We can't see what you see Part 1: The Neutral Stance
I was chatting with some old friends the other day and they said something that really hit me -
“We just can’t see what you see”
When I post before and afters, they have no reference point and they can’t always see the changes. Which is before? Which is after? And if they can see differences, which differences are “good differences?”
I do not think they’re alone! Actually, I know they’re not alone.
So let’s break it down over a series of posts - let’s pick out the big picture stuff that I want YOU - the general horse-owning public - to be able to recognize!
PART ONE: the neutral stance
This one we’re going to look at from the side view. *Ideally* at rest I want to see a horse:
standing square
cannon bones vertical
head in a neutral position in the vicinity of withers height
So here are a series of before and afters where before the horse was “worse” and after he got “better” in terms of resting stance.
For reference, the best way to catch this is by walking the horse and asking them to halt and then giving them maybe 3 chances to be square. Or you catch them dozing around the paddock - or catch how they stand when they’re standing tied if they’re relaxed about being tied.
Inability to stand square with vertical cannon bones can be caused by a lot of things from hoof pain to core weakness and everything in between, it’s a key indicator to me of the “big picture” status of how a horse is feeling in his body.
Some of these examples show massive before and after improvements and others show slight changes - or changes in only one out of those 3 key thing I mentioned - because the exact reasons for their stance are all different, even though the big picture change we’re looking for is the same.
You can’t see what I see yet - but that’s a skill we can develop!
So take a look through the photos below -
Can you see it? Which one is before and which is after for each horse? Make your guesses first and the answers and explanations are in the captions of the individual pictures!
For now we’re just focusing on
Squareness
Verticalness of cannon bones
Resting position of head/neck
Top: Before
Bottom: After
Standing more square, cannon bones closer to vertical, head/neck position about the same
Top: After
Bottom: Before
Cannon bones more vertical, we lost some squareness behind but I like that trade in exchange for more vertical hind limb support - we will look next for squareness with vertical cannons as the horse progresses, head/neck resting in a more neutral position.
Top: Before
Bottom: Ater
Cannon bones more vertical, squareness about the same, head and neck finding a more neutral rest position
Top: After
Bottom: Before
Limbs more vertical, head/neck resting in more neutral position, another example of trading some squareness for getting the hind limbs less “camped under.” This is super common, and we like this trade because it’s a step on the path to square and vertical.
Top: After
Bottom: Before
Seeing it now? More vertical cannon bones, more neutral head/neck position, more square behind