Want a Lope You'll Love? Try Yoga + Bodywork

In this episode, April Love, in response to a fan question, explains how her horse yoga program can help improve a horse's gait, making both the trot and canter smoother.

The yoga exercises serve as diagnostic tools to address issues such as neck stiffness, shoulder restrictions, and spinal problems, which can lead to choppy trots and uneven canters. She highlights five key stretches, each targeting different parts of the horse’s body, to release tension and improve flexibility.

April emphasizes that while the yoga can help, more severe issues such as first rib misalignment often require deeper work through her Equine Musculoskeletal Unwinding program. She offers detailed online courses and diagnostics to help horse owners maintain their horses' well-being and prevent costly vet bills.

Yoga Video FREE Yoga for Horses to help keep them healthy sound and rideable thru their 30's! - YouTube

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Transcript

00:00:29 Speaker 1

Hi, this is Lillian and I'm here.

00:00:31 Speaker 1

With April Love

00:00:32 Speaker 1

We have a question through the fan mail, from Utah. The listener asks, does your horse yoga help to have a smoother lope as well as a smoother trot?

00:00:45 Speaker 3

So, it does. The horse yoga was really developed for my regular clients because they're like, how come my horse gets back this way? What can I do in between” 

00:00:58 Speaker 3

Before I did all $19,000 of courses that I took, I was asking my bodyworker for the same thing because I was doing endurance. What can I do so you're not always working on the same thing? You know, I don't know. See you next month. I'm like, great, how did my horse get this way? Those were all my questions. And the moves that I do.

00:01:18 Speaker 3

In my Unwinding level, 1 are kind of part of the yoga.

00:01:23 Speaker 3

But what people noticed, so I would show the horse owner the yoga. They would forget, they would do it wrong. So then I finally had to make a video on it. So because no matter how many times you explain something to someone, everyone gets a different picture in their head. So I started putting the yoga video out there and people say, wow, I want to learn more.

00:01:43 Speaker 3

Just after four or five days of doing the daily yoga.

00:01:48 Speaker 3

The horse that used to walk away when I came in with a halter is standing at the gate waiting for me to come get him. Sometimes he's out in the pasture doing a downward dog stretching pose just cause he's liking it so much, and they're just.

00:02:03 Speaker 3

You know the horse is more engaged and more willing because you're actually, you know, grooming a horse, feeding him a treat. That's just kind of saying Hi, that's not actually spending time caring about a sentient being and what's actually going on in their body.

00:02:20 Speaker 3

So the five stretches that I made in my horse yoga program are a diagnostic tool. The first one, which is a carrot stretch going back to each stifle, people say wow, my horse could only reach the shoulder or, you know, the rib area where my, you know, foot hangs in the stirrup you can't get all.

00:02:41 Speaker 3

The way back.

00:02:42 Speaker 3

Well, if your neck is too tight, that can start wobbler’s syndrome.

00:02:46 Speaker 3

Arthritic neck. They're really short and tight. They're going to be heavy and choppy on the trot because the neck and Withers are so tight in that area, they can't move their shoulders. If your shoulders are locked up, you know how much can you actually move them?

00:03:04 Speaker 3

So that diagnostic tool tells you how the seven neck bones are doing.

00:03:10 Speaker 3

You can do that when you feed the horse in the morning and night. You don't have to do all five things together, just that neck unwinding. You know, if your neck is tight and locked down, how can you be a barrel racing or jumping horse? How can you elongate that neck to be a nice driving horse or halter horse?

00:03:31 Speaker 3

So that's all about the neck and seven cervical vertebra. Atlas and Axis come out of alignment when the horse sits down, pulls back or puts their head to the fence and pulls back quickly. They misalign those two. Then you'll never have a horse that can flex and bend.

00:03:48 Speaker 3

At the poll.

00:03:50 Speaker 3

And as the rider or trainer is like pulling on the bed saying I need you to bend and flex, they're having to do that out of C3 and C4 instead of up at the poll like they.

00:04:00 Speaker 3

Should.

00:04:01 Speaker 3

So they're going to avoid that. And then next going to get tighter and tighter down to the Withers and ribs and you're going to have a real choppy trot.

00:04:10 Speaker 3

The leg circles is all about the ribs under the shoulder 2 through 5. If those are tight ribs don't actually come out like they're poking, but if you've ever had a side stitch, or pain and you can't stand up straight. And that's our horses. When you're doing those leg circles and pulling it forward.

