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Golega (Portugal) - 2007 november 8

Summary of category " "Compte-rendus" 

Posted Thu, 08/11/2007 - 00:00

Golega (Portugal) - 8 novembre 2007 
One event, 3 texts.


1/     The Feria at Golega     
writted by Colonel Christian Carde  ( parution page d'accueil le 26 novembre 2007 )


          

Amazing is the word that best describes the fair at Golega !
is the word that best describes the fair at Golega !
For a week, the Lusitano is king in this Portuguese town situated about an hour’s drive north of Lisbon, a stone’s throw from Fatima, the altar of spirituality. The horses gather by the hundreds in and around the town. The Lusitano fans congregate by the thousands in a fiesta atmosphere that seems to belong to another era as the scenery could well be the same as in former times. From early morning till late at night, a long ribbon of riders and horses stretches counter-clockwise around the track surrounding the demonstration arena: riders in traditional costume or in simple jeans, horse women, carriages drawn by one, two or three horses, respectable seventy-year-olds or youngsters already accomplished riders, some at a walk, others at canter; some try a piaffe, which is difficult in this organized chaos. There is noise, movement, joy and pride in being part of this colourful event. Some are there to show off their skills or their horses, and some their traditional costumes that are very flattering to men but even more so to women.
 
 
               Pia de Vasconseillos horses		  
     On the front of stand : Julio Borba
In the middle, there are young horses of 3 or 4, in hand or under saddle, the harness competititons, and a demonstration by the riders of the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art led by its director Filipe Graciosa. Here and there, one runs into the famous people of the country, Guillerme Borba, Diogo de Bragance, the neighbour Alvarito Domecq, and the charming grand-daughter of Nuno Oliveira. Mariette Whithages herself is giving an ongoing commentary on the rides in the dressage competition in adjacent arenas.
 
Further away, the auditorium is the locale for cultural activities and seminars like the one on The Relaxation of the Jaw that I had been invited to speak about. The President of the FEI Dressage Committee led a debate on the future of the Lusitano, questionable since even here competition has made inroads in this traditional event. Some worry about the tendency to modify the traits of the baroque horse, particularly where its conformation and paces are concerned; few would like to see a change in this area to suit modern competition. Here we are again facing the same important question: how to make classical equitation and competitive dressage compatible without falling into the traps of fashion and its harmful consequences. We must also guarantee the future of the discipline and its concomitant economics.
At Golega, I took the liberty to remind the world’s Director of Dressage of this.


(Photos C.Carde )

 
2/     The Golega Conference on November 8th in Portugal   
writted by Laetitia Bataille.
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Since 2003, I have been studying the sometimes astonishing effects of mobility of the jaw in horses. Having spoken with Patrice Franchet d’Esperey of my wish to organize a round table discussion on this subject, he suggested that it be made the topic at the 10th Conference at the Ecole Nationale d’Equitation, which was held last June at Saumur under the title “The Truth from the Horse’s Mouth ?”  This conference surprised many and stirred people into action resulting in an invitation from the town of Golega in Portugal to present this study at the traditional Fair of the Horse in November.
 


Intervention du Colonel Christian Carde
(photo C. Carde)

The Cadre Noir was represented by Colonel Carde, who gave a very clear overview of the meaning of lightness in dressage competition while stressing the need to respect the often openly ignored founding principles of the FEI. I am thankful to the French speakers who had agreed to travel to Golega and were joined by other speakers such as Filipe Figueiredo (Graciosa), Chief Rider of the School in Lisbon, Luis Valenca, and Ides Marchal, the founder of the Academy of Equestrian Art in Belgium. Nelly Valere’s contribution reflected the opinions of equestrians of all disciplines (in particular Felix Brasseur, nine-time Champion of four-in-hand) and signalled future research challenges.
 
Dr Fuss on anatomy and dentistry, and Dr Servantie, who teaches osteopathy at the Veterinary School of Nantes, added a veterinarian point of view. The latter explained that his observations demonstrated how the mobility of the jaw seemed to relieve certain pathological issues. This mobility, a corollary to lightness, is evidently not only the guarantee and proof of esthetically pleasing and correct equitation; it seems to comfort the horse and enhance its ability, in fact, be therapeutic.
 
