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[RC] crooked horses - Kelly Ahearn-Wagner

Regarding the recent postings about unequal diagonals:

It is true that the reason posting diagonals feel substantially different is because a horse's hind legs are not equally strong. The reason the hind legs are not equally strong is because horses are one- sided just like us, and that makes them crooked. What that means is that one hind leg does not come under the horse's body equally as far as the other hind leg, and thus does not push off with as much power.

Our horses are perfectly happy to spend their entire careers going down the trail bent slightly to one side. If you want to help your horse become equally strong on both sides you need to ride your crooked horse straight; practice schooling exercises that bend the stiff side and straighten the soft side. Over time you will begin to activate and engage his weaker hind leg, and then your posting diagonals will feel equal.

I have noticed that many horses are bent to the left. Watch the riders going down the trail in front of you. Very often you will observe a horse bent slightly to the left, the rider's pelvis and torso twisted to the left, and the rider's left leg hanging several inches lower than the right leg. Riding a straight horse is much better for our bodies too!

Kelly Ahearn-Wagner
Pleasant Hill, Oregon

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