Ever thought about the horses Breathing?

Biomechanics of breathing

Did you know...?? That how a horse breathes during exercise depends on what gait they are in.

Horses physically expand and contract the chest when they are breathing at rest, at walk and trot, and perhaps most noticeably when they are blowing hard after exercise.

When a horse is standing, walking or trotting, they must utilise their intercostal muscles (muscles between the ribs) and the other accessory muscles of breathing to increase their respiratory rate.
Like any muscle, these muscles will fatigue if they’re not fit and healthy.
A good reason to build up in training

But ... Horses do not breathe by expanding and contracting their chests during the canter and gallop. During canter and gallop all air movement comes from movement of the diaphragm and pressure from the movement of the contents of the abdomen. So other muscles ... other effect on the body too.

At canter and gallop normal horses take one breath perfectly in time with one stride. This is referred to as respiratory-locomotor coupling

I am sure you have heard this before now... if not... listen to the breathing !
As the horses’ front legs leave the ground and their weight is transferred onto the hind quarters, the abdominal contents swing back towards the pelvis causing the lungs to inflate (inhalation, breathing in) as the diaphragm pulls back simultaneously.

Isn't the body wonderful ! How it find ways of doing thing with the smallest amount of loss of energy?

As the horses front legs stretch forward and make contact with the ground, their weight is transferred forward. In this phase the abdominal contents swing forward towards the chest and shoulders, pushing against the diaphragm and forcing the air back out of the lungs and causing exhalation (breathing out).
Makes me think of a bellow or a harmonica !

This means that your horse has no ability to increase or decrease its rate of breathing in canter and gallop.
Think about this when you do your fitness training! Imagine not being able to breathe faster as you get tired during exercise and require more oxygen.

Now is the time to start thinking about slowly building your horses fitness for the coming competition season. Don't get mad or frustrated at them if you find they are having difficulty getting their breath ! They need to get fitter !

Start slow and if you want to know how your horse is feeling, think about how you feel when you have to go for a run when you’re not fit. It burns. You will feel it in your muscles and ALSO in your lungs.
Just some info to help you think about how to build up the training, and pay attention to your horses breathing

Caitlyn - Bridle&Ride'r 29-04-2022 10:39 Reacties ( 0 )

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Ever thought about the horses Breathing?

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Categorieën

Bridle & Ride Comm. V

We are doing our best to help everyone as fast and as well as we can. So we kindly inform you that there MAY be a slight delay in delivery ! WARNING !!! DELIVERY TIMES IN THE SHOP MAY NOT BE ACCURATE !!! Thank you for understanding, Bridle & Ride PS By pressing OK you agree to this

We are doing our best to help everyone as fast and as well as we can. So we kindly inform you that there MAY be a slight delay in delivery !

WARNING !!! DELIVERY TIMES IN THE SHOP MAY NOT BE ACCURATE !!!

Thank you for understanding,
Bridle & Ride

PS By pressing OK you agree to this