Lesson Three
I. Equine Gaits and Movement Patterns
II. Common Stresses and Injuries
I. EQUINE GAITS
Lesson two described the horse’s
skeletal and muscular anatomy, emphasizing how the muscles work to move the
bones.
Now, we’re going to focus on
the specific movement patterns.
When evaluating a horse’s movement,
it is important to know the correct sequence of foot falls in the different
gaits. This allows us to assess the
extent of the deviation from normal and, therefore, the extent of a problem. The greater the deviation away from normal
correct movement, the greater the problem and the less satisfying the horse’s
performance—ranging from not quite up to standard to actual unsoundness that
may require a veterinary exam.
Horse’s movement patterns fall
into two basic categories—trotting horses and gaited horses. Let’s start with horses that walk, trot and
canter. And just as I compared horse and
human anatomy, I’ll also show the similarities in human and horse movement
patterns.
The Walk
The walk is a four beat gait in
which the horse moves one foot at a time, so there are always three feet on the
ground at any time. This makes the walk
a smooth, even gait that is easy and comfortable to ride.
The hind legs swing from the
hip joint with no, or very little, lowering of the pelvis as the hind legs come
forward. There is a rhythmic downward
nod of the head and neck that is in time with the foot fall. Any upward swing of the head, rather than
downward, indicates stiffness in the horse’s back and forehand.
All of a horse’s movement
initiates in the hindquarters. The
natural walk starts with a push from the hindquarters. The horse begins moving his mass forward by
driving off a hind foot. As the horse
loses his balance, a front foot moves forward to catch and rebalance the horse. Even though the action has started in the
hindquarters, it appears the front foot moves first—this is because it must
move out of the way of the forward moving hind foot which will over stride the
front foot print if the horse is without pain or stiffness. The sequence of strides is actually, right
hind, right fore, left hind, left fore.
A hind leg begins the sequence with a driving movement even though it
appears that the fore leg is the first to move.
Ideally the speed with which
each leg comes forward and the length of the stride of each should be the same
for all four legs. If this is true there
will be a regular four-beat rhythm.
But many times this is not the
case, and there will be variation in the timing of the beats.
Sometimes the front legs will
take longer strides than the hinds, or vice versa. Another common sequence is one in which the
horse takes even strides with three legs and a short stride with a single leg.
The “ultimate” variation is the
one in which the two legs on one side stride forward at the same time. This is called a “pace” (two beat lateral
gait) and it gives an uncomfortable lurching motion to the walk. The foot fall pattern of the pace would be
the left fore and left hind coming forward together and then the right fore and
right hind coming forward together. Camels pace at the walk; Standardbreds
trot or pace very rapidly as they pull sulkies in races.
In
addition to watching the foot fall sequence, it is also easy to hear these
beats, and any irregularities, if the horse is walking on a hard dirt surface
or on pavement.
The human movement pattern that
is the equivalent of the horse’s walk is our crawl. As a baby crawls, it moves its arms and legs
in the same sequence as the horse’s walk.
Get down on the ground and experiment with crawling. Try variations, especially the pace; see
which is the most comfortable.
The Trot
The trot is a two beat gait in
which a diagonal pair of legs (hind leg on one side, fore leg on the other)
comes forward at the same time for the first beat and then the other diagonal
pair comes forward for the second beat.
In between these two steps there is a moment when all four legs are off
the ground at the same time. This is
called “the moment of suspension” and it is a crucial phase in the trot
sequence. Any interference with the
moment of suspension will be indicative of irregularities in the trot.
Again, as in the walk, the
ideal is to have the length of stride, the time interval and the speed of both
pairs equal. This produces a fluid,
cadenced trot of complete regularity.
Deviations from this will vary from slight to severe.
“Slight” might be that the legs of a diagonal
pair do not leave the ground or land at quite the same moment. A horse that carries its body in an
asymmetrical configuration (crooked) will often show this type of deviation.
“Severe” would be when a leg
does not complete its forward stride, but puts the foot down out of time with
its diagonal partner. This could happen
when a horse is very sore in a limb or there is a clinical unsoundness.
The human equivalent of the
trot is our walking and running.
Notice as you walk or run, that
as the leg on one side comes forward the arm on the opposite side swings
forward at the same time. Try other
patterns. Swing the arm and leg on the
same side together. Tighten up your arm
swing and see if that affects your body as you walk.
The Canter
The canter is a three beat gait
with a moment of suspension, (all four feet off the ground) after the third
beat.