These studies are only in their infancy. I hope the door has been opened to new research in a field where the horse’s mouth has not said its last word…
 
Yielding, flexion or mobility ? 
I have intentionally used the term ‘mobility’ of the jaw in these talks. Indeed, the term ‘flexion’ is often heard, but tends to be confused with flexion of the neck and poll; in addition, the mandibular bone cannot bend! The jaw is a joint – opening the jaw is not the same as a flexion, but is an extension, which is an opposite movement. The term ‘yielding’ of the jaw can be misunderstood because it contains an element of constraint and can even (like the dangerous word ‘collect’) evoke the idea of pulling. My pessimistic outlook is fed by observing what happens when riders want their horses to yield: they use scissor-like or backwards movements.
 
 
 

3/     The relationship between the horse’s mouth and its back ?      
From an osteopath’s point of view.  
by le Dr Jean Servantie,veterinarian, equine osteopath-acupuncturist.
GOLEGA   (Portugal),  november 8th 2007

        -  Synthesis  - 

In osteopathy, the relaxation of the jaw is always the result of correcting a restriction of mobility, perceived by the rider as a form of resistance. The horse begins to chew, to swallow, to breathe deeply, and to yawn: he relaxes and accepts our therapeutic offer.
 
In global therapies (osteopathy, acupuncture…) the holistic approach is a fundamental principle: according to Hippocrates “All the parts of a body form a circle, each part being both the beginning and the end.” The inter-connection between the different parts of the body is, in this way of thinking, evident, and an action affecting one part will influence all the others. How can one try to understand this ? 

  • Everyday experience reveals the existence of extremely frequent pathological coincidences, as for instance resistance in the area of the poll on the right side and tensions, blockages, restricted mobility (whatever the technical word, the effect on the horse is the same) in the sacro-iliac area on the same side.

      •  The study of the horse’s anatomy makes the many links between the horse’s mouth and the rest of its body concrete:
-     Osteo-articular relationships highlight the articulation between the sphenoid (connected to the maxilla) and the occiput (connected to the mandible), and are important for osteopaths.
-       Multiple muscular relationships put the rider’s hands at the junction of the dorsal muscular lines (extension, impulsion, the Chinese yang) and the ventral (flexion, collection, the Chinese yin). The relation of the hyoid bone to the digastric muscle(the reins of the mandible to an osteopath!) magnifies the disastrous action of an insensitive hand.
-     Relations between nerves show the importance of the autonomous nervous system, which is responsible for salivation and a major vehicle for osteopathic manipulations and acupuncture treatments.
-         Fascial relations are also fundamental to the osteopath with his diagnostic tool: the Primary Respiratory Movement

     •   There are multiple reasons for the appearance of osteopathic dysfunctions ; they follow four basic principles:
-         The interdependence between structure and function: for example, a block in the L6-S1 will restrict the engagement of a hind leg.
-         The unity of function of the organism, the holistic notion already mentioned.
-         The capacity of the body to heal itself. The osteopath serves as a pivot, a point of support that allows the horse, through its muscular force that we control, to correct the restrictions to its mobility.
-         The rule of the arteries: an area with poor circulation will weaken. A typical case is the block in the thoracic cervicals which interferes with the circulation of the front limbs.

     •     Different meanings of the creation of pathologies can be observed in relation to the temporo-mandibular joint (ATM) of the horse:
-         Descending pathologies, the primary trouble is occlusive, and dental adjustment indispensable. It appears that the pain occurring in the mouth is responsible for 35% of spinal problems in people.
-         Ascending pathologies: all pelvic imbalances (whether the cause is post-traumatic, the result of a chronic joint disease, poor training…) will be found at the occipital level and hence cranially along the dorsal(paraspinal) musculature. A rigid hand will transform a disymmetry into tension: the horse leans heavily on the hand, goes behind the bit and its brachiosephalicus muscles become very tense.
-         Mixed pathologies:  certainly the most often seen. The lesson to be learned from these complex pathologies is that in the case of permanent recurrence of the same pathologies, a primary silent cause is ignored ; it is always worth questioning one’s conclusions before condemning a horse.

     •     Conclusion: the temporo-mandibular joint (ATM) is the first stage in the transmission of action of the rider’s hands. The presence of the bit on the bars and the actions of the rider will magnify local tensions permitting them to become concrete, to localize them, to understand them and hence to act! Pathology is not only lack of balance and harmony, but also, and perhaps mainly, the effort of man’s nature, or that of the horse, to obtain a new balance. To put it positively, illness is a generalized reaction, a sign of a desire to heal. The osteopath (and the rider?) only suggests a corrective technique that corroborates the horse’s natural medical action, by prolonging its inner moves towards healing. The horse’s mechanics are in constant imbalance; what is important to him is to feel good about it. 

 

Summary of category " "Compte-rendus"