Why 5 to 10 min of stretching trot can improve the bascule of your horse?
▫️What is the bascule ?
Bascule happens during phase 3 of a jump ( Approach, Take Off, Flight & Bascule , Landing, Recovery)
In flight, the horse leaves the ground, traveling up, forward, and over the obstacle in an arc or “bascule”.
His neck extends forward and down as his shoulders rotate, raising and folding his forelegs to the utmost as they pass over the highest point of the obstacle. The lowering of the head and neck pulls on the nuchal and dorsal ligament systems, especially the Supraspinous ligament that runs down the top of the back. This helps create the bascule or arc in the horse’s body. As the back rounds, the hindquarters rise and the hind legs begin to fold.
▫️Benefits in trotting long and low for jumping:
Correct long and low is good for developing the core.
Lowering the neck promotes lengthening of the epaxial muscles (above the spine) and the vertebral column to support the riders weight.
Tension of the Supraspinous ligaments and recruiting the abdominal muscles facilitates hind limb engagement.
⬜️ In short, neck extension will stretch the Nuchal & Supraspinous ligaments , with are 2 important keys in the bascule movement.
🔺 Biomechanics example 🔺
Jumping with a stiff, hollow back or retracted neck prevents a good bascule and causes a stiff, inhibited jump. Without a good bascule, the forelegs cannot be lifted as high or folded as tightly, and the hind legs may trail too low and hit the obstacle.
🔺 Biomechanics example from Crimson🔺
These 2 pictures have been shot exactly 1 year appart with the same rider.
The results obtained here, are in progression, and not always perfect.
REMEMBER you are working with animal, so it will never be perfect on 100% of the jumps.
BUT that being said you can clearly see a difference on his neck movement, with his nose reaching lower and farther away, allowing him to be looser in his back, having a better bascule and giving him more room to retract the shoulders which help him to have a better front leg style.
▪️This is not ONLY due to stretching but in addition to all the flat work and jumping grids.
▪️I just though that Crimson was a good live example on how stretching can make a big difference. For information, he arrived last year with a “cold back” syndrome, stiff shoulders and neck movements, with short hind legs engament.
▪️Now again, he will never become Totilas, but he is improving everyday and this is what matter the most.
Sources:
Comments