What is Good Equine Posture?
(Page 38) What is good equine posture and what does it look like? Good equine posture will be the same in principle for every equine. He should stand squarely at the halt with equal weight over all four feet directly underneath his body in a balanced position and his head should be raised in a natural position for his breed or type (neither too high nor too low). Each equine will be different in their individual makeup and their ability to stand correctly in good posture. When the base stance is square and balanced, the head, neck and tail will denote their breed, or type. When in motion, the equine in good posture will be balanced and symmetrical in his movement, stay erect with equal weight over all four feet and bend through the rib cage during arcs and side passes. The same animal can exhibit both good and bad posture depending on how repetitive and intensive his postural training has been. The most common indication of bad posture is a dropped hip and cocked foot when at rest. When in motion, an animal with bad posture will lean like a motorcycle during the side pass and around turns. Like a human being, the equine can practice good posture through constant repetition and with enough supportive exercise, good postural balance will become his habitual and rhythmic way of going. However, if he is allowed to “slouch” through too much inactivity, or only balanced in good posture once in a while, his development will be asymmetrical and compromised throughout his body and his habitual movement will be erratic.
Check out more about postural development in our EQUUS REVISITED manual/DVD combo at www.luckythreeranch.com in the STORE. Look in the various sections under TRAINING for much more helpful information or email me at meredith@luckythreeranch.com for even more details.
