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Re: [RC] travelling wide - rides2far

I apologize to anybody I'm boring talking too much about my own
horses...but I've thought of just about everything I can think of to
analyze my guys and welcome all the free knowledge available here. I
could take it private but then might miss a clue that somebody lurking
catches.

Kat,

You analysis is interesting. I just hope I'm giving you accurate info to
go on. I'm going to send you some photos and see if you see clues. Can't
find a rear view of him at a trot so I may have to get out the digital
camara. Might take a day to do that. Headed to town right now. I think
any analysis done on him now is just for us all to catalog for our own
education. I'm probably retiring him soon so I guess this could be sort
of an analysis of how something turned out rather than our usual guessing
how something might actually affect a horse over time.


if a horse travels wide behind at the extended 
trot> but tracks up straight at other gaits, this is not a
conformational
thing to do with the way their legs are made.

I may be wrong on my whole theory there, but I always thought that a
horse's tracks sort of lined up on a canter. It just felt more
comfortable to canter if there was only a narrow strip of shoulder to
ride. I'll admit I haven't watched him canter from behind because I'm the
only one who ever rides him.  I have a very good galloping course that
requires riding right next to the pavement to stay on level ground.

it will travel wide behind ALL the 
time.

I bought Kaboot off a video taken when he was 4 and had been very
slightly green broke. In the video he being lunged and trotting a mile
wide behind already. It was pretty natural to him.
Like I said, he's bowlegged so he travels a bit wide at the walk but in a
straight line.


So....if your horse tracks straight at the walk and the canter but 
is> wide behind at the trot, expecially if it is a big extended 
trot....then> the most likely cause of this is that the horse has
hollowed out its
back and is heavy on the forehand.

I'll go for the heavy on the forehand part, but he's never felt hollow.
It really feels like he's bringing that backend up under him well and
considering how well he handles downhills bringing that rear end under
him I just don't feel hollow...though I am *far* from classically
trained. He travels with a very low head when pulling me. If I put any
curb action whatsoever on him the head comes up and he's horrible. With
the snaffle the head goes down and he braces and pulls when wanting to go
faster (which is most of the time)


A horse that travels in this way is > not
most likely to develop back problems (after all, the reason for it 
is> because the horse is hollowing out its back and not using the back 
very> much), but rather front end problems.  Because "heavy on the 
forehand"> means that the front legs will be subjected to more
concussion.

Our problems have been in the front end, but it was wear on the front of
the short pastern bone. Though I never thought he had a long toe, the vet
said it was from the wear of the ligaments, etc. across the front of that
bone and had us shorten the toes more. I've wondered if the fact that he
does such a big trot increased the leverage across that bone. The areas
where the joints meet on him look fantastic. He's never had any tendon
problems but has slightly strained a suspensory once and tore a tendon
sheath once, both in deep sand when we don't train in sand.

If you have a horse that has great hind end conformation and a short
loin, getting the back and the HQ to do the majority of the work is 
the> best choice.  However, if the horse has a weak back and/or poor HQ
conformation, but well conformed front legs, transferring the work 
to> the front end is a good idea, wanting the back and the hind legs to

do> the work would be counter productive (to say the least).

Well, Julie Bullock DVM said he's "as long as a train" which I'd never
really thought he was. Her horses have such short backs that I wondered
where she sat her saddle. >g<


The arab breed as a whole, is not noted for is good HQ conformation 

Ben & Kaboot are as different as night and day. Ben has a flat croup and
straight hind leg. Kaboot's got slope and a hunter's bump. Once more,
I'll send photos and you can disect us if you like. :-)


All that said, you won't catch me wanting my horses to travel wide
behind. But endurance isn't the only thing I do with my horses AND I
almost never ask my horses to do an extended trot.  If I want to go
faster than a working trot, I let my horses canter. :)

Just wondering. What would you do on a 100? I can handle cantering even
the majority of a 50 but feel you've just got to have that big trot to
get through that 100.

Angie

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