Proprioception - What does it mean?

Those of you that have been following my ‘How To’ videos lately will have noticed that one of the benefits I often list to these exercises is ‘Improves Proprioception’

But what is proprioception, and how does improving proprioception relate to riding and training our horses❓

▪️The dictionary definition of proprioception is:
‘perception or awareness of the position and movement of the body’

▪️In simple terms, improving proprioception improves your horse’s awareness of where their body parts are including limb and foot placement

▪️If they are more aware of where their limbs are they are less likely to clip that pole during your showjumping round, loose their footing when negotiating uneven ground on a hack or on the cross country course, and find it easier to position their limbs and body as you are asking during your dressage test

▪️If your horse is rehabbing from an injury or has a weaker limb, improving their awareness of this limb is a great way to encourage them to strengthen it.

▪️An example of this is to use a single overreach boot or a weighted bracelet on the weaker limb, making the horse suddenly more aware of the limb as it feels different and therefore encouraging them to increase the flexion in this limb

⚠️ This effect only lasts temporarily though as after time the horse will get used to the different feeling in the leg

✅ Most horses will benefit from improving their proprioception, but if your horse tends to stumble, trip or finds it difficult to negotiate poles this could be due to poor proprioception so any exercises to help increase their awareness of where their limbs are will help

💻 Check out my website for lots of simple exercises you can try with your horse

❗️Remember you will need to repeat the exercises several times over a period of time to really reap the benefits

https://www.jessicalimpkin.co.uk/equine-massage-homework

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to get in touch any time 📲