Horse Gaits, Balance, and Movement: Revised Edition

By Susan E. Harris

A Senior Centered Riding Instructor and Clinician, Susan Harris apprenticed with Sally Swift, the founder of Centered Riding®. She teaches clinics in Centered Riding and in Horse Gaits, Balance, and Movement for instructors, trainers, judges, and riders of all levels and riding interests. Susan's demonstrations, "Anatomy in Motion™: The Visible Horse", in which she paints the bones and muscles on a live horse, and "Anatomy in Motion: The Visible Rider™" have been popular attractions at equine expos and clinics across North America and around the world, including EquineAffaire, Equitana Australia, the American Quarter Horse Congress, the George Morris Horsemastership Clinic at Wellington, FL, and others.

She writes a regular column in EQUUS Magazine, Commonsense Horsemanship with Susan Harris. With Peggy Brown, she produced two DVDs: Anatomy in Motion™ I: The Visible Horse, and Anatomy in Motion II: The Visible Rider™. Susan designed the art for the Breyer Anatomy in Motion model horse, and has illustrated many popular horse books.

Susan's study of equine and human anatomy and movement as an artist as well as an instructor, rider and trainer, has given her a unique perspective on how horses and riders balance and move together. Centered Riding techniques can help riders discover how to use their bodies better for improved balance and harmony between horse and rider. Susan's knowledge of horse gaits and movement and wide experience in various breeds and disciplines enable her to help all kinds of riders and horses improve their balance, comfort, movement and performance. Her friendly and positive teaching style and visual approach help to make learning clear, understandable, and enjoyable for English and Western riders of all ages and levels, from 4-H, Pony Club and pleasure riders to instructors, trainers, and competitors. When not traveling, teaching or writing, Susan enjoys dressage, jumping, and trail riding.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Turner Publishing Company
• Release date: Oct 18, 2016
• ISBN: 9781681626383

Susan E. Harris

Susan E. Harris is an international clinician, riding teacher, equestrian author, and artist from Cortland, New York. She has taught all seats and styles of riding, and has trained, shown, and prepared horses and riders for competition in many equestrian disciplines, including hunters, jumpers, dressage, equitation, eventing, western pleasure and performance, saddle seat, and the pleasure and versatility breeds. Susan directed 5-H Acres School of Horsemanship, a nationally accredited riding instructor school, for 10 years, taught college equine studies and physical education equitation courses, and has been active in training and establishing certification standards for American riding instructors since the 1970s. In 2004 she was honored as a Master Instructor by the American Riding Instructor Association. A Senior Centered Riding Instructor and Clinician, Susan apprenticed with Sally Swift, the founder of Centered Riding®. She teaches clinics in Centered Riding and in Horse Gaits, Balance, and Movement for instructors, trainers, judges, and riders of all levels and riding interests. Susan's demonstrations, "Anatomy in Motion™: The Visible Horse", in which she paints the bones and muscles on a live horse, and "Anatomy in Motion: The Visible Rider™" have been popular attractions at equine expos and clinics across North America and around the world, including EquineAffaire, Equitana Australia, the American Quarter Horse Congress, the George Morris Horsemastership Clinic at Wellington, FL, and others. Susan Harris is the author and illustrator of popular horse books, including Horsemanship in Pictures, Horse Gaits, Balance, and Movement, Grooming to Win, the three U.S. Pony Club Manuals of Horsemanship, and the USPC Guides to Longeing, Bandaging, and Conformation. She writes a regular column in EQUUS Magazine, Commonsense Horsemanship with Susan Harris. With Peggy Brown, she produced two DVDs: Anatomy in Motion™ I: The Visible Horse, and Anatomy in Motion II: The Visible Rider™. Susan designed the art for the Breyer Anatomy in Motion model horse, and has illustrated many popular horse books. Susan's study of equine and human anatomy and movement as an artist as well as an instructor, rider and trainer, has given her a unique perspective on how horses and riders balance and move together. Centered Riding techniques can help riders discover how to use their bodies better for improved balance and harmony between horse and rider. Susan's knowledge of horse gaits and movement and wide experience in various breeds and disciplines enable her to help all kinds of riders and horses improve their balance, comfort, movement and performance. Her friendly and positive teaching style and visual approach help to make learning clear, understandable, and enjoyable for English and Western riders of all ages and levels, from 4-H, Pony Club and pleasure riders to instructors, trainers, and competitors. When not traveling, teaching or writing, Susan enjoys dressage, jumping, and trail riding.

