Equine leg position and body asymmetry

Have you ever watched your horse eat? If your horse eats from a pile of hay, have you ever looked to see which leg is forward during meals? Is it always the same one?

And why does that matter?

Remember the pictures of Eason on my last post? If you look carefully at each picture, you’ll see she always had her right leg forward. Why does that matter?

Because she never has her right leg forward.

OK, she does now, sometimes.

How did that happen?

Gentle suggestions from me during bodywork and groundwork, and scent exploration and getting to "graze."

Very few horses spend time grazing these days. So many live in small runs with shelters, or even in enclosed stalls with little turnout. Wild horses would spend 10-17 hours a day grazing, one foot forward, then the next, then the next, always moving. Many large farms are implementing track systems where the food is spread out and horses have to walk to get to it as a way of recreating a more natural feeding environment. We can’t all do that, but we can help horses rethink their posture and way of standing with bodywork, scentwork and the right kind of groundwork. In the video below, you’ll see Eason moving around after her scent exploration adventure. She’s relaxed and snacking on the weeds that are breaking through in the round pen. She alternates feet, and spends quite a bit of time with her right foot forward, something she didn’t do when she first got to Shadow Rose Farm, even when grazing. She would take two steps to line up with her left foot forward.

After I’ve finished playing with her in the morning, I put her out in a dry lot pasture for a few hours and I scatter a couple of flakes of hay all over the pasture for her so she can “graze.” As in the round pen, she alternates legs.

At night feed and breakfast, she now will sometimes stand with her right foot forward at her slow hay feeder, but mostly she still picks the left foot. I’ll be watching to see if she alternates more frequently as we continue on this journey.

Which leg does your horse lead with when eating, and what do you do to encourage more symmetrical posture?

I like to sleep on my stomach sometimes, but maybe 10 years ago I realized I always slept with my head turned to the right. When I tried to turn it to the left, I couldn’t. I was locked into an asymmetrical stiffness that felt permanent. I’m pretty stubborn, so I decided to fix it. First, I made a concerted effort to do things right-handed (seeing as I’m left-handed). I mucked stalls, shoveled snow, swept, ran the vacuum cleaner, switched my mouse on my computer, changed hands to brush my teeth. I was terrible at it and had no muscle tone, but week after week, month after month, I got more coordinated and stronger.

I also started turning my head to the left when I lay on my stomach. I could tolerate only a few seconds at first. Then a few minutes, then finally long enough to fall asleep in that position. Now either side is comfortable.

I also did Pilates and took my daughter’s yoga classes.

I’m still crooked, but a lot less crooked than I used to be. Injuries from multiple surgeries on my left side have made my left shoulder problematic. Back in the day (1999) they didn’t prescribe physical therapy or massage after mastectomies. They provided a leaflet with a few exercises, which I did diligently, and let you go on your merry way. And so here I am, 24 years later, with pectoral muscles that hold a grudge and the resulting deep-seated compensations. It’s OK, though, because I can help myself, now, with what I’ve learned from equine massage.

What has that to do with Eason’s right leg being forward in my last posting?

Horses are like people. They are “handed,” in a sense, asymmetrical like us. And if we don’t help them release those asymmetries, they harden over time.