A Friday Night Musing

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PurpleSpots

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This might be too broad a question, so I'll try to be more specific if I need to, but...


How do others assess a horse's gaits?

How do you judge how correct their gaits are, how free or tight they are, and what other criteria do you assess?

What makes you determine or interpret how comfortable or uncomfortable the horse is in his/her body when moving due to your assessment of that horse's gait/s?

Is there anything else which contributes to your assessment of dynamic (moving, as opposed to stationary) comfort in a horse?
 
A really interesting question and I have no answers as I find it difficult to assess when looking at one animal in isolation. I would love "someone" to put together a video looking at a certain part of the horse but over a number of individuals displaying different issues so that there was an immediate comparison one could make.

Or is it out there already??
 
I dont know about a "correct" gait but I was trying to give an opinion on one of the kids ponies last night (I know, monkeys and circuses but she asked). So in order it was willingness to move forward, position of the head and neck, facial expression, listen for uneven footfall (being as deaf as I am, I can still hear it better than I can see it) then a view from behind to look at straightness. For my own pony I look at evenness of the vertical hip movement in particular.

I saw significant discomfort but the kids mum said she looked mostly fine so yeah, subjective 🙃
 
Thats a big topic!

Do you mean actual sound vs. lame, or just how generally comfortable the horse is in its own body?

Or do you mean assessing the gaits in terms of suitability for a specific job they are asked to do?
 
I look for how the feet land, off the groundedness, is that a word?, elevation natural collection, looseness is a good one, that kind of flying through the air having left the ground impression

The ability to start and stop instantly doing canter turns on the move, in pirouette instead of collapsing into trot, or turning like a circle

Using the legs fully extended constant level of the back smoothness

Anything that reflects the fitness of the horse and its ability to control its body.

If I can see beauty I see correctness and I don't mean flashy or posh horse, it comes from any old cob, of which I have one and he can be thrilling watch

Sorry p spots hope that's what you mean!
 
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Love the answers so far, thank you ❤️ .

I'm sorry to have been vague, I was trying not to lead or influence what people wrote.

___

It's probably just best if I explain what prompted my thought.

I have grown so disheartened seeing videos of 'problem horses' now being ridden when to me they are not thoroughly comfortable and now free of all tightness, but to me it is glaringly obvious they are simply compensating because: this rider is less offensive to them than others; because this rider won't fall off easily; because this rider is persistent and the horse starts to feel it's futile protesting; because this rider has a system which encourages the horse to learn to compromise themselves and just do what's asked; because the horse has been put into only situations they enjoy which overrides the underlying tightness; because the horse is in an unfamiliar place and adrenalin counters the discomfort to some extent...

And it's not just problem horses, it's 'normal' horses too.

I saw two videos last night, both horses just looking SO uncomfortable, clear and consistent errors in their gaits (ie incorrect footfalls), exhibiting alot of the behaviours on the Sue Dyson RHpE (Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram) with practically every stride, ridden by what some would describe as an experienced rider clearly blatantly unaware or without concern, describing the videos positively (horses not for sale, it wasn't a sales pitch) and I just thought... 'HOW can they not see this? Even if they can't feel this?'

And so rather than getting so demoralised at the thought of so many horses out there having to work with tightness and pain, I wanted to ask others what they look for, what they assess, how they interpret things, so that I can try to empathise with why some people cannot see it as clearly. Perhaps for some it's a case of focusing so hard on other aspects of the dynamic picture that it means any input from the horse is drowned out. Perhaps there are fundamental differences in the way people analyse dynamic pictures in their minds which would mean that maybe some people just aren't able to pick up on equine comfort like others can. But I'm not sure that's the case. I wasn't able to see what I can see now say 10 years ago, so there has to have been some knowledge and feel acquired to change and improve what feedback I get from the horse now. Perhaps this collation of totally different ways of assessing horses might serve to help any of us be able to see what others see with the different life experiences they've had. Naturally one person will have more experience with x issue, and another person will have more experience with y issue, for example. Neither is 'better' than the other, they have just experienced different things. Put them together and you get the sum of all the parts. Often more than that sum, actually.

I try to be of the mindset that you can learn from everyone because everyone has a different way of looking at things which can then spark inspiration, but I do find it so hard when I am silently raging 'Why can't you appreciate that your horse is really hurting, and you are just adding to that discomfort purely in order to take what you want from them?'


I will write what I notice and look for and assess etc as it's only fair, but I will do that later on as I want to be one of a pool of offerings rather than seeming to set things up in any way as 'this is the right way, why doesn't everyone do it like this', because that's not my angle at all. Not sure that makes sense, sorry, it's late and I'm tired!
 
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The Ridden Horse Ethogram research is fairly enlightening, isn’t it?! If others aren’t aware of it, there are some free YouTube videos - just search for ‘24 behaviours of the ridden horse in pain’ and the Sue Dyson ‘Harmonious Horsemanship’ book is also excellent.
 
OK, either my musings are very dull, or this is maybe why comfort in the dynamic horse isn't widely recognised - because it's difficult to describe, or to quantify, or because even when we know we're right there's always someone who will say louder that we're imagining it.