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AUTHOR’S PREFACE

THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF BOOKS ON HORSES, riding, and training, some of them timeless classics. The best books have always been based on practical experience with horses and grounded in classical horsemanship theory, and this book starts from the same premise. I hope the new edition of this book will be useful to those who ride, teach, train, show, judge, breed, and select horses, and especially to the average rider who wants to enjoy and appreciate his horse and the way they move together.

This book came from my experiences in riding, learning, training, and competing, but especially from my teaching. I conduct Centered Riding® and Anatomy in Motion™ clinics around the world, and I see all kinds of horses and riders in my clinics. Good movement and good use of the body (for both horse and rider) are a common basis for all kinds of horsemanship. The best riders, trainers, and teachers in all disciplines understand the horse’s structure, natural balance, and way of moving, and how he should use himself to do the job required in that specialty. While a dressage horse, a western horse, a gaited horse, and a show hunter seem very different, they all have the same anatomy, locomotion, and horse nature. Every horse, whether he is an international champion, a gifted mover, or an old pony in the pasture, can use his body, his balance, and his natural movement well or poorly, which affects his health and fitness as well as how easy he is to ride and how well he can perform. And every horse deserves to work in comfort and health.

Today we have many ways of using and enjoying horses. Unfortunately, our knowledge has not always kept up with our enthusiasm for new activities and competition. Many riders take lessons, train, and compete, but have never learned much about horse movement or the reasons behind good training techniques. Understanding this makes good riding and training simple, clear, and less frustrating for both horse and rider. So many horse and rider problems happen when we try to make a horse carry us and do things our way without knowing enough about horses and how they work. There are also many fads and fallacies that come up in riding, competition, training methods, and equipment, some of which are detrimental to the horse’s welfare. It’s important to be able to tell the long-term good from the bad.

It is easy to recognize a movement problem when a rider cannot sit to the trot or the horse cannot take a left lead canter, but many behavior problems begin there, too. A horse that resists, makes repeated errors, or moves awkwardly is not plotting against his rider or being bad—often he is confused, in pain, or he finds it difficult to move comfortably and in balance under his rider, and being an animal, he can only tell us by his behavior. Horses become more cooperative, happier in their work, and easier to ride when their riders learn to use their body better to make it easier for them to move well. As any horse develops in his training, he should become stronger, more sound and supple, and more beautiful to ride and to watch; good riding and training, and functional movement, can help keep a horse sound, active, and rideable for a long life.

In the competitive horse world today, too often people believe that more is better and extreme wins! This can lead to unsound and harmful practices that are opposed to good movement or body-use principles, and sometimes achieved by coercive methods. This problem increases when extreme and non-functional styles of movement become popular, are rewarded in competition, and are practiced by trainers and riders in a quest for winning, money, and fame. This can lead to abusive riding and training and can affect the whole future of a breed or discipline, as well as individual horses and riders. Every discipline has its fads, fashions, and its dark side, so no one can be complacent. I hope this book will help riders, trainers, and instructors think about basing their riding and training on the principles of good movement, and provide some guidelines when looking at trends, training methods, and techniques. I also hope it will empower owners to say, Not my horse! when it comes to unfunctional or abusive training methods.

Good, functional training, based on classical principles of horsemanship, starts with understanding, enabling, and improving the horse’s use of his body; this kind of dressage is truly classical and, intelligently applied, can benefit any horse in any discipline. However, trying to apply dressage superficially, with force, and without understanding leads to confusion and frustration and can ruin horses’ movement. The Greek cavalry general, Xenophon, said it best in the oldest horse book there is, written in 350 BC:

Nothing of beauty can ever be achieved by force, for it is done without understanding; it is no more beautiful than a dancer who is forced to perform by whips and spikes.

Nobody learns without help and inspiration, and I would like to acknowledge and thank the great teachers who have helped me. I would especially like to say Thank you to the following:

To my earliest instructors, who taught why as well as how and based their teaching on sound and simple theory.

To George Morris, who gave me an organized and logical basis for learning and teaching, and who proves that it is possible to reach the top while remaining a true horseman, and who kindly wrote the foreword.

To the late Carol Loomis, who gave me a deeper appreciation of the horse’s structure and movement, and how simple good riding and training really is when we work correctly.

