This message is from: Starfire Farm <starfiref...@usa.net>
It seems to me that the rider putting extra weight on their horses
forehand can and would be an issue, but at the point of being lame?
If this is in response to my earlier post, please let me clarify. The
horse was NOT clinically lame, however, the crookedness in the rider's
position was creating discomfort in the horse's shoulder (only one
shoulder, the one the rider was putting more pressure on) which made the
horse favor that shoulder in order to avoid discomfort, which became a
habit (ask your vet, sometime horses that experience prolonged lameness
have to be encouraged to use the affected limb because they expect to
feel pain, so still favor the limb.)
I forgot to mention that the rider's crooked position also caused the
horse to travel crooked, exacerbating the problem. So, one could
consider it a "rein lameness" however, I believe "rein lameness" can be
a misnomer, not caused by the reins only, but also caused by a crooked,
out of balance rider (hence rein imbalance).
But might be the vet might find some issues with the backend, not even
the front end?
Yes, this can be true. Sometimes what might seem to present as a front
lameness problem is actually a hind lameness problem.
I do think its true, no strength or muscle in the butt will surely
make a horse heavier on the forehand, but trippy? I’d worry if mine
didn’t have muscle in their butts. Especially fjords.
This Fjord had plenty of muscle in the hindquarters. It's even nicer
now! ;-) When I see a horse, especially a Fjord, with a lack of muscling
in the hindquarter and the hind limbs (stifle, gaskin, etc.) It is a
"red flag" to me that something is not right with the horse.
My husband had a quarterhorse. He was afraid to let go of this horses
mouth, especially at the canter. We could see him lift the horse with
each canter stride. If he dropped contact, the horse would fall on his
face.
I have re-trained warmbloods that were ridden with the "hold-'em, drive
'em" mentality that had started the horses rearing with their riders (a
couple of our trainers out here are famous for that!) One horse was so
used to being held up that when I let the reins go to the buckle, he
fell to his knees and I thought "ohhhh, here it comes!" but he manged
not to somersault and learned to balance himself. Rest assured, my
weight was NOT on his forehand when that happened!
My main point and a major focus with my students is correct position and
balance of the rider to not hinder the horse's balance and way of going.
Once they get that, then I help them learn how to enhance the horse's
way of going with their balance and position. It can be a long journey,
but one well worth taking.
Beth
--
Beth Beymer and Sandy North
Starfire Farm, LLC
www.starfirefarm.com
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