Hillwork
We all know hill work is supposed to be good for our horse's fitness but I thought you might be interested to learn more about the specific muscle groups involved which will help you to understand why both uphill and downhill work have their benefits. The biomechanics of walking or trotting up or down inclines cause different muscle groups to be activated, allowing you to tailor a fitness or rehabilitation program to suit a specific injury or fitness goal. So, let’s dive in…
INCLINE WORK - Uphill
Anyone following my Facebook page will most likely have seen my earlier post explaining how trotting uphill is great for stamina and cardiovascular fitness, but if you really want to build strength in the hindquarters, asking your horse to walk instead can be a better option.
When a horse walks uphill the hindquarters are actively engaged primarily the Gluteal muscles and Hamstrings.
MUSCLES OF THE EQUINE HINDLIMB
GLUTEAL MUSCLES: The gluteals work hard to propel the body up hill pushing forward and upward.
HAMSTRINGS: The Hamstrings, including the BICEPS FEMORIS, SEMITENDINOSUS, and SEMIMEMBRANOSUS extend the hip, thus assisting this propulsion.
Even though we like to think that our horses are pushing uphill from behind rather than pulling themselves uphill on their forehand, that is not to say that the muscles of the forelimbs are not engaged, primarily the muscles of the shoulder and upper arm – let’s take a look.
MUSCLES OF THE EQUINE FORELIMB
So which muscles of the forelimb play a key role?
The DELTOID, TRICEPS BRACHI and the BRACHIALIS assist with forward propulsion and provide important support as the horse lifts and protracts (extends) each forelimb.
The back and core also have a part of play but we will come to those later!
DECLINE WORK - Downhill
Things switch around when you start to head downhill with the forelimb muscle group being those primarily engaged. In a downhill scenario, the DELTOID, TRICEPS BRACHI, BRACHIALIS and PECTORALS stabilize the decent controlling speed and balance to prevent the horse from taking a nose-dive, as well as absorbing weight transfer as the horse takes each step.
As with uphill work, both the front end and the back end of the horse have a role to play and when it comes to downhill work the hindquarters take a back seat but are still vital for a controlled and safe decline. So which ones are the key players?
QUADRICEPS: The deep lateral and medial muscles of the hindlimb, that form part of the more commonly known quadriceps muscle group, are responsible for stabilizing the stifle preventing the hindlimb from collapsing underneath the horse. Muscles in this group include the RECTUS FEMORIS, VASTUS LATERALIS, VASTUS MEDIALIS and VASTUS INTERMEDIUS.
CALF MUSCLES: The GASTROCNEMIUS and SOLEUS stabilize the hocks for the same reason.
Take a look at the diagrams below to see where these muscle groups are positioned on your horse.
Above diagrams: Copyright John R. Hutchinson Royal Veterinary College | RVC · Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences PhD (adapted from König & Liebich, 2004).
We have talked about the key muscles involved in the propulsion and control of the horse as it moves uphill and downhill and to move safely in either gradient. A weakness in either area can result in stumbling, tripping and loss of control.
But if you remember, I mentioned the core and back have a role to play aswell - read on to learn more.
CORE & BACK
What is going on in the middle section of your horse as it propels itself uphill or controls its way down? The muscles of the core and back are continuously engaged offering valuable support and balance.
MUSCLES OF THE TRUNK
BACK MUSCLES: The LONGISSIMUS DORSI (which is a long back extensor muscle) and the ILLIOCOSTALIS help to stabilize the spine aiding forehand lift on the incline and preventing overextension of the back during descent.
CORE MUSCLES: The RECTUS ABDOMINIS is engaged primarily to maintain balance and the TRANSVERSE ABDOMINIS and OBLIQUES provide lateral stability as well as supporting the back, helping to keep the horse upright and not simply collapsing under gravity.
To summarise, hillwork is a full-body workout incorporating large muscle groups throughout the body. So often riders and trainers associate incline work with developing strength in the hindquarters and building stamina and heart function, which are all great benefits, however, hillwork does so much more besides. Working on gradients is a valuable part of an overall training program for your horse, aiding balance, strength and coordination.
NB: Always ensure you only incorporate hill graduations suitable to your horse’s level of fitness and adjust as necessary.
So that’s the end of this blog - I hope you have found it interesting and informative - you will never ride a hill quite the same again! A key element of my equine massage therapy is to provide exercises to help with muscle imbalances or for rehabilitation post-injury. If you’d like to experience the true power of equine massage therapy or if you have any questions, please do drop me a line as I’d love to hear from you.
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Thanks for reading and sharing and I look forward to catching up with you again soon!