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To improve any horse’s gaits I first
consider how to improve his shape or structural presentation. Shape is
best understood by standing back and looking at your horse from the side.
Your horse’s profile is his shape. A horse’s shape will determine how the
horse uses his legs. If reach or lift is desired in the way a horse moves
his front legs or more stride is desired from his back legs it is
necessary to change his shape. |
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When assessing a horse’s conformation I
view the horse considering the phrase - form to function. I want the body
to have the correct form so that the horse can perform the desired
function. To augment the function I then consider the horse’s shape or
structural presentation. Over time I slowly change this shape to draw out
improved movement. By changing the horse’s shape I improve his form which
leads to the improvement of his function or movement. The function of any
horse is determined by his job. I shape the horse to make this job easier.
When the horse is in the right shape he will develop proper muscling and
will then relax in the desired movement. When changing the horse’s shape I
am very careful to stay in the boundaries of his conformation so that no
strain is introduced. All training should be performed considering the
horse’s well being and like any athlete a horse should be worked in a way
to improve overall muscling and understanding. Before I condition and
influence the shape of a horse’s body I reflect on how his body was
designed to work. |
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Consider that there are three pillars in
front of a horse: one at the hip, one at the shoulder, and one at the
nose. Between these pillars are arches of spine. Like a bridge, the arches
need to be round for strength. The neck and the back are these arches, and
by using collection they control the movement of the horse. |
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Collecting a horse’s head produces a
result similar to bending a fencing foil (sword). It is easy to bend the
tip, but the shaft is more firm. The head and neck of the horse are fairly
easy to collect, but the back proves to be slightly more difficult. |
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The horse’s back is similar to the back of
a human being. If you sway your back (push your stomach forward while
keeping your shoulders and hips stationary), you will find it very hard to
lift a leg forward. This is because the hip is locked by the spine’s
inversion. If you roll your back into a round arch, however, you will be
able to lift your leg forward as high as you can. The horse’s stride is
similarly affected. If the back of the horse is round, the rear legs will
stride under the horse’s body and support his weight through the forward
movement. In a Walking Horse it is very important to have a very round
back to improve over-stride. |
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Over-stride is the most defining action of
the Walking Horse’s gait. Walking Horses transfer more sustained weight to
their rear legs than any other breed. Through collection and conformation
they then take a longer stride, bearing this weight through the movement
of their gait. With this rounded back and long stride they overstep their
front hoof track from two to five feet with their rear leg on the same
side. This action is referred to as over-stride. |
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There is a side effect to this elongated
stride termed head-shake. Reflect on a chicken walking in a barnyard. The
chicken pecks his head while walking to balance his body. When a horse of
any breed is walking slowly, it tends to move its head up and down to
balance the movement of its body. The Walking Horse, with its naturally
longer stride, may shake his head five to six times harder while balancing
his over-stride. When the Walking Horse is relaxed and loose, confident in
his movement and conditioned for the task, it is beautiful to watch this
whipping action of the head. The head-shake should roll through the spine
and be elastic, being a balance to the stride of the rear leg. |
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The front leg of the Walking Horse should
move like a swim stroke. It should be round in motion and reach forward to
grab the ground. The horse’s head should be rounded down (into a medium
head set) like a swimmer’s head to free the shoulders and back for maximum
stretch, leaving the hips free to propel the animal. Think of the
difference between the dog paddle and the swim stroke; this difference is
called collection. |
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A Walking Horse’s natural knee action can
be as low as a Quarter Horse or as high as a Grand Prix Dressage Horse or
Saddlebred. This difference will depend highly on conformation. |
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A good quality horse should have a strong
medium action that balances the look of his stride. A Park Horse should
have a level front end (the upper leg breaking at a right angle from the
ground) and should have a four- to five-foot over-stride to match this
action. The Park Horse should be a picture in fluid motion. |
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To ride over long distances, as the
Walking Horse was bred to do, it is necessary to have less action so that
the horse doesn’t exhaust himself in the first 20 minutes. The Walking
Horse on the trail still should be collected on a light rein and should
have plenty of over-stride to create the smooth ride the breed is known
for. |
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Along with the
Walking Horse’s relaxed disposition, this elongated gait is very pleasant
to the rider.
