The 'Trot Up' - Part 3 - The Turns
The Trot Up – why do we do it and what am I looking for❓
There are exceptions, however in most cases when I visit your horse I will ask to see them ‘Trotted up’
This is really a ‘slang’ term for a Locomotion Assessment.
As I only get a relatively short time to spend assessing and treating your horse I will start with a basic Locomotion Assessment and I will ask to see the following, on a hard surface and in a straight line.
▪️Walk
▪️Trot
▪️A small circle around the handler in each direction
▪️Back-up
(I can then always ask to see more if necessary)
The Locomotion Assessment is to firstly help me quantify if the horse has any lameness and if it has if I should continue with the Assessment & Treatment of if the horse should in fact be referred to a vet 🏥
In majority of cases there is no obvious lameness requiring veterinary care, and I am actually assessing minor restrictions and asymmetries in a horse’s movement that will benefit from Equine Massage Therapy ✔️
So what am I then looking for in each of these movements and what can the Locomotion Assessment tell me❓
Today I am going to focus on the Small Turns
In the Small Turns I am looking for:
▪️The horse to walk forward and around the owner
▪️The inside hind leg should step forward and underneath the body towards the midline
▪️The horse should bend their body around the owner evenly from head to tail
▪️This means an even curve through the whole body (not curling of the neck whilst keeping the body straight, this just gives illusion of bend)
▪️The shoulder should be upright in the turn - not 'falling in'
▪️The forelimbs should be loading evenly and the horse should have a good awareness of where they are placing their feet
▪️The inside hind limb should be pushing a touch more than the outside limb and the horse should have a good awareness of where they are placing their feet
▪️The Tail should be held softly and centrally
▪️There should be a soft curve through ribcage, the ribs should be closer together on the inside of the circle and farther apart on the outside of the circle
▪️The ribcage should gently swing to the outside of the circle as the inside hind leg is in the swing phase
▪️The limbs should have minimal and even rotation in the ‘swing’ phase
▪️The limbs should not to twist in the ‘stance’ phase
▪️No toe ticking, dragging, or 'interfering' between the legs
▪️The Small Turns are useful for assessing body awareness / proprioception
▪️They are also useful for assessing tightness in the body and reluctance to bend
▪️They give a good indication as the wether the horse has the ability to organise their body to successfully complete the task
▪️They can highlight minor lamenesses that may not be apparent on a straight line
So you can see there is lots to observe just in the Small Turns.
Often the Small Turns can highlight tension in the back more obviously than the Walk or Trot in a straight line.
The way your horse moves in the Small Turns can give me a good indication of how your horse may feel under saddle when you ride them 🏇
Assessing the Small Turns can also give me an idea of how your horse is likely to feel when I get my hands on them and where they may have restrictions and asymmetries in the soft tissue.
This can help me to detect areas of tension more quickly as well as compensation patterns in the horse’s body.
There are many common compensations patterns that horses have, however every horse is an individual, and it’s surprising how horses can adapt their bodies to compensate for an issue❗️
Some horses still surprise me and so watching them move can be key to putting the pieces of the puzzle together in order to come up with an effective treatment and therapy plan ✔️
Look out for my next post coming soon where we will have a look at what I am looking for in the Back-up during the locomotion assessment 👀