00:04:30 Speaker 3

They're stretching the intercostals in the girth area. A lot of those Western rings are English rings where you're tightening the girth is right over.

00:04:39 Speaker 3

The intercostal area and that horse needs to be able to stretch for a big stride for a light canter, for a light trot, as well as breathing efficiently. So that's the leg circles down to the drunken horse pose because if the withers are locked up, you're again you're going to have a choppy trot.

00:04:59 Speaker 3

And a lumbering canter, they're not going to be able to stretch out and have a nice smooth gait.

00:05:06 Speaker 3

The tail pull is next, and if your horse is not safe to stand behind, you can tie something to the tail. So it's a little longer. You know, you wrap the end of the tail around and then you do that. You can do that when they're eating. If it's safe, it stretches the lumbar spine area right before the pelvis, right behind the saddle.

00:05:27 Speaker 3

Where we sit.

00:05:28 Speaker 3

And when the psoas and lumbar is tight, you're going to get the kissing spine. The roach back that comes up, you know, that whole horse's lower back is locked up and you're so as muscles, what lifts your stifles? So if you have roach back and hunters bump your horse's hind end is not able to move correctly and pick up the hind legs.

00:05:49 Speaker 3

They might drag the rear toes, going over jumps. They might not be able to tuck up the legs, you know, cavalletti eyes and pull.

00:05:57 Speaker 3

So that's what the tail pole is stretching the lumber. It's almost like an inversion table for horses, like when people can hook their ankles in and slowly go over, and you're stretching your hip sockets open and your lumbar spine open, you're opening and, you know, elongating the whole spine.

00:06:16 Speaker 3

The next one is the butt tuck, again, you know. Be real careful when you're starting that. Sometimes a little grooming tool is better. Like a little rubber grooming tool for doing it. And you just want to get them to tuck up just a little. It's about four inches straight out from the top of the.

00:06:32 Speaker 3

Cell again that stretches the lumbar spine and the psoas muscle. It also frees up the 18th and 17th rib for a horse to be able to canter correctly, the 17th and 18th rib need to be able to expand for that hind leg to come under, so if the whole lower back is locked.

00:06:54 Speaker 3

They're going to be canning with their legs behind them because they can't bring it up to actually collect.

00:07:00 Speaker 3

And the last one is the belly lifts and you should not be using a hard tool for this. This is not a rock or a hoof pick. If you scratch right where the girth goes and the belly doesn't lift all the mid ribs are in spasm. So your horse trying to get them to collect in a canter and be smooth, they're going to be going with a hollow.

00:07:20 Speaker 3

Back and a high head because they cannot release their spine to lift and collect, this is going to affect their breathing, their longevity of endurance racing or cross country. They're not going to be able to really open the diaphragm and get oxygen.

00:07:36 Speaker 3

There'll be the horse that might run fast but then falters at the end. They're not getting enough oxygen. I had quite a few videos where I show for free just how to lift all the ribs on one side and hold.

00:07:49 Speaker 3

And the ribs hook into the spine, so you're actually releasing the spine when you do this. And then you go to the other side and you just lift all the ribs and just hold for a minute as we're lifting the ribs, which are round, they're stretching out the intercostals, and they are releasing the spine. So it's a passive move.

00:08:08 Speaker 3

If your horse is collecting, we combine the belly lift and butt tuck and all the ribs lift and the whole hind end lifts and opens, and usually all the gas will come out. It's a good way to move what's in large and small intestine, blockages sand and stone so people.

00:08:27 Speaker 3

That was the first time they really do the yoga. Their horse poops more because the intestines can actually work better.

00:08:34 Speaker 3

So this is just a good start and this is a daily thing because if your horse can't do a certain part of the yoga and you tack it up and ride it, you're going to have compensations. If you have a therapeutic writing program or you're rehabilitating horses, they need this every day to restructure and rebalance.

00:08:54 Speaker 3

Body and I tell people, you know, get the teenagers involved, you know, tell them if you learn how to do this, I'll pay you $15 a week to do yoga on my horse. You know, you can get the teenagers involved into paying for their own riding lessons and buying their own horse tack and everything. You know, I say use a younger body.

00:09:14 Speaker 3

Don't use your body on those leg circles if possible.

00:09:18 Speaker 3

And if you've done all this, and they still have that rough gate, I guarantee you they have first rib misalignment and that is a signature move. So that is in my Level 1 home study.