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There are six defining body positions that
affect how the horse moves: |
1.
Hip rolled under
with a round back.
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2.
Hip flat with a
flat back.
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3.
Head high and
over-collected.
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4.
Head low and
collected with a flat neck.
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5. Head collected with an arched neck
in a medium head-set.
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6.
Nose out and
uncollected.
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The Walking Horse uses positions 1 and 5.
To understand how to shape our breed, it is also important to understand
how trainers of other breeds shape their horses for their best
performance. All breeds of horse use the rule of form to function.
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1.
Hip rolled under
with a round back. This can be seen in breeds other than the Walking
Horse. A Reining Horse uses this position when sliding or when in the
roll-back. A Dressage Horse should present this hip position when
performing movements under collection. All three types of horses lope or
canter with this hip position, creating a smoother motion.
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2. Hip flat with a
flat back. The Dressage Horse tends to flatten out at the extended trot,
and the Arabian and Fox Trotter move with this hip position. Notice the
hock action produced with this shape; the horses tend to trail-out behind
themselves.
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3. Head high and
over-collected. The Walking Horse and the Saddlebred are both
over-collected in the preceding pictures. The Walking Horse has his nose
behind the vertical, and the Saddlebred’s head and neck are jammed back in
an over compressed position. Notice that both head-sets remove the reach
of the leg movement and, instead, create an up and down march to the leg.
This leg movement taken to the extreme is called hanging.
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4. Head low and
collected with a flat neck. This head-set is common to the Quarter Horse
and is used to allow the rider to rope over the horse’s head. In other
breeds of horse this head-set causes the horse to scuff his front hooves
and may cause the horse to trip. This position may cause the horse to
transfer more weight to the front legs, which makes the horse unable to
lift his front legs and break at the knee.
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5. Head collected
with an arched neck in a medium head-set. This head position is common to
many breeds and English riding styles. This head and neck position works
with the rest of the horse’s body to help with balance, allowing the horse
to be adjusted easily in many ways. This head-set can help to create a
soft mouth because the horse is not relying on the rider’s hands to
balance the horse’s body. The spine of the horse is at ease rather than
forced, which allows for freer movement even though the horse is
collected. A horse in this position also will be easier to adjust
throughout the spine, including his back. The horses shown above are a
Walking Horse and a Dressage Horse. Both are reaching with their shoulder
and foreleg. Each horse has a different requirement for balance and gait,
but both horses exhibit that they are relaxed and balanced.
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6. Nose out and
uncollected. Pictured above are a Standardbred Pacer and an Icelandic
Horse. Both breeds use this head position to create stride and reach. An
Icelandic Horse at the Tolt is similar in its movement to the Standardbred.
Both breeds desire speed and use extension for this purpose. The
Standardbred shows that when the nose comes out, the foreleg and shoulder
will follow. To a lesser degree, this idea can be used to produce more
reach in other breeds.
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To simplify these six rules, I offer this
brief summary: |
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1. |
Hip rolled under with
a round back creates stride—too much will
break the horse’s timing and produce a stiff
look, possibly leading to hock damage. |
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2. |
Hip flat with a flat
back produces hock action—too much and the
horse will trail-out behind. |
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3. |
Head high and
collected creates leg lift—too much leads to
foldiness or a trapped foreleg, and the
horse may tend to hang or jerk his front
legs up in a robotic way. |
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4. |
Head low and collected
with a flat neck keeps the hooves close to
the ground—too much will cause the horse to
trip. |
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5. |
Head collected with an
arched neck in a medium head-set produces
balance and makes the back more limber—too
much will ruin a Western Pleasure Horse. |
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6. |
Nose out and
uncollected produces stride and, in a small
degree, is helpful in developing reach—too
much will cause a gaited horse to pace. |
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As we all search for the perfect gaited
horse, whether it is for the comfort of the ride or the satisfaction of a
flashy show horse, it is necessary to remember how the shape of the horse
is affecting his performance. Remember these examples and see if you can
adjust your horse’s movement over the months to produce a better result. |
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Article by Scot MacGregor Edited by Sally Sharpe
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