What is carrying fatigue?
Increasingly, riding magazines and social media talk about "carrying fatigue" or "topline syndrome." But what exactly is behind it?
These terms describe an imbalance in the horse's muscles, often caused by years of carrying the rider's weight. The supporting muscles of your favorite are particularly affected.
If your horse is in such a condition, it usually shows through significantly reduced performance. Movements appear labored, the horse loses muscle, or refuses work.
If carrying fatigue remains untreated for a long time, it can have serious health consequences. Tendons, ligaments, and joints become overloaded as they have to compensate for the missing muscles. Organs may no longer function optimally, leading to respiratory or digestive problems. The spine can also become compressed and restricted in its mobility. Carrying fatigue thus brings a chain of serious risks.
Recognizing carrying fatigue
If you notice these signs in your horse, it could be that your four-legged friend is suffering from carrying fatigue.
Physical symptoms
- Strongly pronounced underside of the neck
- Prominent breastbone between the front legs
- Trunk hangs between shoulder blades
- Chest sinking downward
- Tense shoulder and chest area
- Hollows next to the withers
- Sagging back
- Lumbar spine arches up (carp back)
- Shortened & tight abdominal muscles
- Soft fetlocks
- Loud foot stomping
Signs while riding
- Flat movement pattern
- Poor bending
- Loss of performance
- Lack of rideability
- Decreasing joy in movement
- Refusal/blockages
The causes of carrying fatigue
To find a suitable #solution for topline syndrome, it is important first to identify the causes precisely. Only then can you build and strengthen your four-legged friend's muscles effectively in the long term.
The process of carrying fatigue often begins in the horse's early years. A horse is only fully grown at about 5 to 7 years old. Nevertheless, many horses are heavily loaded much earlier. Starting riding too early or working too intensively at a young age can quickly lead to carrying fatigue.
Another common cause is incorrect training. For example, if a horse is ridden collected before it moves rhythmically, relaxed, and balanced, this can lead to incorrect loading and muscle loss.
Other possible causes include
- health problems
- back problems (tension, back muscle pain, pre-existing conditions)
- poorly fitting equipment, especially Saddles and Bridles
- incorrect load by the rider (insufficient rider balance, poor rider seat)
- poor riding (harsh hand, forced head position, "falling on the back")
- Blockages in the Joints & Mobility
- Protective postures due to pain
- Overloading the muscles through too intense or too long training
- Ignoring signs of fatigue, lack of breaks, and too little recovery time
- too little free movement
- Dental and hoof problems
- increasing age
It is important to understand that carrying fatigue does not necessarily result from too hard or rough work. Even a horse that seems to be ridden gently or carefully can be affected – for example, due to an unbalanced rider seat.
Carrying fatigue – what now?
When you learn that your horse suffers from carrying fatigue, it is initially a shock. At the same time, you can breathe a sigh of relief: the condition can be treated. However, it is important that you know the healing process can take a long time and your horse must not be ridden as usual during this period.
In the case of a severe topline syndrome, treatment can take 6 to 12 months. If carrying fatigue is detected early, groundwork exercises can bring first improvements after just a few weeks. The goal is for your horse to regain its own carrying capacity and become pain-free.
To release tension, chiropractic, osteopathy, acupuncture, physiotherapy, and laser therapy are available to you.
Once the tension is released, the focus can be placed on muscle building and endurance training. With stronger muscles, the horse no longer has pain and can be ridden again. During this time, full attention from the trainer, saddler, veterinarian, therapist, and you is important.
If you want to support your four-legged friend with small exercises, training with the cavesson or on the double longe is especially suitable. This way, your horse’s movement patterns can be specifically retrained. When lungeing, you can also include poles that your horse should step over at walk, trot, or canter. It is also very effective to go for walks uphill and downhill together, as this gently strengthens the muscles.
Make sure not to overstrain your horse, work in small steps, and reward it regularly. To avoid fatigue, training sessions should be kept short and interrupted by plenty of breaks. It is also helpful to ask the therapist caring for your horse for an individual training plan.
Carrying fatigue is unfortunately not uncommon. But now you know how to best prevent it – and what to do if your horse is already affected.
If your four-legged friend is ill, we wish you and your horse lots of strength and patience for the recovery!
