From: china@vaxc.cc.monash.edu.au
Newsgroups: rec.equestrian
Subject: Re: Swinging Hindquarters
Date: 22 Dec 92 17:27:23 +1100
Distribution: world
Organization: Computer Centre, Monash University, Australia

In article <1gr56iINNp4o@gap.caltech.edu>, deblev@nimoy.ipac.caltech.edu (Debbie Levine) writes> I'm currently working with a very talented but extrem
> 
> One thing I'm having some difficulty with is that he tends to swing
> his haunches in canter, particularly when going to the right.  He
> tends to want to swing his quarters to the outside of the circle,
> and I have to use quite a bit of outside leg to try to keep him
> straight.  The situation becomes worse when he is particularly
> tense -- I rode him in the flat warmup portion of a group jumping
> lesson the other day and he was
> a complete lunatic at canter.  I was pretty much reduced to 
> giving huge half-halts every few strides, then trying to let 
> him relax, but after a stride or two he would scoot off again,
> eyes out on 6' stalks...  At any rate, on some of my stronger
> half halts, he started fishtailing like a car on an icy
> road, which is a very odd sensation, indeed.  He did, by the 
> way, finally relax enough to canter relatively calmly all the
> way around the arena, at which point we called it a night!  
> 
> At any rate, I am interested in any suggestions people have
> for trying to correct his swinging haunches.  I suppose, essentially,
> it means he isn't really coming forward, and maybe it means I am asking
> him to come back too much with my hand and not enough with my
> leg.  I also wonder if he is reacting to some asymmtery in my
> seat.  Are there any good exercises I can do at this stage with
> him?  I don't tend to ask for him to be very round for long 
> periods of time, yet, though I do work towards keeping him 
> on the bit in a long frame.  He still comes above the bit often,
> and does camel imitations when he is really stressed.   
> Debbie
> deblev@ipac.caltech.edu

Debbie, have you check whether your horse is straight in all his paces? If
you walk, trot and canter him in a straight line, does his hind legs
move in a straight line or do they swing out to the side. If they swing, your
horse may have a physical problem with either his spine, hip joint or
rear muscles. However, since you don't specify that he swings his rear more
when cantering in one direction than the other, I suspect it is not a physical
fault. Does your horse swing his hindquarters when cantering on the lunge? If
not, then it may a problem associated with your position, the saddle or the
manner that the horse is carrying the weight. This does not discount there 
being a conformational or physical problem. If the problem is just a 
behavioural expression of the horses tension, then I would try lunging the 
horse in a round yard, where the outer wall almost prevents the horse from
turning his hindquarters to the outside. When the horse is happy on the
lunge, I would progress to the same exercise under saddle with someone else
lunging. Eventually canter in the round yard under saddle and no lunge, but
minimum interference from the rider. If the problem is due to tension, then
anything you do will invoke the swinging of the hindquarters. With time
and patience your horse should be happy to canter at a medium pace and
bend in the right direction. I agree that lots of long frame and lateral work
are a good idea - I have found these help teach a horse to relax. Lots
of transitions and variations are also helpful. The TTEAM method would
probably call for body massages, work over poles and a body line. All these
may help your horse. I have good success with a body rope for horses that
either don't get their hindquarters under them enough or don't bend away
from the line of travel. However, I'm sure other people are much more 
qualified to describe TTEAM system.

Good luck

- Ross