fore technique

 

Observation

The fore legs technique is the result of several movements which involve the pectoral muscles that connect the shoulders to the chest, shoulder and arm muscles that will bend the fore-hand levers, as well as the muscles of the neck which will play the role of balance. The first phase of the jump at the level of the fore-hand is the "hits" that will lower the chest down between the shoulders by transforming the horizontal kinetic energy in vertical force, before to go back under the action of the chest and shoulder muscles to elevate the fore-hand.


The arm and shoulder muscles will bend the scapulo-humeral levers (shoulder blade-Humerus) and humero-radial to allow the elevation of the point of the shoulder and knees forward movement. The bending of the knee is determined by the muscles that connect it to the radius and bending of the fetlock allows to save even a few inches in height (fig. 27, 28, 29 and 30).

 

Characterization

The implementation of these mechanisms is objectivized by the quality observation of the withers' elevation (hit phase), of the forward movement of the shoulder, the knee and fetlock bending. It is characterized in terms of efficiency through the power of elevation, the speed and amplitude of the joints bending and also through the involvement of the neck to make the shoulders move forward.

 

Meaning

It will be even easier for a horse to be careful with the front hand that he will have good natural technique and a good speed of execution of the necessary actions to the good clearing of this part of the body.

 

Discussion

Natural gesture of the front end observation can be altered by training techniques to improve it but also, in the other direction, by the problems of balance and confidence which may lead a horse to "lose its Latin”.

 

To do this, it is preferable to evaluate several times the natural ability to jump by multiplying jumps on a small fence (80 cm - 1 m), without adjustment fence, before to test its technique on bigger jumps (1 m 20 - 1 m 30 in height and width) with, this time, an adjustment fence.