Re: Forging, hoof angles, etc.
Stephanie Teeter (step@fsr.com)
Wed, 27 Nov 1996 09:34:42 -0800
> When he spreads out and trots big (we call it road trot), he
> oversteps the front foot print by 3-4 foot lengths and the rear
> foot print is noticeably lateral to the front. Had he not
> opened up the rear stance, he would most definitely be hitting
> himself. We find that at slower trotting speeds, he does not
> perform so much lateral movement and that is when he is most
> likely to forge/click.
One of my half Orlov horses has a 2 1/2 ft overstride when she's
really trotting out (I've measured it!). She works slightly at
an angle - with one rear foot landing to the outside of the front
foot and the other rear to the inside of the other front. And
the rear stance is not particularly wide. I've seen this kind of
overstride in one other horse and he does a similar thing - very
subtle, but on a soft wet road you can see it in the tracks. It's
pretty amazing.
Steph
> For a horse to "learn" this gait, he must learn self carriage,
> engagement from the rear, and have a rider that doesn't
> interfere with him through suboptimal horsemanship.
> Linda Flemmer ABF Challenger ("Rocket") & Eternal Point
> ("Major") Blue Wolf Ranch Chesapeake, Virginia, USA
> "In case of emergency - Fur side up, steel side down!"