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MARCH 2007 • VOLUME 19 • © HORSES For LIFE™ Magazine
YOU be the Judge! Disengaging Hindlegs YOU Be The Judge a continuing series in Horses For LIFE - a visual series for the rider, the trainer and the judge. A series that trains the eye to discern correct and incorrect movements, gaits, and training of the horse in the hope of providing one more tool that we can all use to help our horses. Racinet from "The Real Balance" "I know full well that the theory holds that the deep engagement of one hind leg, which is a feature of the working trot, is supposed to "alleviate" the front end. The problem is that when a hind leg disengages in corresponding proportion, therefore what is gained for the balance on one side is lost in the meantime on the other side of the horse. And the horse runs after his balance like a cat running after his tail. "In fact, when a horse engages one hind leg under his body, this does not mean in the least that he is improving his balance. It just means that he is making big steps. Now, a horse can be balanced and make big steps or small ones, depending on the circumstances, or he may be in a poor balance and as well as making big or short steps. The two things are not related." Pictures of Disengaging Behind So what is the difference between just taking a big step and taking a step that will improve the horse's balance? And why is just taking a big step maybe not the right thing to do for the horse?
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