The 'Trot Up' - Part 4 - The Back-up
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 Back-up
In the Back-up I am looking for:
▪️Diagonal pairs of limbs to move together (like the trot but in reverse)
▪️An even 1-2 rhythm
▪️Even push from the hind limbs, meaning a straight back-up
▪️Even tilt of the pelvis
▪️Engagement of the abdominal muscles
▪️'Lift' in the back
▪️Head low (ears no higher than the withers)
▪️The Tail should be held softly and centrally
▪️The horse should have a soft expression and move back freely and smoothly
▪️The hocks should flex equally and the hind legs should easily move out of the way of the forelimbs
▪️There should be no toe drag
▪️The hind legs should not swing out to the side but step straight back
▪️No raising of the head
▪️No extension of the back
▪️The Back-up is useful for assessing the horse's ability to flex at the lower back/pelvis
▪️It is also useful for assessing straightness, hind limb weakness and asymmetries in the body
▪️Giving a good indication of core strength and also joint mobility
▪️The Back-up can help demonstrate how your horse may perform in the canter
▪️It can also give me a good indication of your horse's lateral stability and ability to perform lateral work
So you can see there is lots to observe just in the Back-up
The way your horse moves in the Back-up can give me a good idea of how your horse may feel under saddle when you ride them 🏇
Assessing the Back-up can also indicate to me 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 ✔️
I hope you have enjoyed this mini blog series on the 'Trot Up' 🙂