It seems that Sue Dyson's work gives the most structured way to assess comfort at the moment, though from what I have read, it is based in using a horse's expressions of discomfort to suggest there is pain/lameness somewhere, rather than acknowledging that every expression of tightness, resistance or reluctance a horse exhibits means something in itself.

For what it's worth, here are the sorts of thoughts that go through my mind when looking at a horse move...

1. I am open to whatever the horse expresses. Their input is more important than them completing the task they're being asked to do, or whether it suits me better for them to be fine or not.
2. If they exhibit something which I can't attribute to something, I need more input and wait for more feedback from them, or ask the same thing again and see if the same response is given or whether I can consider that something else might've caused it the first time.
3. As soon as something strikes me as odd about how that horse moves - whether it's facial expression, lack of free forward movement (seeming like the 'handbrake' is on), horse being twisted, posture or gait looking stilted, more extreme expressions such as bucking/rearing/spooking/'napping', or just that I realise as I'm watching that horse I just feel uncomfortable in myself and want to look away from them rather than feeling freeness in my own body because I'm looking at a harmoniously free picture of movement in the horse - I then try to pinpoint what is different, what area is restricted in that horse compared to the blueprint of a free and comfortable horse in my mind that has built up over time.
4. I might use slow motion videos or stillshots from a video to assess the trueness of the gait - are the footfalls correct, are diagonal pairs broken in trot or canter, are front feet loading more than hinds, is the stride length even in front and behind in trot, how is the overtrack in walk...
5. If I can't work out where tightness is I'll turn my eyes to another horse - from a video maybe, or in real life if there happens to be a handy one moving around at that time too - and then look back to the horse I'm wondering about - it's so much easier to see where they differ, because the longer you look at a horse moving uncomfortably, the more your mind starts to process that as normal for that horse - and that is quite detrimental I think.
6. I ask (the horse) what they find difficult - by asking them to do say a more forward trot, or a small circle, or step back a few steps, or perhaps can we go from trot to halt without releasing the non rein aids which reduce the gait - and see what their response is.


The RHpE absolutely fits in, but for me all those expressions and behaviours mean something in isolation anyway.

I suppose it's difficult to clarify just what comfort is in the dynamic horse because it's such a massive concept. But it's a tiny concept when you base it on what the horse expresses. The working out WHY the horse is uncomfortable is the massive concept. The indications that the horse isn't comfortable are generally quite obvious. I worry that not enough emphasis is put onto owners/riders/trainers/instructors/judges to truly acknowledge when a horse is clearly exhibiting discomfort, because it is bad for both business and pleasure I suppose.
 
What is missing then in the horsey world, that means there are so many videos and photos of horses freely shared who are showing clear signs of discomfort under saddle?
 
They're sadly the conclusions I've drawn time after time too. If the human narrative fits nicely to allow people to carry on enjoying themselves until something is too glaring to ignore then that's the bubble which many are happiest to live in I think.

Speaking from personal experience, I know that my awareness of comfort in the horse has improved over the years, and I truly wish I could give the x years younger me these eyes the whole way through so that I could do better from the very beginning.

But equally, I know that it is unreasonable to expect a lifetime's knowledge at the beginning of one, and it is also sometimes difficult to follow the authentic way when there is so much white noise from incorrect human narratives. I do know that I have actively listened to all the horses over the years, and whilst I have made mistakes which I would correct in a heartbeat at whatever cost to me if I could just turn back time and do better, I know I have actively taken on board and learned from everything I've experienced, and I have worked to improve my knowledge and feel for the benefit of the horse, rather than just brushing their input aside or trying to find new and better ways to cover up their difficulties.

I know alot of us on here are of the same mind, and can clearly see and acknowledge discomfort in those horses we interact with and don't brush it aside for our benefit. Those horses are the lucky ones.

How can we help those who aren't so lucky as to be protected and supported in that way though?
 
Its difficult, I always go to Maya Angelou (I know, every horse persons first port of call) "When you know better, do better."

But sometimes people have the best of intentions that blind them to reality. I teach clinics for a couple of riding clubs, as well as my own clients, so when I teach a RC clinic I have no idea of who will turn up, as they book through the club, not me.

I had a lady turn up with a horse in a hackamore, I asked if there was a specific reason for the hackamore, and she told me very firmly that all bits were cruel. I said no problem, I frequently ride my own horses in either a headcollar or neck rope, and I have other clients who ride bitless. But unfortunately this lady had not fitted the hackamore well, it was far too low, so I had to explain how it should be fitted, then she started to ride and the horse constantly flung its head up and down, clearly not happy.
I asked if I could look at the horse, and this very low hackamore was also loose, because the lady believed it to be kinder, and the horse was rubbed raw across its face, no hair left, and on the verge of bleeding. I was told this was normal for a horse with white hair on its head..... I tried again to show exactly how the hackamore should fit, and that when correctly fitted the horse should not be sore or lose hair. The lady believed I was doing this because I wanted the horse to use a bit, and I was biased against her because of it, she left and I never saw her again.

I know this person was motivated by kindness and good intentions, but this was combined with a lack of knowledge and it made her cruel, very defensive and totally resistant to learning, and as usual its the horse that suffered.

eta: My brilliant trainer always says teaching is like working with alcoholics, it really doesnt matter what you say if the person doesnt want to learn.
 
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