Posts Tagged ‘foreleg’

Unfortunately lameness in horses is part and parcel of horse ownership, at some point in the horse’s life he or she will, most probably, be lame. As part of good horse care, horse owners and riders should familiarise themselves with the signs and symptoms of equine lameness and be able to decide whether the lameness is likely to be hoof or leg related, or could be attributed to the horse’s back. Any lame horse should always be seen by a Veterinary Surgeon in the first instance, as some limb lamenesses can manifest themselves as a back problem and vice versa. Although the attending Veterinary Surgeon should consider all the signs and symptoms, diagnose the problem and prescribe the correct treatment, the horse owner should know when the horse is lame, however slightly, so as not to make matters worse by keeping the horse in work.

Signs and Symptoms

Obvious signs and symptoms of lameness include wounds, tendon and ligament injuries, heat and swelling or other noticeable injuries to a leg or hoof which will make the horse lame. However sometimes the horse is only slightly lame and it is not easy to tell which leg is affected. In this case you have to look for signs which may be quite subtle.

When a horse is lame in a front leg or a front foot, the following signs may be seen:

• The horse will be reluctant to put its weight on the lame leg.
• On moving, the horse will raise its head as it puts the lame leg to the ground in order to keep as much weight as possible off this leg.
• When it puts the sound leg to the ground it will put extra weight on it and drop its head down as a result.
• This will be more evident when the horse is trotting and may vary from a slight head nod to a pronounced movement up and down of the head and neck.
• So if a horse nods its head when the right foreleg hits the ground it will probably be lame in the left foreleg.
• The horse may take a slightly shorter stride with one foreleg.
• The horse may not place a front foot normally.

When a horse is lame in a hind leg or hind foot the following signs may be seen:

• The horse may rest the lame leg and not want to take the weight onto it.
• When watched from behind, particularly in trot, the horse will raise the hip of the lame leg higher than the hip of the sound leg.
• The horse’s hip will appear to dip when the sound leg hits the ground.
• The horse may take a shorter stride with one hind leg.
• Limb or foot placement may not be normal.
• The horse may catch or drag a hind toe.

Hind limb lameness is more difficult to see so an additional test may be required, such as:

• Turning the horse in tight circles to both the left and the right will show whether the horse is reluctant to take his weight on a particular hind leg.

Differential diagnosis

It is said that a large proportion of all equine lameness is in the foot. Indeed most Vets will start at the hooves and work their way up the leg when investigating any lameness in horses.

However, when the most pronounced symptom is a shortening of the stride length with one foreleg it is not easy to tell whether the lameness is lower leg or not, and, horse owners often mistakenly believe this to be shoulder lameness. In the absence of a head nod, and particularly when riding, a shortened stride can feel like the shoulder is stiff and not swinging forwards freely. But, shoulder lameness in horses is quite rare so the hoof and leg should always be investigated first.

When it comes to hind legs it is even harder to tell as four legged animals are very good at disguising hind limb lameness.

The “hip hike” or dropping of one hip is almost always confused with a back or pelvic problem, as is a shortened stride or dragging of the hind toes. But these symptoms can equally be attributed to problems in the hock, stifle, hind suspensory ligaments and others structures, as well as being related to the horse’s back. So the first port of call should always be your Vet.

As a very general rule of thumb, a back problem usually causes an alteration in gait patterns or stride length, or a behavioural or equitation problem rather than a limp – however slight. If your horse is limping or head nodding it is probably hoof or leg related.

Find out more information on how to assess your horse’s movement: see – looking after your horse’s back.

Jill Firth is a lecturer in Animal and Equine Science and a qualified and experienced McTimoney Animal Therapist working with many of the Vets throughout Yorkshire. Visit Jill’s Back In Balance website.

Author: Jill Firth
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Shoulder-in is the father of the advanced lateral dressage movements. It does many wonderful things for your horse. Here are just some of them:

1. Shoulder-in is a suppling exercise because it stretches and loosens the muscles and ligaments of the inside shoulder and forearm. During shoulder-in, your horse passes his inside foreleg in front of his outside foreleg. This motion increases his ability to move his forearm gymnastically in other movements.

2. It’s also a straightening exercise because you should always straighten your horse by bringing his forehand in front of his hindquarters. Never try to straighten him by leg yielding his hindquarters out behind his shoulders.

3. Shoulder-in is also a collecting exercise. It increases your horse’s self-carriage because he lowers his inside hip with each step. As a result, his center of gravity shifts back toward his hind legs. His hindquarters carry more weight, and his front end elevates.

What Does Shoulder-In look like?

The horse flexes to the inside, and bends around your inside leg. His forehand comes in 30 degrees off the wall so he’s on three tracks. At this angle his inside hind leg lines up behind his outside foreleg.

Sometimes in competition, the judge likes to see a hoof’s width more than three tracks. But don’t bring the forehand in more than that, or you’ll lose the bend.

What Are the Aids?

