s back I suggest borrowing a shallow seated jump saddle. At 7 months you might just want to walk a lot, luckily there is a lot of training a rider can do at a walk. The “counted walk” though very, very slow seems to strengthen the horse’s legs quite well.

[teamfire]

@Jackie Cochran

The first time I was pregnant when I got to 6-7 months my pubic bone started HURTING when I rode my horse in a relatively deep Stubben Siegfried (I thought it would be more secure for me.) This pain often lasted a few hours after dismounting.

My next pregnancy I wised up and used my Crosby jumping saddle, with a lot shallower seat, and I had no pain from riding my horse even up to the day before childbirth.

If you have to get up on your horse’s back I suggest borrowing a shallow seated jump saddle. At 7 months you might just want to walk a lot, luckily there is a lot of training a rider can do at a walk. The “counted walk” though very, very slow seems to strengthen the horse’s legs quite well.

Did it hurt you while riding too? I find that I feel GREAT while on the horse, but as soon as my feet are on the ground… ouch.

I’m finding I can do walk rides, so long as i keep it short. There is a lot to do while walking. I forgot about counting steps! Thanks

i can feel him wanting to do big stuff after a lot of walk as he becomes so supple and relaxed, so I do feel for the dude! But he has been so great

[Jackie_Cochran]

Oh, the Stubben caused a lot of pain in my pubic bone while I was riding. As I got more pregnant I hurt more, and my rides got shorter and shorter. I was DETERMINED to ride as long as I could even though I hurt.

The next pregnancy, Crosby saddle, I did not hurt at all, riding or after riding, unless I “twisted” wrong in the saddle. When I corrected my seat the pain went away and stayed away. I still had shorter rides the last month of my pregnancy, but I was TIRED (working full time, toddler at home, long drive to the stable, etc…)

I have used the “counted walk” on several hot horses (tb, Arabs, part-Arabs) and I find that they get into it, and are sort of reluctant to stretch out after a few minutes at the counted walk, as in I have to use more leg to get the horse from the counted walk to regular walk than I do for other upward transitions.

[ivy62]

what kind of treatment have you done for the stifles? I agree not to have leasers that will not help. Can he be turned out for a few months in a place that he can naturally go up and down the hills on his own? Lunging is not really good for stifles… My horse Is just coming back from this injury… Did he require surgery?

[teamfire]

@ivy62

what kind of treatment have you done for the stifles? I agree not to have leasers that will not help. Can he be turned out for a few months in a place that he can naturally go up and down the hills on his own? Lunging is not really good for stifles… My horse Is just coming back from this injury… Did he require surgery?

None of the above. Perfectly healthy horse with healthy stifles. Never had any treatment as never had an injury.

Like most horses, he has a natural tendency to be one sided. He is quite strong right now with correct work over the years.

I’m just pregnant and I can’t ride him to keep up his strength and looking for ways I can still keep him fit while I am unable to ride. His leasers do not ride with the same intensity as I do and just want to prevent him becoming unfit as it took years to get him strong.

[ambar]

Jec Ballou’s Equine Fitness book has an exercise where you walk the horse in hand, slowly… s l o w l y… over a hay bale, or something similarly sized and soft (I think a collapsible laundry basket was another suggestion).

[ivy62]

I also had a young horse with weak stifle that the vet did an internal blister and it worked like a charm…