Horse Gaits, Balance and Movement
Horses move! It is what makes them useful, able and beautiful. A foal can walk, trot and gallop within hours of its birth. The horse knows how to be a horse without human help. But when we ride, drive, train and judge horses, we soon discover that not all horses move equally well. Even though there are over two hundred breeds and types of horses and many different disciplines and styles of riding, the horse's basic mechanism and nature are the same. At the heart of Horse Gaits, Balance and Movement is what is natural and common to all breeds, and herein lies the broadness of this book's appeal to riders, instructors, trainers and judges?anyone concerned with equine movement. Lifelong horsewoman Susan E. Harris addresses in her writing and in her more than 300 superb drawings?which demonstrate the kind of nuance and detail photographs do not permit?the following topics:basic structure and anatomythe cycle of movementgaits and transitionsbalance and movementpoor movementflexion, bending and lateral movementconformation and movementshoeing and movementhow a rider affects movement.Her chapter on practical tips for improving the horse's movement will be especially valuable to the rider, whether he or she is in reining, show jumping or dressage. Indeed, the information given in this book will go a long way toward enabling horsemen to interfere less and thus permit the horse to achieve the best movement it is capable of achieving.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.