Overtracking... good or bad?

ShadowFlame

ShadowFlame

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Hearing some conflicting advice! I'm talking by this much, purely walking across the yard, in hand, no rider? For the record, they're big feet to begin with.

Bromsgrove-20130114-00604_zps19325178.jpg


Good / bad?
 
I was always taught it was good? why would it be bad? A horse that is not tracking up correctly invariably has some sort of back or hind issue.
 
ah.. I've got it


you just bragging because you have snow!. We have snow trying to fall and then turning into rain. (but I am not complaining!)
 
LOL, depends on your farrier. Mine was 16.2 and took a 6 foot rug so overtracked for England. God did he pull off shoes in the mud though. O/reach boots quite effective. I don't think its good or bad really as 'tracking up' has more to do with activity over the 1/4rs than having a really short horse I'd have thought.
 
Luci07 said:
ah.. I've got it


you just bragging because you have snow!. We have snow trying to fall and then turning into rain. (but I am not complaining!)
Click to expand...

Obviously ;) Haha! If it makes you feel any better, the rain's hit and I'm now looking at blue sky, sunshine and grass (stuck at work, so no making the most of it, mind). That pic was only taken around 7hrs ago!

In all seriousness though, I've had people tell me that it can be them overcompensating for poor balance, while others seem to think it's using their back end properly? I hadn't noticed quite how much he overtracks until I saw his prints in the snow this morn. For the record, he's a 14.3hh cob who takes a 6ft - 6ft3 rug.
 
I like to see an over track in walk of at least ten inches, preferably more. In trot, then a horse should be able to track up, and not so many over track as they do in walk. Some horses that have short legs or long bodies never really track up in trot, and this is fine so long as they are working through and with impulsion from behind.
 
ShadowFlame said:
Obviously ;) Haha! If it makes you feel any better, the rain's hit and I'm now looking at blue sky, sunshine and grass (stuck at work, so no making the most of it, mind). That pic was only taken around 7hrs ago!

In all seriousness though, I've had people tell me that it can be them overcompensating for poor balance, while others seem to think it's using their back end properly? I hadn't noticed quite how much he overtracks until I saw his prints in the snow this morn. For the record, he's a 14.3hh cob who takes a 6ft - 6ft3 rug.
Click to expand...
Yep, we have sun here in Cornwall... I love it! Re: over tracking, I always thought the aim was to get the hind landing in the spot where the fore had been, but over tracking I am sure is just an indication of how supple the horse is. If it were under tracking I would be worried.
 
I would be more worried about undertracking than overtracking. My boy overtracks by a lot when just walking on the lead and I would much rather see and overtrack. although granted can mean a lot of shoes pulled and a good set of overreach boots!

and yes, I also think you are bragging about the snow :D we have none in cornwall. Im looking at blue sky :(
 
In race horses over tracking is the sign of a good gallop. Not so much in my boys case wonderful overtrack very slow gallop ;)
 
Walk should over track and yours looks normal. In trot they should track up or over track in working trot and over track in lengthening and extension. They will shorten and heighten the stride in collected work. Canter is a different gait to gauge tracking.
 
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