For the first beat of the
canter one of the diagonal pairs of the trot is broken up and the horse will
push off with the hind leg of that diagonal without moving the front leg. The other diagonal pair will come down
together (just as they do in the trot), and then the fore leg of the first pair
will finally move forward (this is what we call the leading leg). There is a moment of suspension when all four
feet are off the ground. I think of it
as if the horse vaults from a hind leg to the opposite fore leg and puts the
other two legs (the other diagonal pair) down together to support its body in
the middle of the vaulting stride.
The most common irregularity in
the canter is what is called a “four-beat canter”. When this occurs, the legs of the diagonal
pair that should land together as the second beat (the one that supports the
middle of the vault) do not land at the same time. The foreleg of this pair touches down before
the hind leg, giving the canter four beats instead of three and there is no
moment of suspension. This restricts the
movement in the horse’s back to a tight “lurching”
feeling under the rider’s seat.
Another incorrect variation of
the canter would be one in which the canter is slowed down to such a degree the
horse uses a canter sequence in the front legs and a trot sequence in the hind
legs.
If you have ever watched
children skipping or playing “horsey” you will see they use the same foot
sequence as the horse’s canter. And, if
you watch carefully, you will see that one of their arms will actually move in
a slight forward/back motion just like a horse’s leading leg.
Gaited Horses
In your massage work you may
be called upon to work on gaited horses.
Gaited horses have a normal
walk and (sometimes) canter sequence, but there is no trot. The thing that the different gaits have in
common is that the horse always has at least one foot on the ground. There is never a moment when all four feet
are off the ground - therefore the gaits cannot be variations of the trot. The trot, by definition, has a moment of
suspension.
The gaited horse actually
walks when it is “gaiting.” Even the
Missouri Foxtrotter walks rather than trots.
The fast walk (a
“single-footer walks so fast that at times he only has a single foot on the
ground) gives a smoother, softer gait that is usually very comfortable for the
rider. Almost all of these “gaits” are
the product of training rather than in-born.
The major exception that I know of is the Paso Fino. They have a walk and a canter, but no trot or
variation of the trot (they can be taught to trot, but this, then, would be a
learned gait). All of the Paso Fino’s gaits are the
four-beat walk pattern done at different speeds.
Some horses, like the
five-gaited Saddlebred, will have the three natural
gaits plus two man-made ones. The
important thing to understand when evaluating a gaited horse’s movement is that
the “gait” may not give you a good idea of what is going on in their bodies,
but the walk and canter should give good information.
When we do the lesson that
includes evaluating a horse’s movement prior to doing a massage, I will go into
greater detail about the things you should be looking for in the gaits that
indicate a problem and where it might be originating.
II. COMMON STRESSES
The first part of this lesson
has described the natural gaits and movement patterns of a horse, but these can
be disrupted by outside factors.
Injuries are one of these factors, but even more frequent, and
important, are muscle strains and soreness that can be caused by the type of
work we ask of horses. In any given
riding discipline there are certain stresses and injuries that will be fairly
common for that particular discipline or sport.
These problems will usually center around a
specific area of the horse such as the forehand and front legs, hocks and
hindquarters. Some of the common
problems encountered in our more popular forms of riding:
•
Excessive pressure or concussion to the forehand.
•
Excessive pressure on back muscles.
•
Excessive pressure or concussion to the hindquarters.
•
Co-contraction problems.
•
Stress from riding and training styles that emphasize forms of balance and
movement that deviate from the anatomical norm.
•
Outside trauma (accidents, falls)
The majority of problems in a
particular riding sport or activity will usually involve one of the above categories,
but some may show a pattern of multiple 
categories. Some of the problems that occur will be of a
nature that requires veterinary care and the massage work will need to wait
until the injury has healed and rehabilitation has started.
Many problems will simply
involve muscle tensions and soreness that results in a general deterioration of
performance and a loss of free motion and flexibility—these are readily
responsive to massage.
Excessive Pressure or Concussion to the
Forehand
Race horses - Injuries
to race horses are centered, to a large extent, in the lower front legs and are
usually of a nature that requires veterinary attention, but along with the
lower leg injuries there will be soreness and cramping in the shoulders, 
withers and back muscles. A regular maintenance massage schedule can
help alleviate much of the muscle soreness that is inherent in the intense
training schedule of a race horse. (Many
of the problems seen in the forehand actually originate in the hindquarters—so
never dismiss the possibilities without thorough investigation.)
Show-ring hunters -
Injuries to these horses, because they jump, will most often be the result of
concussion to the front legs and shoulders when landing after a jump. These horses are usually confined in a
“frame”, both on the flat and over jumps, that limits any variation of
stride. This can eventually result in
muscles 
losing flexibility from being confined
only within the range allowed by the striding between jumps. This confined striding can also affect hock
movement and many jumpers will have had injections for sore hocks. Another factor that often contributes to the
show-ring jumper’s soreness and muscle problems is the use of a short standing
martingale that inhibits the horse’s full use of its body over the jumps.
