What is straight moving?

Bubblepony · #1 2nd Feb 2007, 10:21 PM

What is the exact definition of a "straight moving" horse or pony? How can you tell if a horse or pony is straight moving? Thanks!

bexj · #2 3rd Feb 2007, 07:34 AM

It means, that, looking at the horse head-on when riding a straight line, that it puts it's back feet in a straight line with it's front feet. Now you might think that sounds obvious, but if you actually look, a lot of horses either swing their bum round a bit, or push their shoulders out off the line.

You can also work have straightness on a circle. Imagine a train going round a corner, and how it's back wheels follow it's front wheels (it has to - it;s on tracks

). That is what you are looking for with straightness on a circle, again many horses either pop their shoulders or bum out or in off the line.

Hope that helps

Bubblepony · #3 3rd Feb 2007, 12:22 PM

Thank you! I wasn't sure if it meant the hind legs moving in the same direction as the fores or if it literally meant tracking up etc.

JOJOBA · #4 3rd Feb 2007, 05:00 PM

Means what Bexj said

.
I read your question to mean straightness of movement, rather than straightness when ridden? Some horses dont move straight just because of the way they are put together. Is that what you meant?
Horses for the show ring should be straight moving ideally, imagine they are on a train track, when they pick up a leg it goes up and forwards and falls in a straight line from where it started;

Look, Ive even done you a helpful diagram

(see attachment) which Im sure I'll be corrected on if it's wrong! Does everyone agree with it..?

My horse isnt straight moving, he paddles with his hindlegs.

Obviously if your horse had the conformation of the one in the diagram you'd be calling a vet rather than showing it

xxx

coss · #5 3rd Feb 2007, 05:10 PM

loving the diagram jojoba!!! the definition of a straight horse is.... jojoba's diagram

Bubblepony · #6 3rd Feb 2007, 05:18 PM

Thank you for the diagram! So I suppose you could also check out a horse's tracks in the school to gauge how straight moving it was. I just wondered the meaning of the term "Straight moving" as I've read it over and over on sales ads and that sort of thing.

coss · #7 3rd Feb 2007, 05:20 PM

another thing some horses do when not straight moving is that they might put the right for in front of their left fore and so on so the tracks would be very close together. Does that makes sense?

JOJOBA · #8 3rd Feb 2007, 05:21 PM

Are you looking to buy?

I would video the horse trotting up, film it from straight ahead. You should be able to see two legs at a time, the hindlegs should be hidden behind the forelegs. If you can see 4 legs the horse isnt moving straight.

Not many horses move exactly straight though, but videoing will pick up any obvious problems - my horse paddling is quite apparent in his trial videos.

xxx

JOJOBA · #9 3rd Feb 2007, 05:23 PM

Coss - sounds like tightrope walking! I wouldnt buy a horse that was narrow enough in the chest to do that anyway

, you'd feel like a gust of wind could topple you over

!

In terms of sales ads I would think Straight Moving refers to paces, like Ive described. StraightNESS is different and would probably refer to the horse's straightness when ridden, like Bexj described.
If it says 'Straight Moving and Unblemished' Id certainly think it meant paces, as those two things stand it in better stead for the showring.

My horse is blemished too

He's got a funny lump on his leg. I still think he'll make a nice Show Hunter though.

xxx

JOJOBA · #10 3rd Feb 2007, 05:40 PM

It's not the best in the world but here's a video of my horse. You can see how he paddles with his hindlegs...

http://www.clipshack.com/Clip.aspx?key=8A74B7EF70FEC55A

Checking the tracks of a horse who dishes is usually pretty useless because a lot of them dish but land straight - ie, they swing their leg out of alignment as they move it, but it lands back on the straight line. Thats how my horse moves as you will see - he kicks his hindlegs off a straight line as he moves, but lands them back in the footprint of the foreleg as he puts them down.

That's why I video

xxx

Bubblepony · #11 3rd Feb 2007, 07:10 PM

Thank you all so much! I'm not looking to buy, just wanted a clear definition of the phrase as I see it all around!

coss · #12 3rd Feb 2007, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JOJOBA

Coss - sounds like tightrope walking! I wouldnt buy a horse that was narrow enough in the chest to do that anyway

, you'd feel like a gust of wind could topple you over

!

well, yes, but i was given my horse as previous owner couldn't look after her anymore, i was exagerating slightly but i think its partly due to her age, she'll be 30 in may and is a tense mare

JOJOBA · #13 3rd Feb 2007, 09:17 PM

Ahh, Im just a leg at each corner kind of person

. I even find my chunky thoroughbred scarily narrow to ride! Ive not seen that one before, is it with her hinds as well or just her forelegs?

xxx

coss · #14 3rd Feb 2007, 09:23 PM

just her forelegs really, think the term is plaiting? thing is she is quite narrow to look at at the front but she takes a medium wide saddle so isn't that narrow although when i go from her to my RI's bovarian warmblood who's quite fat at the moment then i do find her more narrow.
This is her (very hairy

) from the front, not all that narrow for a 14.2 arab mare... she is standing with her legs further apart from normal slightly

From the back

From the side she moves nice

She's close behind but doesn't really cross too much