Can anybody answer a few questions for me?

[Daphnelia]

I think about things a lot

and dont like asking my pony to do something or work a certain way until I know why I am asking him. These little points have been nagging me, as I am told time and time again to work my ponies in this way and that way, but never properly explained why.
So..
Why does do I need to get my ponies to carry more weight on the hind quarters? Is that a natural way for a pony to carry itself? Or an unatural way, created because it helps the pony to support the rider?
Naturally, equines carry more weight on the forehand, so how can it be healthy for them to try and change this? Surely they are evolved for this way of moving?
Why does a pony need to lift his back when being ridden?

Many thanks if you can help!

xxx

 

[zelli]

A horse needs to lift its back when being ridden in order to support the rider, don't know if youve ever heard of it, but you can relate it to a bridge, if a bridge is dipped (like the atural shape of a horses back) then the bridge will be weak when weight is placed in the middle, in the sense of the horse, this will place strain on their spine and relative ligaments, if however the bridge is bridged shape, then it has more support. When the horse is doing this correctly, he will not only be supporting himself because his hindquaters are under, it actually brings into play the stomach muscles, hence why horses that are worked well will very very rarely be seen to have grass belly's, this provides more support under the rider as more of the horse will be carrying the weight. The horse also spends most of the time on the forehand because it naturally spends most of his time grazing, if however he was in fright/flight, he will be using his hindquaters more than his forehand in order to enable him to propel away faster, so it does occur naturally too. There are other reasons, as well, but that would be the main one. Grab a decent anatomy and phsyiology book which looks at the horse eing ridden and it will explain it, the tug of war one is good, and also sara wyche has one called the horses muscles in motion.

 

[Daphnelia]

Thank you so much, thats really helpful! And I will, Im sure the equine library at college will have some I can nab

xxx

 

[carthorse]

I always think a horse natually lightens his forehand when they show off ,especially stallions and that is what we are trying to achieve, the best way a horse can move