> We have found that there are exercises you can do to help with this. IME > these horses are very tight in the shoulders and so leg exercises can be > very beneficial, the same goes for horses that are cow hocked. > With the rope walking horse I > would also do exercises from the ground to improve balance - slow > exercises > so the horse is really mindful of where his feet are. And finally I > believe > that a tight fitting saddle can contribute to the problem. The horse > contracts through the shoulders because of the saddle and it sets up a > holding pattern. I have seen many of these horses change dramatically.
>From the gaited horse perspective, a horse that is gaiting by pulling itself forward, is on the forehand, will have hypertrophy shoulder muscles, in turn an atrophied pectoral sling, the combination of which will result in the front legs being closer together, possibly angled crooked (different problem than the horse with crooked front legs from the knee down). Yes, tolt is a gait that is on the forehand, it is not a "collected" gait, and the horse is working downhill when in tolt (like a wheelbarrow). A horse that is heavily tolted will show a big shoulder area and small hindquarters. I agree that groundwork and slow walk and / or trot exercises would be beneficial. Judy http://icehorses.net http://clickryder.com
