Re: shoulder asymmetry

["Linda S. Flemmer" <bluwolf@earthlink.net>]

Glenda R. Snodgrass wrote:

> Marie wrote:

> >   IME the bulgey shoulder is usually caused by an off balance rider.
> <SNIP>
> > but mostly you come back to working with the
> > rider, not the saddle pad and not necessarily the horse.
>
> Every situation is different.  Lakota was extremely lopsided in the
> shoulders when I bought him, which my farrier immediately pointed out was
> probably due to having one front leg shorter than the other.

I agree with Glenda on this one.  Not all lopsided horses are made by the
rider.  My gelding had sever muscle atrophy in the right leg, shoulder,
wither area from a horrific injury as a foal (before I ever owned him).  With
persistent physical therapy, he is a normal horse with normal gait & even
musculature.  His only residual problem is a clubbed foot on that side.

One needs to consider the horse's whole history when wanting to improve the
horse's strength.  We needed to break old adhesions, restrengthen, learn to
bend, learn to extend, + corrective shoeing.  He's gorgeous now.

We DID use riding style to help strengthen that shoulder.  We purposely
posted more on the diagonal that made that shoulder work until it began to
strengthen.  We slowly cut back until we were posting evenly to each diagonal
to maintain strength on both sides.

Rocket has really been a project.

Linda Flemmer
Blue Wolf Ranch
Bruceton Mills, WV