Passive physiotherapy – variable feeding positions
Implementing variable feeding positions to your horse’s environment can have a great effect on their musculo-skeletal system, especially the neck region. Here are some things to keep in mind when setting it up.
Eating from higher up can be very beneficial, as long as it is done in moderation.
I recently attended a standing horse dissection with Dr. Sharon May-Davis, which absolutely blew my mind. Among other things, a big topic of discussion was the damage riding and training does to horses and what we can do to prevent or minimize it. Something that really stood out as a preventative measure was introducing variable feeding positions. It's relatively easy to introduce, and it doesn't take a big financial investment. All it takes is some common sense and imagination.
Our horses' ancestors and their feral counterparts are not only grazers, they're browsers too. While they do spend most of the time grazing, they also munch at shrubs and bushes and reach up to grab tree branches. This allows them to use their many neck and head muscles in a different way and develop better proprioception. The necks of the modern horses have become increasingly unstable and they need all the support they can get. By providing them with the opportunity to strengthen the neck muscles on their own is a wonderful way to keep this sensitive area healthy.
Allowing your horse to snack on tree branches and bushes while out for a walk is a great way to play with variable feeding positions.
Eating from ground levels should still be the gold standard, but we can do a lot of good to offer some of the food at different levels too. If your horse is lucky enough to live on a large pasture with different kinds of vegetation like trees and bushes, you're pretty much there already. The rest of us will have to put some thought and effort in. We might hang up a hay net a bit higher up, so they have to stretch out to get the hay, we might place a feeder on top of a slope, so they stretch out their psoas muscles while eating or we can hang a net behind a step so they have to put their front legs up the step while getting to the hay. We can do the same by hanging up some tree branches or allowing the horses to nibble at trees and bushes while out for a walk. Whatever you choose to do, keep three things in mind.
Number one, don't overdo it. Be careful not to set the nets up in a way that makes the horse eat from a high level for more than 10% of his eating time. We want only to activate the muscles, not tighten them. Number two, watch out for dust. When the horse is eating from the ground, any dust from the hay that gets caught up in his airways, will start to slide down the nasal pathways because of the horse's head position. If his head is up, dust will get trapped in the airways more easily. Only offer dust-free hay (or soak it beforehand) from a high position. And number three, observe and adapt. When you implement a new feeding position, observe how the horse responds to it. If it makes him uncomfortable or if he has to contort his body in a really weird way to get to the hay, consider making a change to make it less challenging.
Eating from an incline will stretch out the hip flexors.
What kind of positions to offer will also depend on what kind of issues your horse might have. If, for example, your horse is struggling with a camped under stance and tight hip flexors, don't offer a position which will encourage this same posture. In this case, you can perhaps offer a position on an incline, or encourage him to step on a platform with his front legs to stretch out the tight hip flexors. If you are unsure about how to implement variable feeding positions, play it safe and always consult a professional.