Jumpers - Landing from
the heights of the jumps taken by jumpers can cause soreness to the forehand
and front legs. They can also suffer
from stress and soreness to the hind legs from the tremendous thrust they have
to exert to push 
their bodies up and over the jumps, and
many, like the show ring hunters, will have had their hocks injected. When you add to these stresses the quick
adjustments and movements required to be done at speed around a course this can
cause over-all tension and body soreness.
Western Pleasure horses
- In the western pleasure jog the forehand tends to “brake”
the horse’s speed. The shortening, in
many cases the extreme shortening, of the stride to achieve the western pleasure
jog puts great pressure on a horse’s front legs, and is intensified when the
horse is also asked to keep its head very low.
The hindquarters also suffer in this
slow, heavy gait. The hind legs work
primarily in an up/down motion (very little forward/back swing) that restricts
the full range of motion in the hip joints.
Another common problem occurs when a rider, in trying to achieve a very
slow jog and lope, actually break up the gaits.
The most common of these gait abnormalities is the four-beat lope, but
other, more serious ones are when the horse jogs with the front legs and is
walking with the hind legs and at the lope the horse lopes with the front legs
and jogs with the hind legs. This
break-up of the correct bio-mechanics of the jog and lope can cause stiffness
and muscle soreness, and even unsoundness.
Excessive Pressure to Back Muscles
It could be said that all forms
of riding puts pressure on a horse’s back simply because the rider sits on this
bridge between the two ends of the horse.
But most riders are able to harmonize with the movement of the horse’s
back muscles in such a way that both horse and rider can be comfortable. The kind of riding that I’ll be describing as
excessive pressure to the back muscles is that which interferes with the free
contraction and extension of these muscles.
Distance horses (Endurance
and Competitive Trail) - The distances involved (up to 100 miles) and the
use of the trot for long periods of time combined with the long, extended frame
usually seen in these horses can tighten the entire torso in an extended state
with the abdominal muscles unable to contract properly. When this happens, the hind legs cannot swing
up under the horse’s body to a position that gives support to the torso. The back muscles then have to stiffen
excessively in order to carry the rider’s weight without help from the hind
legs. Sore back muscles are common in
these horses. Also, many distance riders
stand and brace in their stirrups in order to avoid having to deal with the
horse’s movement in the long extended trot.
This constant, heavy pressure at the front of the saddle can produce
additional soreness in the wither area.
Saddle Seat (Park Pleasure,
English Pleasure) - This style of
riding affects a horse’s back in much the same way as distance riding in that
the back muscles have to stiffen because the hind legs are not able to travel
far enough up under the 
torso to provide support. In addition, the high position of the neck
will also contribute to the stiffening of the back, causing upper shoulder
tension as well as back problems. And
the long, weighted feet that is the norm for this riding style puts even
greater stress on the shoulders and back.
It is rare to see a horse that is ridden in this style that is not
significantly sway-backed by the time it is over 12 years of age; this is not
the norm for other riding styles.
Dressage - In dressage
many riders lean back behind the vertical and use a heavy driving seat to drive
the horse forward. This is very hard on
the horse’s back and can cause sore back muscles. This type of rider will continue to use this
heavy driving seat in a mistaken effort to obtain collection. Collection compresses the 
horse’s length from nose to tail and
transfer more of its weight onto the hindquarters. The correct anatomical way to do this is to
have the abdominal muscles contract and lift and lengthen the long back
muscles. In the collection process it is
crucial that the long back muscles elevate.
In their attempts to collect a horse many riders use the heavy, driving
seat that will actually depress the horse’s long back muscles. The nose and tail will come closer together
in this type of attempt to collect, but done in this way it becomes difficult
for the horse’s hind legs to come up under its torso. There will not be a weight transfer to the
hindquarters and control ends up being done by the rider’s hands. All of these factors can produce sore or weak
backs, tension and stress in the shoulders and muscle strain in the loins and
upper areas of the hindquarters. If
collection has been done correctly and there is a correct transfer of weight to
the hindquarters, it is the hindquarters and hind legs that are more likely to experience
muscle strain and soreness.
Race
horses - The tremendous stretch of the back muscles in the racing gallop
puts great strain on them, especially in the loin area. Sore backs are common in race horses.
