Page 1041 - Adams and Stashak's Lameness in Horses, 7th Edition

Occupational‐Related Lameness Conditions 1007

recently an “over‐canted” lope. When head bobbing WESTERN PLEASURE TERMINOLOGY
as a consequence of lameness has been ruled out, the In addition to understanding the sport, the equine
VetBooks.ir forward momentum, lack of self‐carriage, and imbal­ veterinarian must also be able to effectively communi­
abnormal motion is most often the result of decreased
cate with owners and trainers about specific ridden
ance. Also a consequence of reduced forward
momentum is a short, choppy four‐beat lope instead impressions or other lameness‐related observations.
of the desired well‐defined, three‐beat gait. The extra Being fluent in specific colloquial terms used among
beat has given life to the term “tropping,” referring horsemen will enable the practitioner to better success­
to lack of gait coordination between the forelimbs fully evaluate, diagnose, and treat the subtleties that dis­
and the hindlimbs. An “over‐canted” lope refers to tinguish the elite western pleasure athlete.
curvature within the sagittal plane (through the hip) Western pleasure horses may often present to the vet­
that manifests itself as the outside hindlimb being erinarian for decreases in performance, not necessarily
placed further to the inside of the arena than the overt lameness issues. Common performance complaints
1
inside forelimb (Figure 9.50). This curvature toward include a horse not “holding ground well,” or not
the inside of the ring is a tactic employed to enhance “engaging behind,” for example. “Holding ground” typ­
the appearance of hindlimb stride length, also known ically refers to the amount of time the forelimb on the
as the “deep hock” appearance. The result of exces­ outside of the circle remains in late stance phase during
sive curvature is a labored, mechanical lope instead a particular gait (usually the lope), before rolling into
of the desired fluid, smooth gait. The AQHA has swing phase (Figure 9.51). Extending the late stance
taken proactive steps in establishing judging conti­ phase of a forelimb increases the amount of time the
nuity to ensure that class placements do not favor foot is in contact with the ground, ultimately slowing leg
these altered gaits. As with many equine disciplines, speed. When a horse is not “holding ground” well, the
however, there will likely continue to be trends that resultant lope can be quicker, choppier, and less fluid
come and go. than the desired gait. In addition, not “holding ground”
can lead to increased carpal flexion while loping, which
is in contrast to the preferred “flat knee” or “quiet up
front” action (Figure 9.51). Another commonly used
phrase in the western pleasure industry is a horse’s abil­
ity to “engage behind” (Figure 9.52). This phrase refers
to the cranial–caudal distance that a horse is driving up
underneath of itself (cranial phase of stride), resulting in
maximal hind end propulsion and effortless self‐car­
riage. Commonly used expressions will likely vary
among horsemen, geographical region, and level of
competition.

TRAINING AND SHOWING

Some western pleasure athletes begin their careers as
yearling lunge line competitors, while others do not
enter the show ring officially until their 2‐year‐old sea­
son. Young horses are first trained to perform the basic
transitions and gaits and then are gradually taught the
preferred head set and speed while being exposed to dif­
ferent riding environments. Low head carriage is typi­
cally reinforced not only through hand cues and
exposure to a variety of bits but also through the use of
draw reins (Figure 9.53) or martingales. Speed is often
controlled through varying amounts of leg and hand
pressure and sometimes even with a cue referred to as a
“spur stop” where applying leg/spur pressure signals the
horse to slow down or stop. Due to the variability in the
training methods most commonly used, the AQHA has
instituted comprehensive rules that safeguard first and
foremost the welfare of the horse. 1
Asking a horse to perform these gaits with specific
limb placement at slow speed adds difficulty to an
already technically challenging sport for both horse and
rider. A similar comparison can be made to a weight
lifter. A weight lifter may easily lift 100 pounds quickly,
Figure 9.50. An overly canted lope characterized by curvature but when asked to lift that same weight with controlled,
within the sagittal plane (through the hip) that manifests itself as the slow motion, the task becomes much more difficult. The
outside hindfoot (arrow) being placed further to the inside of the same applies to western pleasure horses. To master flaw­
arena than the inside front foot. less gait transitions with seemingly invisible cues from