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Falling Forward
How to recognize it

Something I see fairly often is a horse that is 'falling forward.'  This is usually referred to as 'on the forehand.'   As one teacher pointed out, all horses are 'on the forehand.' (If they weren't, they'd be rearing.)  But if for sure feels this way - like all the weight is on the forehand and who knows where the back end is.  It certainly isn't carrying much of the horse.

If you've been on this horse, you recognize it by the sensation you have that you're always about to topple over forward.  Their chest is digging a trench in the ground, they're 'leaning' on your hands, your arms feel ten feet longer by the end of the ride -- this is not a light horse.  It isn't maneuverable.  It usually doesn't have a lot of get up and go and a lot of times it stumbles in front, re-enforcing that feeling you're about to topple over.  

I've met a lot of folks with horses like this that haven't been educated to see what's going on mechanically, so I'd like to share a very simple way to know if a horse is 'on the forehand.'  This will help with understanding 'what is going wrong' and from there we can start talking about what to do to 'make it all better.'

The basics of this 'diagnostic' is an equilateral triangle.  This is a triangle that is symmetrical.  If you were to drop a plumb line from the top, it would split it in half.  The front half and the back half would be the same size.  If the horse is tracking left, then: 

(nerdy part, which you don't need to know: in a balanced horse, in terms of timing, we're talking about the timing of when the hoof hits the ground, the horse's body passes over the supporting leg, and when the hoof leaves the ground.  The first half of the swing the horse uses muscle to pull itself forward through space.  When the leg is upright, the leg is at it's height of muscular engagement.  Immediately after that, that leg no longer needs to use any muscle to move the horse forward.  When that hoof leaves the ground, the horse will use muscle to lift its leg through space to get it back to the front of the swing.  As soon as the hoof makes contact with the ground, it will begin engaging muscle to move the horse forward through space.)

So the first part is knowing what kind of triangle we're looking for.  The next part is to get the horse at a good trot on a straight line where you can view it from the side.  When you're used to seeing this you can easily see it from the center of a lounge circle.

From there, you want to look at two triangles when the horse is at the longest/widest part of it's leg swing.  One is formed by the legs of the front end and other is formed by the legs of the hind end. 

  • The triangle in the front doesn't have to have the same height as the triangle in the back. 
  • When you drop the plumb line in the triangle in front, you get two smaller triangles the same size.
  • When you drop the plumb line in the triangle in back, you get two smaller triangles the same size.

To illustrate this, here's three pictures I've lifted from the internet.  To begin with, let's assume all riders are doing their best and love their horses.  If I was better adept at picture taking, I could easily put pictures of my own horses here.

First Picture 

This first picture is of a pretty well balanced horse.  Both triangles are fairly equilateral.  The front and back sides of both front and back triangles are pretty much the same. 

This is a lower level of carriage, not extravagant, yet still good.  The horse is not collected.  It's not 'sitting' and in a high degree of self-carriage.  

Both sets of legs, though, are doing their job pretty well.  The time that the front leg hits the ground to when the horse's mass in on top of it is the same as the time that the horse's mass is on top of the leg until when the leg leaves the ground behind.

Timing wise, as you watch you'll sense the rhythm of leg hits the ground, horse passes over leg, leg leaves ground, leg travels forward under horse, leg hits ground and it would be very steady.  Front-middle-back-middle-front-middle-back - etc.

Note that the back triangle is taller than the front triangle.  That has nothing to do with 'falling forward.'   As it turns out, the front legs have to move a little faster, but as long as they cover the same distance, we have balance.  

 

 

Second Picture

This second picture is of a horse that is falling forward in this moment.   (I will for sure get pictures of my own horses soon so that I don't have to worry about anyone thinking I'm picking on them!)

In both the front triangle and the back triangle, the front halves of the triangles are smaller.  If we were to see this horse in motion, we would have the sense that the legs are 'behind' the horse, or that the horse was 'in front of' its legs.  They really look like there's nothing much to hold them up.

Timing wise, the rhythm of legs would be: leg hits the ground, horse passes over leg real quick, time goes by, leg leaves ground, leg travels forward real quick under horse, leg hits ground, repeat.  Front-middle- way way back-quick middle-quick front-middle- way way back - etc.   It's like these horse's can't reach forward and their legs are stuck underneath them.

 

 

Third Picture

It's hard to find exactly the picture I want!  What I want is a picture where the front halves of both triangles are larger.  This shows a horse that is learning to 'sit.'  When you're on this kind of horse, you have the vague, and wonderful, sensation that at any time this horse could lift itself up into the sky.  When you look at this horse, it's as if the legs are in front of it. 

Although the feet aren't at the same level off the ground, (and who would want to put yellow triangles on a picture this lovely?!) I get the impression this horse has got the right idea:  

 

      Helen Langehanenberg and Damon Hill                     Photo: Kit Houghton/FEI

 from http://www.an-eventful-life.com.au/dressage-news/ 

 

At the time that I'm writing this, there's a pretty good article online at 
http://www.dressageart.com/l_dressage_judge_b.htm

That article covers some other information as well.

For the moment, I'm just introducing the idea that  you can look at how the horse's legs are traveling and it can tell you if the horse is in self-carriage or if it is falling forward.

Another way to think of this is 'where is the bottom of the triangle?' If it's flat to the ground, the horse is doing good.  If it's off the ground in back, the horse is toppling.  If it's off the ground in front, the horse is floating.  (We want the float!)

Balanced Falling Floating

 

Check it out with your horse or other horses and let me know how it goes!  The next few write ups I'll discuss what can cause this and how to go about getting back into balance.  And if you'd like some hands on, call me up for a lesson.  

Cheers!

L

Copyright © 11/10/14 Lynn S. Larson
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I *love* these little books.  If you want to find out what the masters said, he's done all the leg work!

 

Masters of Equitation on the Trot: New Edition Masters of Equitation on Collecting and Lengthening Masters of Equitation on Canter: New Edition Masters of Equitation on Counter-Canter and Flying Changes

 

Masters of Equitation on the Trot: New Edit...
by Martin Diggle
Masters of Equitation on Collecting and Len...
by Martin Diggle
Masters of Equitation on Canter: New Edition
by Martin Diggle
Masters of Equitation on Counter-Canter and...
by Martin Diggle

 

 

 

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"The greatest achievement was at first and for a time a dream. The oak sleeps in the acorn, the bird waits in the egg, and in the highest vision of the soul a waking angel stirs. Dreams are the seedlings of realities." 

~ James Allen