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It can involve one or both hind legs of the horse. It is a spasmodic contraction of the lateral extensor tendons of the hind legs. An example of bilateral stringhalt in a horse: the hocks are spasmodically and rapidly flexed with the feet held high before quick placement back on the ground. The condition is more evident during turning and backing.
The walk is a four-beat gait that averages about 7 kilometres per hour (4.3 mph). When walking, a horse's legs follow this sequence: left hind leg, left front leg, right hind leg, right front leg, in a regular 1-2-3-4 beat. At the walk, the horse will alternate between having three or two feet on the ground.
The front and hind legs on one side of the horse appear to land in front of the other set of front and hind legs when the horse travels. On a curve, a horse is generally asked to lead with the inside legs, though there are exceptions to the general rule, such as the counter canter. [1]: 126 See also lead change. 2.
For a front leg, this is when the lower leg is in front of the horse, i.e. angled forward, while the caudal phase is when the leg is underneath the horse, i.e. angled backward. For a hind leg, the cranial phase occurs when the lower leg is under the body of the horse, and the caudal phase is when the limb is out behind the body of the horse.
Although most horses are usually clinically normal when standing, some may stand rigidly with the hind legs in full extension behind their body, heels lifted, supporting their weight only on their toes. Others may intermittently flex and abduct their hind legs, with associated muscle spasms, when asked to stand still for long periods.
If a horse loses the use of one leg temporarily, there is the risk that other legs will break down during the recovery period because they are carrying an abnormal weight load. While horses periodically lie down for brief periods of time, a horse cannot remain lying in the equivalent of a human's " bed rest " because of the risk of developing ...
The horse's pasterns have darker hair than the rest of the horse's coat. The horse at rest stands with its weight unnaturally shifted to its hind legs, sometimes described as "standing in a bucket". The horse carries its hocks low and may twist them outward when moving. The horse lies down for extended periods of time, and is resistant to ...
The turn of the haunches is a lateral movement performed at the halt and walk, used in horse training. [1] It requires the horse, while bent in the direction of the turn, to move his forehand around his hindquarters so that he makes a very small circle with the inside foreleg. [2] The horse should pivot around a hind-leg, as seen in the spin.