Advanced Movement

So you know how your horse *should* move, but one day, they're just not quite right. What could be causing the issue?

Pain - as you don't move perfectly when you're not feeling well, neither does your horse. Very serious lameness will have the horse's hooves seemingly glued, unable to move at all. If forced to move, the lameness will be brutally evident. Call the vet. However, far more common is the "maybe/maybe-not" lameness which is best evaluated at the trot. The lame leg will break-over faster because they don't want to put pressure on it. A horse who's very lame will be head-bobbing. As in, when he trots, his head bobs up and down (conversely, a sound horse's head moves very little). Front leg lameness is the easiest to evaluate -- the head will go UP when the lame leg hits the ground. Try this yourself -- pretend you have a sore foot and hobble around a bit (don't worry -- the Intermediate group had to make fools of themselves too!) As you avoid putting weight on the sore foot your head will go up. If the lameness is in the hind end, the head will go DOWN as the sore foot hits the ground (because they're using their head and neck as a counter-weight to avoid putting pressure where it hurts). Sometimes the lameness is more evident on corners or going one direction over the other.

Rider Imbalance - this one is often discounted, but if the rider is out of balance, it's hardly fair to expect the horse to move properly. Consider how you shift your balance when you're carrying a heavy backpack on one shoulder -- especially if it's the "wrong" shoulder.

Shoeing - shoeing can influence movement in both positive or negative ways. It can be used carefully over the long term to help correct certain issues, or incorrect shoeing can cause a previously sound and even horse to develop problems. More on shoeing another Thursday!

Footing - just like you would change the way you moved were you on pavement, in deep sand, or on ice, so too does your horse. If the footing is deep it requires significantly more effort. If it's slippery, the horse is likely to take a shorter stride or move more cautiously. If it's packing snow, the horse may get snowballs in their shoes causing them to walk very carefully (this is quite dangerous -- it's best to avoid riding when the snow conditions are likely to cause this condition).

Traction - this goes along with footing; if the horse is sliding every time her foot hits the ground, obviously her movement will be affected.

Age - young horses, like kids going through growth spurts, often don't seem to know exactly where all their limbs are -- especially at speed. Older horses, as with older people, may be stiffer or arthritic and their movement will be affected accordingly.

Training - a big part of training is building the strength and balance required to move straight and forward.

Tack - poorly fitting tack can restrict the horse's movement (more on fitting tack another Thursday). If it pinches it can stop them from reaching out fully through the shoulder. An unbalanced saddle will be have the same result as an unbalanced rider. Pressure points can cause pain for your horse, made worse with the addition of a rider's weight. A saddle that bounces when the horse moves will add stress to the horse's back. All in all, ensuring your horse has properly fitting tack will make things much easier all-round for the horse.

PMS - if your mare is seriously pmsy, talk to your vet. As with people, there are things that can help :) On a much lesser scale, this also applies to just having a stiff day (comeon, you know you have days like that, why shouldn't your horse? Mare, stallion or gelding). Esp if she's been stuck inside all day, or the extreme opposite of having been playing a *little* too hard out in the field, she may start out a little stiff or a little uneven. The difference is, usually they work out of this type of unsoundness by the time a normal warm-up is complete.