Excessive Pressure and Concussion to
the Hindquarters
There are some riding
disciplines whose ultimate aim is to transfer more of the horse’s weight to the
hindquarters. Since this is not normal
for the horse in its natural state, except in moments of great excitement,
doing this as a deliberate training aim can put great stress in that area,
especially to the joints of the hind legs.
Even when done carefully and
correctly there is a good possibility of stress to the hind leg joints. The joints that are particularly susceptible
to injury are the hocks and fetlocks. Some of the riding disciplines where this
occurs are reining, cutting and dressage.
Driving
horses, particularly draft horses, will often develop soreness or movement
problems in their loins and hindquarters because of the way they use their
bodies when pulling weight. Riding
horses have to support the weight of a rider on their backs; they can do this
best when their hind legs swing under the torso, thereby offering support to
their backs and a rider. Driving horses,
when pulling weight, use their hind legs from a perpendicular position to
behind their bodies. In this type of
movement the horse stiffens its back and puts stress on its loins and
hindquarters. Hindquarter soreness and
hock problems are common. Because of
shoeing procedures that enable most driving horses to have more lift than
extension in their front legs, they may also be prone to soreness in the
shoulders.
Co-contraction Patterns
The automatic response of one
muscle lengthening as its counterpart contracts can be deliberately over-ridden
under some circumstances and a muscle will stay in partial contraction even as
its opposite attempts to contract. This
puts strain on the muscles attempting to contract.
If this process of only
partial release continues, muscles will gradually tighten into a smaller range
of motion and lose much of their ability to stretch. This process is called co-contraction. This tightening will build muscle strength,
but it does so at the expense of mobility and free movement as well as causing
constrictions around joints that, if left without release, can eventually lead
to joint deterioration (arthritis) and unsoundness.
Any type of training that
emphasizes a particular form or “look” rather than free, flexible movement is a
prime source for development of co-contractions. It can be seen often in dressage, western
pleasure and show-ring hunters, but can also occur in any area where freedom of
motion is sacrificed for static, repetitive movements.
Even the technique of “head
setting” and overly tight side reins can produce co-contractions.
It is important that horses
ridden in ways that produce harmful co-contractions have some way to release
this tension periodically before it can cause soreness, or unsoundness.
Deliberate Deviations from Anatomical
Balance and Correct Movement Patterns
Some riding styles train horses
in ways that deliberately seeks to achieve a certain “look”, posture or
movement the deviates from correct bio-mechanics and posture. This puts abnormal stress on parts of the
horse’s body that are not capable of supporting what is being asked.
Horses trained in this way can
be effective at what they do, but are limited by these abnormal patterns, and
as they age the imbalances will begin to adversely affect their muscles and
movement. The horses in this category
differ from those I discussed under Co-contractions in that the problems these
horses will experience are not just side effects of poor training methods, but
are deliberate attempts to produce a look that is totally our of sync with the
correct bio-mechanics of any horse.
Some of these training styles
are described below.
“Parking out”—a part of saddle seat training—takes
both the horse’s front and hind legs away from their support positions. The back muscles have to try to do the whole
job of support.
Horses with man-made gaits
will experience problems related to the break-up of the natural trot. In the training of five-gaited Saddlebreds, the sequence of foot fall of the trot is
deliberately broken up to produce the rack and slow gait. Other types of gaited horses also have
altered trot patterns that can produce stress in their bodies.
Halter horses that are taught to
park out behind, particularly Arabians, often suffer from weakness in some of
the joints of the hind legs, especially the stifle joints. From a very early age the muscles that are
necessary for pulling the hind 
legs forward are under-developed and
the muscles that pull the hind legs back are tight and overly contracted and do
not stretch forward easily. This
parked-out posture also puts excessive stress on the horse’s loins.
Deliberately slowing down the
western pleasure gaits until they lose their correct foot-fall patterns is
another example of deliberate training that disrupts the gaits rather then
enhancing them.
These training techniques all
put excessive tension on the horse’s body and massage can be beneficial.
When doing massage on these
types of horses you must be aware that your job is to loosen the muscle strain
inherent is the training, but you’re not going to bring these horses into a
different posture or balance.
Massage done on these horses
on a regular basis will help maintain the level of performance desired by the
rider and still keep the horse as comfortable as possible.
Outside Trauma
Any horse, in any discipline,
can hurt itself in performance, but some disciplines run a higher risk than 
others.
Most of these involve speed, quick movements and obstacles. Horses likely to fall into this category
would be event horses, jumpers, games horses, field hunters, steeplechasers and
point-to-point horses.
Many of these injuries will
require veterinary care, but just as many will result in muscle soreness,
strains and pulls that can be helped by massage.