00:09:30 Speaker 3

Program that they teach you how to release that. So the first rib impingement comes when a horse can or through mud if they're cantering on that lead, and that leg gets sucked and pulled down, it pulls that first rib and then it can't. The shoulder can't really get past the rib. It's not that it hurts the horse, but it impedes the shoulder movement.

00:09:51 Speaker 3

And I'm seeing a lot of first rib misalignments on both sides in the last.

00:09:56 Speaker 3

5-6 years where it used to only be on one side and the compensation of me, their shoulder being able to move correctly. That hoof is going land toe first. You're using your rumbling trapezius at the base of the neck.

00:10:14 Speaker 3

To lift the shoulder, to bring it through because it can't move correctly, and if the shoulder is not coming through correctly and you're landing toe to heel, that's going to be a short, choppy trot. That horse cannot stretch out and land heel to toe like it should be.

00:10:31 Speaker 3

And the yoga will help, but it's not going to fix the issue. The yoga is a diagnostic tool and if you have to ride that horse, you know, therapy, riding session, do the yoga again after the saddle is off, you can do it.

00:10:46 Speaker 3

Barrel racing in shows and events, you can loosen the girth and run them through the yoga program. You know staying tacked up. Make sure everything is working correctly in the horse's body for each event, and you'll have an amazing horse at the end of.

00:11:00 Speaker 3

The day so.

00:11:02 Speaker 3

If you release both first ribs, the.

00:11:07 Speaker 3

Compensation that it does is having to use all the neck, shoulder muscles tightens, the withers, brings those together, can create kissing spine and the compensating area for picking up the heavy front end is the lumbar spine, right where the saddle, you know, right behind where you sit in the saddle.

00:11:27 Speaker 3

The psoas muscles over tighten to pick up the front end when the rider says Oh my horse is heavy on the front end and they're using the bit to try and get them to be light.

00:11:37 Speaker 3

The horses only option is to throw all the stress back to the hind end to pick up the heavy front end. So first for misalignment on both sides is going to give you the choppy trot, a lumbering canter. You're going to be like, Oh my God, this is the worst trucking canter I've ever ridden. And when you do my body work program, they have flexion.

00:11:57 Speaker 3

In the fetlock and pastern area, they have movement in the shoulder and you're like, oh, this is just a dream to ride. So, gait abnormalities, choppy trot, lumbering canters.

00:12:12 Speaker 3

The yoga can help, but it's still going to be starting with the first rib misalignment and that's in my Level 1 home study program, Equine Musculoskeletal Unwinding. It's an IICT approved program. It comes within eight-page distance reading report by me. I'm like a medical intuitive.

00:12:32 Speaker 3

Get this thing on a whole report on release the Atlas on the left. The first rib on the right, the.

00:12:39 Speaker 3

Left hip bacterial viral issues, emotional issues, environmental issues. You get this whole report of what is really going on with your horse. You learn how to release Atlas and access first rib and all of that and then the yoga is your daily thing. And if all of a sudden one day the horse can't do the yoga.

00:12:58 Speaker 3

You know you have something to fix if your horse is standing out in the pasture or tied to the horse trailer and one foot is in front of the other, that's going to create a high low syndrome. You have to have a horse that's always standing with both front feet side by side when they're at rest in their normal environment.

00:13:16 Speaker 3

My endurance horse Tiki. I'd look at him standing out in the pasture. If he's both front feet side by side and both hind feet side by side with one leg cocked. I know his body's good. As soon as one front foot is in front of the other, he's going to have imbalanced hooves growing down to compensate for that stance, I know I need to go fix something.

00:13:37 Speaker 3

In the front end, with the first rib, withers and ribs, and then the hind end of 1 foot is, you know, in front of the other. And they're not side by side. I know I have something to do in the pelvis. So your yoga is your diagnostic tool, but you still need to start with my Unwinding Program.

00:13:54 Speaker 3

And we do have like free giveaways and stuff for people that don't have money, where you can just help us promote and you can earn the home study program. So my goal is really to empower you to learn how to take care of your own horse, which will save you thousands on vet bills, lameness, exams, saddle.

00:14:14 Speaker 3

fitting issues, dental exams, eye issues with horses like uveitis, metabolic, Cushing, kissing spine, all of that, so.

00:14:25 Speaker 3

You can reach me through my website holistichorseworks.com. I have a YouTube channel, a Facebook page and my free ebook to Start learning about. All this is horseacademy101.com Hope to hear from you soon.