11/30/20

Equine Biomechanics Workshop Session 3: The Canter & Gallop

Presented by Shelley Thomas, MPT, CERP

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Equine Biomechanics Workshop Schedule

• Syllabus • November 16th: The Walk • November 23rd: The Trot • November 30th: The Canter and Gallop • December 7th: The Jump • Handouts, exercises, and flashcard downloads available in the members library: https://intrepidwellness.kartra.com/portals/programs

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Reminder - Biomechanical Principles

• Weight shifts • Forward/back • Side to side (medial/lateral) • Rotation • Role of horse’s neck with weight shift • Agonist/antagonist muscle groups

• Riders can influence a horse by influencing their weight shift. The “pushing or pulling” leg can activate harder, activate less, or move in a different direction. An airborne leg cannot be influenced.

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Canter Biomechanics

• Canter is a 3-beat gait with a moment of suspension

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Trailing Hind Limb – Power Production

• The trailing outside hindlimb is primarily responsible for horizontal propulsive force; carries entire weight of horse and is source of power and engagement. Fetlock often almost touches ground.

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Inside Leading Foreleg – Force Management

• The inside leading foreleg takes the most strain. This leg moves the horizontal forces from hind leg push into vertical forces to get horse’s body in the air.

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The Canter at Liberty

• Typically not straight. Horses naturally carry hindquarters to the inside, shoulder to outside. • Often stay in counter canter (canter on wrong lead) until balance is disturbed enough to require flying lead change. • Head elevated, poll open (in other words, not on the bit) • Rarely skip a pace unless under threat. Go walk → trot → canter, not walk → canter or halt → canter.

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First Canter Stride

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Soundness Tip

• If horse is exhibiting bad behavior at the canter but not the trot, often indicative of back or hind limb discomfort. • Canter is gait where back muscles have to contract most strongly against force of gravity, which often highlight sub-clinical pain that may not show up elsewhere. • If horse misbehaves, wrings tail, or tosses head on a particular rein, problem is often the trailing hind limb (power generator).

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Biomechanical Changes Under Saddle

• To canter straight (hind limbs behind front), travel in shoulder fore • If asked to go on the bit, used hindquarters more for power and movement since can’t use head and neck for weight shift.

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Canter Faults

• Disunited/cross cantering • Loss of balance is typical cause • Crooked (which is a natural state to the horse) • Transfer hindquarters towards leading front limb for balance (natural) • Laterality/strength difference left to right • 4-beat canter • Typically rider caused. Slow horse down without impulsion, causing diagonal legs to get disjointed. • Can also be due to hind limb weakness, injury, training issue (like in trotters/pacers)

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Trot to Canter – Option 1

• Rider cues horse for canter when outside front and inside hind limb are on the ground at the trot. • Horse will then just let front inside limb hit the ground and spring into canter.

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Trot to Canter – Option 2

• Requires more engagement. • Rider cues horse when inside front limb and outside hind limb are on the ground. • Horse simply lift front end up and pushes into canter.

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Canter to Trot – Option 1

• Most natural • Rider asks horse to downgrade to trot when outside hind is on the ground. Horse then doesn’t push as hard into canter and starts to shift to trot steps. • Head and neck elevate to push weight backwards.

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Canter to Trot - Option 2

• In this method horse breaks with leading forelimb (inside front). • Rider asks horse to downgrade trot when inside hind and outside front diagonal pair are on the ground. • Neck typically goes forward and down to move center of gravity onto leading leg to assist with braking.

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Canter to Walk

• Rider ask for walk when horse is airborne, so they know when the trailing hind limb (outside) hits the ground not to push forward. • Horse rocks back, often raising head to assist, and puts outside front onto ground to initiate walk sequence. • Rarely does this in nature.

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Gallop

• Becomes a 4-beat gait with moment of suspension • Utility is less stress on leading front limb to manage change in forces from horizontal to vertical. • Forelimbs also assist with propulsion • Less need to memorize timing in gallop. Typically rebalance and drop to canter to turn, jump, etc. • Galloping lets a horse go in a straight line very fast.

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Rider Biomechanics

• The challenge of the canter is getting the pelvis to roll in rhythm with the horse. • If rider is too loose, timing will be off because won’t be with the horse, butt will hit back of saddle. • If too tight, will grip with inner thigh and not roll with horse. • Core strength, drawing ribs down produce isometric contraction that can help pelvis move with horse. Rider has to actually produce the timing. • Some horses are easier than others!

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Rider Exercises

1. Watch a horse canter without a rider. Identify the footfalls. 2. Ride your horse at the canter. Pick a leg and say when it is hitting the ground. Do this for the trailing hindlimb (outside), diagonal hind/front limbs, and leading front limb. 3. Focus on your pelvic swing. Are you staying with the horse or bumping back of the saddle? Can you swing your pelvis without swinging your shoulders? If you engage your core or draw ribs down, what changes? Become aware of your swing vs. the horse’s swing. 4. Practice trot → canter and canter → trot transitions. Are you using option 1 or 2? Can you change between these options?

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Thank you!

Questions?

Next Session – Jumping December 7th, 6:00 pm MST

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References

• Equine Biomechanics for Riders by Karin Blignault. • All footfall diagrams from this book. • The Dynamic Horse by Hilary M. Clayton. • The gallop diagram is from this book.

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