The Biomechanics of the neck muscles engaged by the Com’Along Effect.
The importance of the front-end posture and the front legs’ movement.
Why the “round” posture?
The roundness of the topline is the desirable natural posture of the horse. It corresponds to the fetal position and is the ideal for development and optimal function of equine physiology. Roundness (or at least the relaxation of the topline) corresponds to the grazing position which occupies most of the horse’s life. It is associated to the parasympathetic state that is indispensable to the near-permanent function of the equine digestive system.
It is the opposite to the High Alert posture (sympathetic state) used rarely by the horse worried about dangers, real or imagined. The topline inversion (neck or/and back) is toxic mechanically, behaviorally and training-wise. It make the horse physically uncomfortable, emotionally excited, and reduces his ability to perform simple tasks effectively under the rider. It is tiring in the immediate and destructive in the long term.
When ridden, the slightly lifted “round” topline is the correct mechanical dynamic to carry the added weight of the rider loading the weakest part of the back. It also decompresses all the spinal articular space and eliminates the compression
of the sympathetic nerves coming out of the spine in the dorsal area, which in turn avoid the unnecessary excitement of the inverted posture (contracted/hollow/”weak” back).
Why the “stretched” posture?
The stretched position presents many of the same advantages of roundness. Additionally, the stretched position (long, arched neck, open throatlatch, nose forward) corresponds to the “natural impulsion posture”, which is the position used by the horse when he is going forward TOWARD a jump, or some other animal or person. Impulsion is the desire to go forward for a particular purpose or in response to a particular demand and the stretched posture is its bio-mechanical expression. When the horse is stretched, it puts more weight on the forehand in a way that elicits the right response from the horse: he has to advance his front feet further forward to “carry his head” (increases his forward range of motion) and reciprocally engages his hind legs by the reciprocal diagonal reflex.
Why moving the front feet?
The primary purpose of the simple “rein effects” (positioning the rider’s hand in
such a way that it moves the head in a given direction) is to ultimately move the feet in that exact direction. Later more complex rein effects will act on other parts of the body (shoulders and haunches). As made evident by the description of all reciprocal movements, all locomotion begins logically by the front limbs giving room to the hind feet to advance. The faster and further the front legs reach, the quicker and further the hind leg will engage.
WHAT NOT TO DO:
The JP Com’Along Halter is extremely effective in teaching horses out of many innate or learned resistances, but it is not magical. If the horse has a strongly ingrained habit of pulling back when tied, refusing to go forward in some situations, or rearing when trying to load in the trailer, make sure the Com’Along training foundation is really well-
established. Repeat multiple transitions rein-back to forward to rein-back until it becomes completely fluid, without any resistance to the hand or inversion of the neck.
The response to the Com’Along pressure will become as light as a feather. If you do not get the expected result, call us, or ask for the help of a competent professional familiar with the system.