what would cause my horse to work so hard at a lope?

Question
Hello. My horse just turned 4. I recently started riding her, although she was broke at 2. She was a rescue, had a baby at 2 1/2, and I've been taking it easy on her. She had a pull back injury around 2 1/2 a few months after the baby was born. She managed to pull back while tied to a pole attached to a fence and broke 2 wood poles with a 5in diameter. Her neck and back were out of place for a while, at the base of her head/neck and at the end of her back by her hips. I've had a chiro work on her to the point that he said she was ready to ride. She's been moving really well since. Recently, since I've started riding her, she's been great at the walk and jog, but I try to get her to a lope and she heaves forward like she's pulling a ton of weight behind her. She works waaaay too hard. Yesterday she tossed her head and wouldn't move up into a lope (she's very willing to run. She loves going fast). When I free lounge her, she moves out beautifully. She's a very sensitive horse, so I'm curious if this could be because her lower back went out of place and the extra weight is bothering her, or if there's a possibility that she should be wearing splint boots and her feet and hitting her legs when she goes faster, or if there can be extra stress on her legs cuz her feet need to be trimmed? What could cause her to be working sooo hard just to lope when I'm riding her? (P.S. I'm only 115lbs and she's 14h)

Answer
Dear Andrea,

Sorry for my late response. You say your horse seems to have problems with the lope. There can be various reasons for this, and it is hard for me to tell you what is going on without seeing the horse. Nevertheless I will try to discuss the 2 most likely possibilities, possibly giving you more insight in how to solve the problem. I don't think her boots or her feet can cause this problem, as what you are describing is inhibition of a forward movement rather than a weight bearing issue.

The injury you are describing could well be a reason why she has problems to perform a slow and collected canter for you. Going fast, does not require the same tension in muscles as a lope. A lope requires her to 'tuck her bum in' and work hard on her hindquarters. As you mention an injury around her hip area, tells me this might be the cause of her problems. The hip-joint has to change it angles in order to tighten the back muscles and put the hind legs further under its point of gravity, as in a lope. Chiropractics often only look at bone and joint repair, and not at muscle training, which is crucial to support a traumatized joint. And I have the feeling your horse has insufficient muscular strength in its back and hid quarters. Best thing to do, is so train these area's in short (up to 3 minutes) sessions, with a break of a minute, and repeat it for 12 times, at least 3 times a week. Try for example working with poles while you lunge her that are slightly elevated. Or jump 3 small fences with her (at knee-height) in a row, she should not be able to take a step in between. This activates back, belly, and hind leg muscles.

Another reason might be that you are not giving your horse enough forwards impulse. Make sure she has enough freedom at her mouth, and change gaits constantly and insist on a quick response. By having sufficient forward movement, you also stimulate muscular development at the right places.

I believe that with constant training and patience, you can overcome this problem.

Kind regards

Katrina