Strengthening the thoracic sling on the go
Here are a few ideas on how to strengthen the thoracic sling in a very casual, non-complicated way.
When asking the horse to back up, ask him to first push up from his front legs to engage the thoracic sling.
Strengthening the thoracic sling is all the rage right now – as it should be! It's an extremely important part of training and a pre-requisite for a healthy posture and a sound horse. Because the area of the thoracic sling and base of the neck is very complex, learning about it can be quite daunting. Transferring that knowledge into practice can seem very complicated too. Overthinking things can sometimes cause us to lose sight of what's important and prevent us from progressing. So, here are a few ideas on how to strengthen the thoracic sling in a very causal way – while out on a walk.
Developing your horse's thoracic sling while out hand walking in the woods does not have to be complicated. First, it's important that your horse is relaxed. A tense horse who's just waiting for a lion to jump out of the bushes any second now will tense his lower neck muscle, lift his head and push the base of the neck down. In this position and mindset, it will be impossible to strengthen the thoracic sling. So, first work on relaxation. When your horse can walk around with his head and neck relaxed (as a reference point, his nose should be around the level of his hip joint), you can start thinking about his thoracic sling.
Another thing we need is good communication. If you have to constantly use the lead rope to either slow your horse down or pull him in the direction where you want to go, the thoracic sling will have a hard time working. If we're pulling on the lead to adjust the horse's tempo, chances are we're turning his head towards us, which makes it much, much harder for him to keep his weight evenly balanced on both front feet. Leaning on one front leg will make it very hard (if not impossible) for the horse to engage the sling. He should adjust his tempo and direction in response to our body language cues. If either of these pre-requisites are a problem, then I suggest taking some time to work on them in a safe space.
If however, you have reached the point where your horse is relaxed and attentive in the woods, here are some ways to challenge his thoracic sling muscles. Walking on varied terrain in a relaxed posture will in itself be beneficial for posture. An additional challenge may be walking over obstacles, like fallen trees or branches. Make sure to give the horse enough slack on the lead rope so he can lower his head (to see where he's stepping). Try alternating between lower and higher obstacles and take breaks in between.
Another thing to try is walk-stop-back-walk transitions. Walk, then ask the horse (using your body language) to stop. When he's standing in a nice relaxed posture, ask him for a very slow step backward. Make sure he does not throw his head up. What you want is for him to push up through his front legs before he takes that step back. Just do one or two staps back, no more. Walk on and try again. Stop, then ask for a slow step backward. But this time stop before he actually steps back. Praise as soon as you see him push up through his front legs. This is him engaging the thoracic sling. Then walk on. Do this a couple of times then continue in a relaxed walk.
Another thing that’s great for the thoracic sling is a gentle uphill. Allow your horse to tackle the hill in his own tempo and encourage him to keep his head low. Usually, horses will keep their head slightly lower when going uphill which helps them to engage the sling. If your horse struggles to keep his head and neck relaxed during these exercises, it might be the case that he has an issue somewhere in his body which is preventing him from engaging the right muscles. If, after a couple of tries (and some encouragement to keep his head relaxed) he still has a hard time with it, get a bodyworker out to make sure there are no underlying issues.