Get your FREE eBook: www.academic-art-of-riding.com Because of the imbalance the horse will stiffens his back. The important long back muscle will get short, stiff and tensed. This muscle is also called the longissumus dorsi. When a horse is not using this muscle properly, the horse’s back becomes hollow and swings downward. This problem is often the result of uncorrected crookedness. The way the horse carries his head and neck will indicate the use of the back. When the horse is not carrying himself properly he may be above the bit. The horse fixes his poll rigidly in place so it won’t bend at all. He drops his back and stops engaging the hind legs. If the horse is hollow backed an way above the bit, he will be very heavy on the reins and against the hand. As a result the horse will develop an underneck. And he will feel very hard-mouthed. But a horse with a hard mouth is actually hard and stiff in the back. Not only the muscles will be stiff, there also will be powerful forces acting on the spine. When the horse is moving with a downward swinging back, putting weight onto the forehand, strain is placed on the spine through the contraction of the back muscles. The riders weight inevitably makes the problem worse. Especially if he is inexperienced and has not yet learned to control where to place it. The result is pain and it can lead to the condition known as kissing spines. The vertebrae will ”kiss” each other because the back muscles contract. Another symptom of a …

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