To Sally Swift, who taught me about awareness, the body and mind connection, and using the body well, in horses and humans, and whose Centered Riding principles continue to enrich my life and lead to greater discoveries.

To Dr. Gerd Heuschmann, from whom I have learned so much about anatomy, biomechanics, and how they are connected to classical horsemanship through good training.

And especially, to all the horses I have loved and learned from.

SUSAN E. HARRIS

Cortland, NY, 2016

1.

Why Learn About Horse Gaits, Balance, and Movement?

HORSES MOVE! IT’S WHAT THEY DO BEST, and it is why we ride, drive, train, or enjoy watching horses instead of eating them. Movement is what caused the horse to develop from the fox-sized Eohippus of 55 million years ago into the modern horse, and allowed the horse to escape from predators armed with tooth and claw. The horse’s movement has always attracted man. It has made the horse useful to man as a beast of burden, for travel, work, war, and sport, and has shaped the history of many peoples. Over the centuries, the horse and his movement have been an inspiration to artists, poets, and writers. And God took the West Wind and created the horse, says the Quran. Today, when most people ride for sport or pleasure, the horse’s ability to move is his most essential trait. It is what makes him useful, able, and beautiful.

FROM EOHIPPUS TO MODERN HORSE

ALL HORSES MOVE NATURALLY; NOT ALL HORSES MOVE EQUALLY WELL.

All horses have their natural basic movements. A foal can walk, trot, and gallop within hours of its birth. The horse knows how to be a horse without human help. However, when we ride, drive, train, and judge horses, we soon discover that not all horses move equally well. Some are talented and athletically gifted; others are less able. Some are more suited than others for a particular kind of job or way of moving. Some are easy to ride and train, others are difficult.

When we ride horses, we are asking them to adapt to a task that nature never intended them to do. They do it remarkably well, but carrying a rider changes their balance, their way of going, and their natural movements. (Just try carrying a load of 15 to 20 percent of your weight on your shoulders—especially if it’s live weight, with a mind of its own!) Besides the weight of the rider (who may or may not ride in balance), a horse is controlled and directed by his rider. He is asked to move at a particular gait and speed, in a specific direction, and even to carry himself in a certain way. He may not start, stop, or turn however or whenever he wishes. Much of the time he cannot understand why we want him to collect himself, move forward or sideways, jump this obstacle, or perform that maneuver. Some riders are better than others at communicating with their horses, but no rider speaks perfect horse language. It’s a tribute to the kindness and generosity of horses that they carry us as well as they do, and that they keep on trying in spite of difficulties and misunderstandings between the species.

HORSES MOVE EASILY ON THEIR OWN, BUT MAY HAVE DIFFICULTY MOVING UNDER A RIDER.

When we ride and train horses, we have a responsibility to work with their nature, their athletic mechanism, and their natural movement. Good movement is natural, easy, comfortable, and efficient for horse and rider; it is also beautiful. Bad movement is ugly, uncomfortable, hard to ride, and damaging to the horse. Good movement is that which makes the horse stronger, more supple, more sound and efficient in his work. Bad movement tears the horse up at every stride; it can ruin even the most beautiful and talented horse.

HORSE AND RIDER MOVING IN HARMONY VS. CONFLICTING, UGLY, AND DAMAGING MOVEMENT

When we ask horses for maximum performance in any discipline, they will only be able to achieve their full potential through good movement. This requires some knowledge on the part of the rider and trainer, along with good riding. It’s hard to ride well and impossible to train well if you don’t understand how the horse moves and what causes good and bad movement. As a rider, you must learn about your horse’s gaits, balance, and movement in order to help him carry you in the best possible way.

If you show, breed, judge, or select horses to buy, movement is of great importance. Success in the show ring creates popularity and can have a great influence on the way horses are ridden, trained, and bred to move. Certain breeds of dogs have been damaged because breeders selected their stock for one extreme characteristic while ignoring functional movement; in some breeds, the result has been an inherited tendency toward functional abnormalities such as hip dysplasia, leading to arthritis and early breakdowns. Some similar trends have hurt certain breeds of horses, although the demands of performance usually steer horse breeders back in the direction of functional conformation. Few people care to keep a lame horse just because he’s pretty to look at.