As you start looking at horses
with the information I’ve given you, I would like you to also begin to look at
more than just the mechanics of gaits.
Start looking at what kinds of
work the horses do, what kinds of training techniques are used, how the horses
use their bodies and how their bodies look.
Are movements stiff and stilted or fluid and supple? Does the horse look angry and unhappy? Does it just “plod along” without interest or
eagerness, or does it look interested in its work and content to be working
with its rider. Negative answers to
these questions are all indications that something is wrong.
A horse that is unhappy,
uncomfortable or hurting in its body will show its discontent in a variety of
ways and it is important for you to be able to recognize behavior that
indicates a problem.
Some problems will be physical
and some will be mental, and often it is a combination of both.
Watch the horse’s eyes, ears
and mouth—these are good indicators of discomfort. Are the eyes soft and relaxed or wide,
frightened and angry looking? Are the ears
pinned flat back against the skull or up and moving around—interested in the
surroundings? Does the horse grind its
teeth or is the mouth soft and relaxed?
ASSIGNMENTS
1. I
want you to go out and watch as many horses as you can. Watch them free in the pasture, watch them
under saddle, watch them longeing. Can you identify the different gaits you
see? Look for the foot-fall patterns
that were described in this lesson - were they easily identifiable, or did you
notice variations or abnormal gaits? Try
to figure out why some horses look different even when they’re doing the same
movements. Write a report on your
thoughts and observation.
2. Talk
to numerous owners about their horses. Find
out what they like about their horses and what they might like to improve. Find out what kind of riding they do and any
injuries or problems their horses have.
Can you equate any of these problems with the kind of work these horses
do, as was described in the lesson? Give
me short, general over-views of some of these horses and any problems you see.
3. Pick
out three specific horses doing three different types of riding or work and
describe in greater detail the kind of work these horses do and how they seem
to be using their bodies. Particularly
notice the foot-fall patterns in the walk, trot and canter (walk, canter and
“gait” in gaited horses). Are these
gaits true, or did you see any of the variations I described? Ask questions about how these horses are
trained and describe any injuries or problems these horses have had. Notice these horse’s dispositions. Do they appear calm and willing or agitated
and defensive? How does the owner
describe their horse’s work ethic and attitude?
4. In
lesson 2 you learned how similar human and horse gait and movement patterns
are. As you progress through this course
you will learn the importance of being able to identify where a horse’s body
problems are coming from and how these problems cause discomfort or pain and
affect movement. One of your most
important tools for doing this is to be able to duplicate with your own body
the way a horse is holding its body and the way it feels when it moves its
body. In this exercise I want you to
duplicate the horse’s three gaits with your own body. Notice how your body feels and how it
organizes itself. Try some of the
variations and gait abnormalities described in this lesson and notice what
kinds of changes you feel in your body.
Duplicating the horse’s trot (our walk and running) is best done
standing up, but the horse’s walk (our crawl) needs to be done on all
four’s. Practice the canter (skipping)
standing up, but also experiment with the organization of your body for the
canter and the foot sequence on all fours.
Some things to notice as you do these exercises are: (a) in your walking
and running, notice how the leg and diagonal arm move forward together – try
moving the arm and leg on the same side at the same time, try tightening your
arms as you walk and run: (b) when starting your crawl, which limb seems to
want to start the movement, experiment with different sequences of moving your
limbs in the crawl; (c) when skipping to duplicate the canter notice if your
“leading arm” moves slightly in front of your other arm, practice canter
departs and notice what your legs do in the departs, practice “flying
changes”. When you’re on all fours
feeling the organization of your body in the canter sequence, can you feel the
diagonal stretch in your body from your shoulder to the opposite hip as your
“leading leg” (the third beat of the canter) is put forward. Get your friends or children involved in this
exercise – watch how they walk, trot and canter. Get their feedback and thoughts. Write a report on how these exercises may
have influenced your understanding of a horse’s movement patterns.
5. It
is the similarities in the movement patterns of horses and humans that allow us
to harmonize with a horse’s body positions and movements and makes riding
comfortable for both the horse and the rider.
Because of this close similarity in movement patterns, it is also
possible for a rider’s incorrect body mechanics to have a profound influence on
how a horse uses its body under saddle and the movement problems and soreness
that can develop in the horse from incorrect riding and lack of harmony with
the horse’s movement. This is a good
time to begin to be aware of how riders organize and use their bodies. Watch them (discretely) as they walk and move
around their horse. Share with me some
of your observations and thoughts on this.
Send your detailed report to: eleanorblazer@horsecoursesonline.com
The original instructor, Betty
Lindquist, retired