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
