Lili of the gaitedhorse list answers a question about ventroflexion and dorsiflexion:
> Still don`t understand the enverted way..does he mean the BACK? Like the > horse goes sway backed or something? Dorsiflexed is the back rounded *up*...think maybe of a dolphin and its *dorsal*fin - same root word. It (dorsiflexed) is also used to describe some human physiology. It's not a new word - just maybe one not used much for horses in the old days. It is the opposite of ventroflexed. >Venter< is latin for stomach - so, flexed toward the stomach. Sway back is (usually extreme) ventroflexion. Dorsiflexion is desirable in a trot (and in other gaits done in true collection). *Some* ventroflexion is necessary for a horse to be able to do the lateral gaits, like rack & pace. What Paul was describing is a poor trot (inverted/swayback/ventroflexed) - hard on horse and rider! ;-P Hope that helps... Lili ________________________ Judy http://icehorses.net http://clickryder.com
