We owe it to them to learn.
If your horse is not being ridden, it is still important to learn about health, injury/disease prevention, and diet. Riding our horses comes with additional responsibility. We must learn some of the biomechanics of the actions we expect them to perform.
With an understanding of HOW a horse should use its body correctly, we can assess its strengths and weaknesses. With this undertanding the rider can train and perform in a way that compensates for weaknesses, and values strengths. It is only fair that we do our best to minimise their risk of pain and injury.
Availability of technologies now to easily photograph and video our horses, makes assessment much easier. Capturing your horses movement through slow motion video is a great way for you to assess how it is performing in comparison to the correct way of going.
Step one is to work out what is correct. This week in my video I look at the jump stride.
Do your horse a favour – get someone to do a slow motion video of you jumping, and compare your horses way of going, to what is correct. Variance can either be a rider or horse error, but also maybe a soundness issue that requires some veterinary diagnosis and intervention.