If you’re doing left shoulder-in, the aids are:

1. Put your weight on your left seat bone.
2. Keep your left leg on the girth for bend and to ask for engagement of the inside hind leg.
3. Place your right leg behind the girth to prevent the hindquarters from swinging out.
4. Use your left rein to create a +1 flexion at poll.
5. Keep your right rein steady and supporting to prevent too much bend in the neck.
6. Keep both hands low and equidistant from your body as you move them to the left. Move them to the left enough to place the outside front leg in front of the inside hind leg. Use your inside rein as an opening rein. Bring your outside hand very close to the withers, but never let that hand cross over the withers.

What’s the Sequence of Aids?

Always ask for bend before you ask for angle. The formula for the advanced lateral exercises is: Bend + Sideways = Engagement. (It’s NOT Sideways + Bend=Engagement.)

* Make a 10-meter circle (or ride a corner with a 10-meter arc) to bend your horse.
* You’ll know your horse is bending easily when you can soften the contact on the inside rein, and he stays bent by himself. He’ll also feel like he’s “giving” in his rib cage. (i.e. If you’re circling to the right, his rib cage feels like it’s bulging to the left.)
* Once he’s bending nicely, start a second 10-meter circle.
* Interrupt that circle during the first step, and continue down the long side.
* To interrupt the circle, look straight down the long side, and give a squeeze with your inside leg.
* Bring both hands to the inside to place the forehand 30 degrees away from the wall.
* Make sure you do shoulder-in with the same amount of bend and angle in both directions. Don’t ride on three tracks in one direction and on three and a half tracks in the other.

How Can You Tell If You’re Doing a Good Shoulder-in?

* The quality of the shoulder-in really comes down to BEND.
* You know your horse is bending if his hindquarters are in exactly the same position (i.e.parallel to the wall) in shoulder-in as they are when you’re just riding straight down the track.
* If his hindquarters swing out at an angle to the wall, you’re just doing a leg yield in a shoulder-in position.

Are you sick and tired of complicated and confusing training techniques?
Are you frustrated by negative emotions like fear and lack of confidence?
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Learn how by going to: http://www.janesavoie.com/ or http://www.dressagementor.com

Author: Jane Savoie
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Practice makes perfect. That statement is very true for Dressage. Of course, if you only practice by yourself, you may not get any better, but a good coach can help you improve your riding skills. If you have ever had to re-train a horse, you know it. The same counts for re-training a student, or even yourself. Bad habits are habits too, and changing habits has never been easy. Still, it is do-able.

When I started taking dressage lessons, the first lesson was almost all talk. Not much riding. It surprised me, but later on I really appreciated it and was able to go back to what I learned during my rides without my instructor.

Today we are explaining the basis of it all: Rhythm.

Rhythm is the result of a defined beat pattern of the hoof fall. A relaxed horse can step into a natural rhythm in all four of the natural gaits:

1. Walk – this should be and clear regular 4-beat gait.

2. Trot – a clear and regular 2-beat gait.

3. Canter – a clear and regular 3-beat gait.

The walk is 4-beat gait; when either one of the horse’s front legs leaves the ground, it is followed next by an opposite hind leg that reaches forward underneath the belly, creating a diagonal balance point. So the horse doesn’t step on the heels of his own front feet with the rear hooves, he moves each foreleg forward out of the way before a hind hoof on the same side of his body hits the ground.

The trot is a 2-beat gait; in Dressage we need the legs to move in diagonal pairs and hit the ground at the exact same time. When posting we move with the inside hind leg, sitting when it is on the ground and rising when it comes off, to help the horse balance itself.

The canter is a 3-beat gait. On a circle to the right his left hind leg pushes him forward onto his left front/right hind diagonal pair of legs which he’ll use for momentary balance before rolling onto his right front, or leading, leg; thus creating a 3-beat gait. There should be a clear moment of suspension.

To teach a horse rhythm you will ride the majority of your lessons in the trot. The trot is the easiest to control since you only work with a 2-beat rhythm. You also will not have to follow his head and neck, as in the trot, it is relatively still. It is easy to feel, easy to count, and easy to feel if it gets too quick. Once you and your horse have mastered the rhythm in the trot, you will notice that the rhythm in the canter is much easier to maintain.

There is good rhythm and bad rhythm. Good rhythm is when the horse’s canter is a true 3-beat, bad or incorrect rhythm is when it becomes a lazy 4-beat. Rhythm faults in the walk are when it comes close to 2-beat (lateral gait – like gaited horses), and in the trot when it resembles a lame, hopping horse.

I the next couple of days, we will discuss the next level of the training scale: Relaxation with Elasticity & Suppleness.

And now I would like to give you our Free eBook: “What to Do In Time of Emergency – A Guide & Workbook for Families with Horses”.

All I ask is that you sign up for our weekly newsletter with lots of good information for the Dressage and Horse Enthusiast. Just go here to our blog at http://www.PerformingHorse.com.