There are over two hundred breeds and types of horses, and many different horse sports, disciplines, and styles of riding. However, the horse’s basic mechanism and nature are still the same whether he is a racehorse, a sport horse, a heavy draft horse, or a pony. By learning how the horse’s body works and how he moves naturally, we can avoid misguided and damaging efforts as we work to help him carry us with the best movement he is capable of. Let’s remember that a horse without a rider is still a horse, but a rider without a horse is no longer a rider.

2

Basic Structure and Anatomy

IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND HOW HORSES MOVE, it helps to know what the horse’s structure is like under the skin. Bones are the framework and levers; muscles move the bones. The points or parts of the horse are the names of the surface landmarks of the horse’s body. Knowing basic anatomy helps us relate the major structures to what they do and what we see on the surface. It isn’t necessary to learn all the technical terms in order to have a basic understanding of the horse’s gaits and movement. If you find the anatomical details somewhat overwhelming, you may prefer to skim through this chapter and use the diagrams for reference. However, the more you learn about the horse’s structure and physiology, the better you will understand what happens during movement and the stresses and strains that can lead to injuries or unsoundness.

THE SKELETAL STRUCTURE

The horse’s skeleton consists of approximately 205 bones. It includes the axial skeleton (skull, spine, ribs, and breastbone), and the appendicular skeleton, made up of the pelvis and limbs. The long leg bones are levers that support and move the body. Short bones (like those found in the joints) absorb concussion. Flat bones such as the ribs, pelvis, and skull protect vital organs and provide space for the attachment of muscles. Bones are held together by ligaments, while muscles are attached to the bones by tendons.

POINTS OF THE HORSE

Head, neck, and chest:

1. Poll

2. Forehead

3. Face

4. Muzzle

5. Chin

6. Jaw

7. Cheek

8. Throat

9. Jugular groove

10. Crest

11. Point of shoulder

12. Chest

Back and trunk:

13. Withers

14. Back

15. Loin

16. Croup

17. Dock

18. Heart girth

19. Rib cage or barrel

20. Coupling

21. Abdomen

22. Flank

Hindquarters and hind leg:

23. Point of hip

24. Point of buttock

25. Buttock

26. Hindquarter

27. Stifle joint

28. Gaskin

29. Hock joint

30. Flexor tendons

31. Cannon bone

32. Fetlock joint

33. Pastern

34. Coronary band

35. Hoof

Foreleg:

36. Shoulder

37. Arm

38. Elbow

39. Forearm

40. Knee joint

41. Flexor tendons

42. Cannon bone

43. Fetlock joint

44. Pastern

45. Coronary band

46. Hoof

THE SKELETON

Axial skeleton

1. Skull

2. Atlas (1st cervical vertebra)

3. Axis (2nd cervical vertebra)

4. Cervical vertebrae (7)

5. Dorsal vertebrae (18)

6. Ribs (18 pairs)

7. Sternum (breastbone)

8. Lumbar vertebrae (5 or 6)

9. Lumbosacral joint

10. Sacrum (5 fused vertebrae)

11. Coccygeal (tail) vertebrae (18 - 23)

Appendicular skeleton:

Fore leg:

12. Scapula (shoulder blade)

13. Humerus (arm bone)

14. Ulna (elbow bone)

15. Radius (forearm bone)

16. Carpal (knee) joint

17. Accessory carpal bone

18. Large metacarpal (cannon bone)

19. Small metacarpal (splint bone)

20. Sesamoid bones

21. First phalanx (large pastern bone)

22. Second phalanx (small pastern bone)

23. Third phalanx (coffin bone)

24. Navicular bone

Hind leg:

25. Pelvis

26. Ilius (hip bone)

27. Ischium (point of buttock)

28. Hip joint

29. Femur (thigh bone)

30. Patella (kneecap)

31. Tibia

32. Fibula

33. Tarsal (hock) joint

34. Large metatarsal (cannon bone)

35. Small metatarsal (splint bone)

36. Sesamoid bones

37. First phalanx (large pastern bone)

38. Second phalanx (small pastern bone)

39. Third phalanx (coffin bone)

40. Navicular bone

THE JOINTS

Joints are where bones meet bones. Most joints permit varying degrees of movement; some, like the joints of the skull, permit little or no movement. Ligaments bind bones together with strong, flexible connective tissue. The ligaments of a joint form a joint capsule, which seals the joint and is lubricated with synovial fluid. The articular surfaces (joint surfaces) of bones are covered with cartilage, which is smooth, slippery, and softer than bone, and lessens concussion and friction.

