Observing your horse's movement
Looking at a horse standing and then watching their movement is like light and shade. Horses give information freely, much more than the rider! Is an observation I have made in my over twenty years experience as a human and equine therapist. People have often commented on how hard it must be to work with a horse. When there is no verbal communication. There is clear communication, if you listen and observe.
Riders often have a preconceived idea regarding where their issue lies, which is understandable as that is where they feel pain. However, often where the pain is felt and the root cause are in entirely different areas. Pain is often a warning, a signal for change. Sometimes in an attempt to ensure a certain area is addressed a person will try to alter their movement to sway your opinion. The good news is this can’t be maintained for long and it looks held!
What the horse's movement can teach us
When looking at a horse, it’s a bit like an episode of Sherlock Homes. Elements progressively become apparent, but if you want to find the real culprit, watching a horse or rider move is essential. Otherwise you are getting less than half a story! When approaching a horse, there are so many things to consider, so many outside influences that affect the horse. Which has become a subconscious checklist over the years. For example, training, teeth, lifestyle, environment, school surface, feet, tack, the rider, to name a few. The difficulty often lies in which one to broach first sometimes!
There are also many considerations with the rider, however, the rider is in more control of this! And most times well aware of their not so good choices. (I see you riders!) In the stable, whilst the owner is telling me the case history of the horse. I am watching how the horse stands. Their general conformation and how their muscular development lines up with that. Looking at their entire body does anything immediately jumps out at me. (believe me, this happens often) How does their shape stack up with the work the rider is describing to me? Their general demeanour, their environment, which I have also noted on the way to the stable. How the horse interacts with their owner and how the owner interacts with their horse.
Assessing your horse's movement
You have got this owners! Be confident in learning about your horse’s movement! Listen, (I often hear the irregular movement of horses passing by a building I am working in) observe, be curious what is their normal, their nuances? You spend more time than anyone with that horse.
With a horse, their movement is black and white. They don’t, as some people believe, cook up movement changes to get out of work! And then pass tips around the stable yard to their buddy’s! Movement I find often becomes like a confession box, when I silently observe. Owners often drop in key information that was left out in their initial explanation. Holding things back doesn’t mean they aren’t visible!
Many years ago, I had been called out for what the owner believed was behavioural problems. On watching the horse move, it clearly needed to see a veterinarian. As I quietly watched, trying to hold back my surprise, they then told me the horse was bridle lame. I don’t subscribe to this condition and further explained the horse didn’t have a bride or a rider on it and it really needed a veterinary assessment.
When a horse moves, you see a clear representation of their movement as it is at that point in time. The reason I want to always see the horse move is because of this clarity and important information I get from their movement. My very first port of call is does this horse need to be referred to a veterinarian? If not, then I work on from there. I have loved movement since I was a child. And I like to look at movement from multiple angles. As I am a restorative exercise specialist, sometimes I have to block out the rider/owner. As they can get somewhat distracting! (I’m not judging, well, maybe a tiny bit)
Many equine professionals that look at your horse should watch them move. There are veterinary situations where this isn’t applicable, of course. But on the whole, valuable information is missed without this.
Enhancing your horse's movement
Horses aren’t born straight or ambidextrous. We aim to enhance their movement through careful, considerate training. Keeping a horse sound is most definitely an art. Just like us, they have individual body nuances. Born from the way they use their body, their ability to use their body, the opportunities they get to use their body and their conformation. Just like an F1 car the team you have around you, you want them to be providing the full service to prevent the risk of accident, injury and premature wear and tear.
How to begin tuning into your horse's movement
Does the movement flow through the body - or are there areas where movement looks restricted, things slow down in the movement of that area?
Listen to the footfalls - Does one appear heavier or lighter or do you hear the foot drag a little?
Does - one or more leg look stiffer or does the leg have a slight deviation?
Where does the horse like to carry their head - High, low, to the side or another nuianced place?
Groundwork the basics you can never know them enough
I think often people are reliant on professionals who have varying levels of education. And the owner’s lack of training in anatomy can also make them doubt themselves. But the information you learn is valuable. I have met some novice owners who have astounded me with what they note and relay to me. And some advanced riders who have shocked me in other ways.
I love ground work and this is a time you can really home in on your horse’s movement. There is nothing I love more than working with an owner when rehabilitating a horse, showing them what they are working towards in their movement. One owner, when returning to ridden work after serious injury, the horse had incurred a spinal fractured. Said the horse had never felt so good in canter. The small stuff really matters, the basics. I cannot emphasise their importance enough in both horse and rider. Knowing your horse’s movement is a really valuable asset for you, as you will begin to notice and question even subtle changes . And it costs nothing!
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