The Horse in Motion: The Anatomy and Physiology of Equine Locomotion PDF
Preview The Horse in Motion: The Anatomy and Physiology of Equine Locomotion
The Horse in Motion Sarah Pilliner Samantha Elmhurst Zoe Davies Blackwell Science THE HORSE IN MOTION THE HORSE IN MOTION Sarah Pilliner Samantha Elmhurst Zoe Davies Blackwell Science © 2002 by Blackwell Science Ltd a Blackwell Publishing Company Editorial Offices: Blackwell Science Ltd, 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK Tel: +44 (0)1865 776868 Blackwell Publishing Inc., 350 Main Street, Malden, MA02148-5020, USA Tel: +1 781 388 8250 Blackwell Science, Asia Pty, 550 Swanston Street, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia Tel: +61 (0)3 8359 1011 The right of the Author to be identified as the Author of this Work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher. First published 2002 Reprinted 2004 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Pilliner, Sarah The horse in motion/Sarah Pilliner, Samantha Elmhurst, Zoe Davies p. cm. ISBN 0-632-05137-X Horses – paces, gaits, etc. 2. Horses – anatomy. I. Elmhurst, Samantha. II. Davies, Zoe. III. Title. SF289 .P56 2002 636.1’089276-dc21 2001052688 ISBN 0-632-05137-X Acatalogue record for this title is available from the British Library Set in 10/13 pt Palatino by SNPBest-set Typesetter Ltd., Hong Kong Printed and bound in India using acid-free paper by Replika Press Pvt. Ltd, Kundli 131028 For further information on Blackwell Publishing, visit our website: www.blackwellpublishing.com Contents Preface ix Part 1 Anatomy and Conformation 1 1 The whole horse 3 Introduction 3 Training the performance horse 4 Points of the horse 4 The skeleton 4 Skeletal muscles 7 2 The head and neck 11 Introduction 11 The skull 11 The neck 13 Nuchal ligament 15 Superficial and deep musculature 16 3 The forelimb 19 Introduction 19 Design and function 19 The skeleton 19 Conformation 24 Musculature 27 The lower limb 30 Stay apparatus of the forelimb 39 Care of the horse’s legs 41 4 The hind limb 43 Introduction 43 The hindquarters 43 Alignment 43 The skeleton 43 vi Contents Joints of the hind limb 49 Muscles 53 Stay apparatus of the hind limb 57 5 The chest 59 Introduction 59 The skeleton 59 Musculature 60 Nerves 62 Breathing 63 6 The back 65 Introduction 65 Conformation 65 The skeleton 66 Joints 71 Ligaments 72 Musculature 73 Nerves 74 Back injuries and their prevention 74 Part 2 The Horse in Action 77 7 Movement and action 79 Biomechanics 79 Anatomical points affecting movement and action 79 Gaits 80 8 Walking 82 Footfall sequence of the walk 82 Walking on the right rein 83 Moving the forelimb forwards 93 Moving the hind limb forwards 94 Qualities of a good walk 95 The benefits of walking 96 The walk in dressage 96 Over tracking 96 Over reaching 96 The walk with rider 97 9 Trotting 99 Characteristics of the trot 99 Qualities of a good trot 99 Contents vii Footfall sequence of the trot 99 The trot in dressage 114 The ridden trot 116 Lameness 120 10 Cantering 121 Characteristics of the canter 121 Qualities of a good canter 121 Changing the lead 121 Footfall sequence of the canter 122 The canter in dressage 131 Cantering with rider 131 11 Galloping 140 Characteristics of the gallop 140 Dynamic equilibrium 140 Changing the lead 141 Footfall sequence of the gallop 141 Role of the hind limbs 149 Stride length 150 Angulation of the hock 150 Warming the horse up and down 150 Tips for the rider about safe galloping surfaces 151 12 Jumping 152 Sequence of the jump 152 The ideal jumper 177 Evaluating jumping technique 177 13 Rolling and shaking 179 Rolling behaviour 179 The rolling sequence 181 Shaking 190 Index 193 Preface We all want our horses to be able to perform to the best of their ability and we know that an effective training regime has many facets. The horse must be worked correctly, fed a balanced ration, mentally and physically healthy and well looked after. This book examines a further aspect of the horse’s performance: it is designed to help all horse owners and riders to understand how a horse moves and how its anatomy helps, or hinders, the horse’s athletic ability. No horse has perfect conformation, but no matter what their physical characteristics all horses have the same biomechanical function. The better the horse’s conformation and physique the more efficient it will be in bio- mechanical terms. In simple terms the horse will find it easier to do the job and, as a result, will put less stress and strain on the muscles, bones, tendons, ligaments and joints so will be likely to stay sounder for longer. As the demands of competition increase, it is inevitable that success will depend upon attention to the finest detail; for example, individualised work and exercise programmes, development of the horses’ physical capacity for work, prevention and treatment of injury and speedy and effective recovery from exertion. Having more knowledge about how their horse moves and the things that it finds easy or difficult to do allows the rider to develop a work regime involving specific exercises that will enhance the horse’s performance and prolong its working life. It will also help riders recognise the limitations imposed on performance by the horse’s own physical make-up. This book examines horse anatomy, and then considers the phases of the horse’s gaits, using sequences of photographs and detailed anatomi- cal drawings to show the systems of support and movement at each phase. The walk, trot, canter, gallop and jump are all examined, and the effect of the rider on the horse evaluated so that the rider can take appro- priate action to avoid hindering the horse. Tips are provided throughout on ways in which the horse’s life can be made easier, such as saddle fitting, warming up and cooling down procedures. Ultimately, it is up to the rider to be sensitive to the individual re- quirements of his or her horse and to devise a programme of exercise and training that best suits the individual animal, taking into account its conformation, movement and action and its mental and physical ability to cope with the work.
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