Axial Skeleton

•The mandibular (jaw) joint permits opening and closing of the mouth and chewing.

•The atlanto-occipital joint (poll) is the joint between the skull and the first cervical vertebra (axis). It allows vertical flexion and extension of the head, and some lateral flexion. Lateral flexion at this joint is limited by the paracondylar processes (two projections at the base of the skull). If the horse’s head is flexed behind the vertical, these processes lock against the atlas and prevent lateral flexion at the poll.

•The joints of the remaining cervical vertebrae allow vertical (up and down), lateral (side to side), and rotational movements of vertebrae of the neck.

•The joints of the dorsal (back) and lumbar (loin) vertebrae have a limited ability to flex or extend vertically and laterally because of the shapes of the vertebrae and the way in which they are articulated.

•The lumbosacral joint is found between the last lumbar vertebra and the sacrum (croup), which is firmly attached to the inside of the pelvis at the sacroiliac joints. The lumbosacral joint is a key joint that allows the horse to flex the loin, tilt the croup, engage his hindquarters, and bring his hind legs underneath himself for balance and movement, as in the gallop, in collection, or a sliding stop. It can open as much as 30 degrees.

•The coccygeal joints of the tail allow movement up, down, and sideways. The movement and carriage of the tail reflects the position and tension or relaxation of the spine.

•The ribs and costal cartilage flex up and down during breathing. The first eight ribs are attached to the breastbone and are stronger and less flexible. The last ten ribs are shorter and attach to other ribs. The entire rib cage and dorsal spine can rotate very slightly, which is important in bending.

Appendicular Skeleton

Joints of the foreleg

•The shoulders are not joined to the trunk by a bony joint, but by a complex of muscles called the shoulder sling. The shoulders glide freely over the ribs and rotate forward and backward with each stride. The shoulders can tilt inward or outward to a small extent, which allows the forelegs to reach outward (abduction) or inward (adduction) in lateral movements.

•Shoulder joint: between the scapula (shoulder blade) and humerus (arm bone). Flexion and extension are primarily forward and backward, moving the whole foreleg.

•Elbow joint: between the humerus (arm bone) and ulna and radius (elbow and forearm bones); flexes and extends forward and backward only.

JOINTS

1. Poll (atlanto-occipital joint)

2. Shoulder joint

3. Carpal (knee) joint

4. Fetlock (ankle) joint

5. Pastern joint

6. Coffin joint

7. Elbow joint

8. Lumbosacral joint

9. Hip joint

10. Stifle joint

11. Tarsal (hock) joint

12. Fetlock (ankle) joint

13. Pastern joint

14. Coffin joint

•Carpal (knee) joint: includes the lower (distal) end of the radius (forearm), the carpal bones (seven bones set in two rows) and the upper (proximal) end of the metacarpal (cannon) bone. It flexes and extends forward and backward or up and down only.

•Fetlock joint (ankle): between the large metacarpal (cannon) bone and first phalanx (long pastern bone), including two sesamoid bones at the back of the joint, which make a space for the flexor tendons. The fetlock joint flexes up and down or forward and back only; it absorbs shock by allowing the pastern to sink under the weight of the horse.

•Pastern joint: between the first and second phalanx (long and short pastern bones), has very little movement.

•Coffin joint: between the second and third phalanx (short pastern and coffin bone), has very little movement.

•Navicular joint: between the navicular bone, coffin bone, and short pastern, allows little movement but absorbs shock at each stride and cushions the deep digital flexor tendon, which passes under the navicular bone and attaches to the under surface of the coffin bone.

Joints of the hind leg

•Hip joint: located on the lower pelvis between the point of the hip and point of buttock; the head of the femur (thigh) inserts into a strong ball and socket joint, attaching the hind leg to the pelvis. Most movement is forward and backward, but some lateral movement is possible.

•Stifle joint: between the lower (distal) end of the femur (thigh) and upper (proximal) end of the tibia. The patella is located at the front of the stifle joint. Movement is forward and backward or up and down.

•Hock (tarsal) joint: includes six bones between the lower (distal) end of the tibia and upper (proximal) end of the metatarsal (cannon and splint) bones. It flexes and extends up and down or forward and backward only. The hock and stifle are reciprocal joints; that is, when one flexes or extends, the other must do