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Now Go Out And Ride

From Monique Myers @ http://www.performinghorse.com/AboutMe.html

Author: Monique Myers
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Lots of people are confused by the difference between the dressage terms shoulder-in, shoulder-fore, and first position. They all have a place as far as straightening your dressage horse. That’s because we always straighten the horse by bringing the forehand in front of the hindquarters. Never straighten the horse by pushing his hindquarters over behind his shoulders.

Let’s talk first talk about the dressage term first position. To make your dressage horse straight, always ride him in first position.

First position teaches him “baby engagement” (bending of the joints) of his inside hind leg. If you don’t ride your dressage horse in first position (especially when his hollow side is on the inside), he’ll open the joints of his inside hind leg and place his hindquarters to the inside. As a result, he won’t carry as much weight on his inside hind leg, and it won’t get stronger.

Also, if you don’t make it a habit to ride in first position at the walk and trot, the first time you’ll really see and feel that your horse is crooked is during the canter. Your horse will put his hindquarters to the inside because you haven’t taught him the mechanics of bending the joints of his hind legs.

To differentiate between these three dressage terms, think of them in this way:

Shoulder-in is a straightening exercise. Bring your horse’s shoulders to the inside at a 30-degree angle to the track. At 30 degrees, his outside foreleg is in the same track as his inside hind leg.
Shoulder-fore is also a straightening exercise. Displace your horse’s shoulders to the inside at a 15-degree angle to the track so that each leg is traveling on it’s own track.
Think of first position as “the thought of” a shoulder-in. Use a very subtle version of shoulder-in aids to get first position. First position is not an exercise like shoulder-in and shoulder-fore. It’s simply the way you want to ride your straight horse.

Because first position is so subtle, ask a ground person to help you learn this feeling. To do this, ride toward someone who is standing at the end of the long side. If you’re in first position, she won’t be able to see your horse’s outside hind foot. That’s because it’s hidden behind the outside front leg. But she should be able to see half of a hoof’s width of the inside hind leg stepping to the inside of the inside foreleg.

When you’re first learning to ride your dressage horse in first position, you’ll probably override the angle and do shoulder-in or shoulder-fore. So it’s helpful to have a ground person or mirror so you can develop a feel for the subtlety of this position. Once you can identify this feeling, your horse will feel odd and unbalanced to you when he’s crooked.

Author: Jane Savoie
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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When asking the question, how much weight can a horse carry? you often hear a response similar to it depends on the breed of the horse, its conditioning and conformation, how far and how long you will be traveling, the horses bone structure, the type of weight the horse will carry (for example live [rider] or dead weight [gear]), weight distribution and so on. So with this sound advice from your fellow horsemen, surely you now have a much better idea of how much weight your horse can carry. No? Of course not. Though your colleagues are correct in stating all the above factors, you are still left in the dark without any guideline on how much weight a horse can carry. Can my horse only carry 80 pounds, or is he capable of carrying 300 pounds?

Fortunately some very smart horsemen over the years have come up with a few methods for us to calculate a starting point to help determine how much weight a horse can carry. One very simple guide is to take the horses weight and divide by six to give you the total weight, including rider and tack, the horse can carry. Given this, a 1200 pound horse could carry up to 200 pounds.

Another quick and popular method is to use the 20% rule. You take 20% of your horses body weight and the result is the amount of total weight your horse can carry. For example, a 1,000 pound horse should easily carry 200 pounds of rider and tack. The 20% rule typically applies to competitive or otherwise hard riding. For pleasure riding, many use a 30% rule, so this 1,000 pound horse could carry 300 pounds for shorter pleasure rides.

Measuring a horses cannon bone is used by some in determining the approximate weight a horse can carry. A measurement is taken around the circumference of the foreleg, just below the knee. Add together the weight of the horse plus the rider and tack, and divide this sum by the cannon bone circumference measurement. Then divide that result by two. A number between 75 and 85 is good. If the number is over 85, you probably need a larger horse. Using this method, I measure the circumference of the horses cannon bone and get 7.5 inches. The body weight of the horse is 1,150 pounds and the rider and gear weigh 235 pounds for a total combined weight of 1,350 pounds. Divide 1,350 (total combined weight) by 7.5 (cannon bone) and I get roughly 185. Divide 185 in half and my final resulting number is 93. Using this calculating method, I either need to lighten my gear or get a larger horse to get the number down to around 85.

Some horse and rider guidelines where carrying weight is concerned:

Avoid letting the horse trot or canter

The maximum weight a horse can safely carry does vary by the breed of the horse and how hard its worked. There is no absolute rule about how much weight a horse can carry, but generally speaking the lighter-framed the horse the less he can carry. A well conditioned horse or a stout horse can generally carry more. Some breeds are bred to carry heavier weights like the Quarter Horse, Arabian or Icelandic Pony. Riders with good balance also make weight load less of a problem.

Author: Randall Holman
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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