# How do youn know from pictures that the horse is working from behind??



## shanoona (Oct 29, 2009)

Q: How to you know from pictures if the horse is working from behind? 

Some say that the in trot, the hind leg cannot be in air when the diagonal front one is on the ground. some say that the upper bone on the front leg must be úarallel with the lower bone of the hind leg (in trot). In canter the horse must look like he is going upwards... 

Can you tell something for example about this photographs?


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## Hailey1203 (Dec 12, 2010)

I have no idea. So im gonna sub and see what everyone else has to say!


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## Ray MacDonald (Dec 27, 2009)

When a horse is working from behind or having impulsion you will see that the hind leg will have the same movement as the front leg (such as same hight and will reach under the belly to almost the front leg) but will land a little bit before the front leg.

You will see the pelvic bone tip, almost like tucking the tail. The belly muscles will contract and raise the back and spine, getting a rounded spine.
You can also see the end of the thoracic and the lumbar vertabrea (the area just behind where the saddle sits on the horse) will be straight or curved upwards.


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

The first thing I look at is the area behind the saddle. If there is a dip there, the horse is not using his back and is therefore not through. In this case, there is no dip, so this horse is using his back. This horse is trotting, so it is easy to confirm that the distance between the hind legs and forelegs match. Also an indicator that the horse is tracking up. Lastly is the neck. In this horse, the bulge in the neck is in the correct spot and distributed down the entire neck. This suggests a horse being ridden correctly and not held together by heavy hands. Had the bulge been more concentrated further down the neck, or worse, on the underside of the neck, that would show a horse being ridden front to back. That's what I look for.


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## shanoona (Oct 29, 2009)

MyBoyPuck said:


> The first thing I look at is the area behind the saddle. If there is a dip there, the horse is not using his back and is therefore not through. In this case, there is no dip, so this horse is using his back. This horse is trotting, so it is easy to confirm that the distance between the hind legs and forelegs match. Also an indicator that the horse is tracking up. Lastly is the neck. In this horse, the bulge in the neck is in the correct spot and distributed down the entire neck. This suggests a horse being ridden correctly and not held together by heavy hands. Had the bulge been more concentrated further down the neck, or worse, on the underside of the neck, that would show a horse being ridden front to back. That's what I look for.


Thanks! That's what i was looking for


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## AnrewPL (Jun 3, 2012)

Nothing to do with the original post, sorry its off topic. But what is the little hat thing the horse's ears are going? looks like a little horse beany.


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## shanoona (Oct 29, 2009)

AnrewPL said:


> Nothing to do with the original post, sorry its off topic. But what is the little hat thing the horse's ears are going? looks like a little horse beany.


Well if you mean the ear cover for horses, it is a accessory, covers ears so flies cannot bother the horse, and it looks nice  We call in čabraka here in czech, but i do not know the name in english


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## Almond Joy (Dec 4, 2011)

In english we call them ear nets or fly bonnets!


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## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

Shahoona, you posted pictures of well trained horses. I am going to post a picture of my then young green 2 year old that tended to pull herself around and not use her rear. Look at the distance of her front legs compared to the back legs. Look how extended her front leg is before it comes off the ground. The picture where she is more balanced and even is after working her a bit. 

It m


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## shanoona (Oct 29, 2009)

churumbeque said:


> Shahoona, you posted pictures of well trained horses. I am going to post a picture of my then young green 2 year old that tended to pull herself around and not use her rear. Look at the distance of her front legs compared to the back legs. Look how extended her front leg is before it comes off the ground. The picture where she is more balanced and even is after working her a bit.
> 
> It m
> View attachment 122481
> ...


This is amazing, great post here  Thanks very very much


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## AnrewPL (Jun 3, 2012)

OK, fair enough; I just had a thought looking at the first picture where the lady is wearing the top hat. They should make the horse beanie like a top hat also, that’d look cool.


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## shanoona (Oct 29, 2009)

AnrewPL said:


> OK, fair enough; I just had a thought looking at the first picture where the lady is wearing the top hat. They should make the horse beanie like a top hat also, that’d look cool.


Yeah, it could be great  I think I had somewhere some photo like that... Gimme a minute 


*/// no, i cannot find it.. a fried gave her hat between her draft horse's ears  looked amazing


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## GotaDunQH (Feb 13, 2011)

Here's an example from the western side. This is me and my WP horse at the jog.

The first pic, his back is lifted nicely, he's using his hocks well, I look "taller" as is back is raised.










Now, look at the second pic (and I did this intentionally when I was riding t show the difference). Is this pic, his back has dropped, he's flattened out, strung out, and not using his hocks well.


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## RunSlideStop (Apr 21, 2012)

GotaDunQH said:


> Here's an example from the western side. This is me and my WP horse at the jog.
> 
> The first pic, his back is lifted nicely, he's using his hocks well, I look "taller" as is back is raised.
> 
> ...


Would you mind sharing how you intentionally get him back on the forehand?


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## GotaDunQH (Feb 13, 2011)

^ easy, I take my lower legs totally off and offer no form of communication, with my leg, and because I don't use hand with a drape like that in the rein, I've lost another form of communication. And notice MY posture has changed as well...my upper body is collapsed which then affects my seat...the last form of communication. In other words, I have become merely a passenger and not the driver.


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## shanoona (Oct 29, 2009)

still, i would say, GotaDunQH, fro my amateur position, he doesn§t look toally on the forehand  Maybe it is due to the correct training methods...


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## GotaDunQH (Feb 13, 2011)

shanoona said:


> still, i would say, GotaDunQH, fro my amateur position, he doesn§t look toally on the forehand  Maybe it is due to the correct training methods...


No he's not totally on the forehand, he never really does travel on the forehand because he's so well trained and can carry himself well. But he still needs my help to keep him maintained. BUT he will flatten out, like in the second pic, yet still keep himself elevated in the front. I want the whole package; drive with the hock, a lifted back and soft in the front.


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## DefineX (Jan 4, 2013)

GotaDunQH said:


> Here's an example from the western side. This is me and my WP horse at the jog.
> 
> The first pic, his back is lifted nicely, he's using his hocks well, I look "taller" as is back is raised.
> 
> ...


 What does it mean to have your horse "use his hocks well"? Does it feel any different when you're riding?


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## QHriderKE (Aug 3, 2011)

In this still, (the best picture I have as an example), Lizzy is really reaching under herself with her back leg and I think she is using her butt. 









And here, Squiggy is NOT using herself like she can. She isn't reaching under herself with her back legs much and isn't using her butt to drive herself like she can (I mean, look at that butt! She CAN use it!)


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## GotaDunQH (Feb 13, 2011)

DefineX said:


> What does it mean to have your horse "use his hocks well"? Does it feel any different when you're riding?


Using hocks well, means drive with the hock, stepping under, and the hocks don't trail out behind the point of buttock. For a WP horse, good use of hock will be different than say....an HUS or Dressage horse, because at the jog on a WP horse, they don't step under as deep as a horse would in an extended trot. That DOES NOT mean the horse is not jogging with goood use of hock. But good use of hock goes hand-in-hand with a horse using it's back well. And yes, you can feel it in your seat. When my horse is driving with the hock and lifted in his back, I feel his back rise up to meet my seat....and it almost pushes me OUT of the seat...but you learn to sit to it. I have no clue if that makes any sense....hard to explain the "feel".


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