Sunday, April 27, 2014

Movement

     Movement is such an important quality in a horse so I'd like to briefly address this subject.  In short and in fact, the horses with the better conformation generally move much better.  That said, keep in mind though that halter horses are bred for the breed ideal and are not bred for performance so rarely are they the best movers, often they do move nicely but not greatly.
     We evaluate a horse's movement depending on the standards of the breed and the type of work the horse will be doing.  Horses that are good movers within their breed and discipline standard make the job look easy and effortless.  Often, these horses find their respective jobs less demanding than their less talented stablemates.
     A good moving horse is not only a joy to watch, he is also easy to ride and nice to train.  If (for instance) you have found that the jog is difficult to sit, you most certainly have not ridden a horse that has a natural easy jog.  If you are having trouble teaching a horse to lope, it is probably due in part to the horse's lack of natural ability and comfort at the lope, and so on....
     Now yes, we can improve a horse's gate through training.  Supplying excercise also helps all horses.  Teaching horses good collection always improves a horse.  The work of a good shoer is also a "must" in my opinion.  But, you cannot make a bad mover into a good mover with shoes, nor can you make a mediocre mover into a very good mover with shoes.  The horse either has it or he doesn't.  Now, I certainly believe you can enhance a good horse through good training and shoeing - just as you want the proper running shoes on an Olympic miler.
     So, when you're evaluating your next horse, be sure to look for good movement!  Talk to you next week, JD.

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