Short Stride vs. Long Stride

21 9:30:43

Question

TB Mare I am in the process of looking for a new hunter horse and really like this mare. However she had a bit of a short trot stride and my trainer is telling me its because of her shoulder slope/angle and that I will not be able to lengthen it with ground pole work. Is this true?

Answer
Hi - yes, your trainer is right. Conformation is conformation, and while there are certain aspects that you can 'tweak' (such as sickle or cow hocks with trimming) or work around, something like a shoulder angle is not one of them. The construction of the shoulder itself will limit how far she is able to stride, it is an actual mechanical limitation as opposed to something that is physical and able to be worked on.

Don't get too down though, I'm sure the right horse is out there, and it sounds like your trainer has YOUR best interest in mind in wanting you to get the right type of horse for your discipline.

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Short Stride vs. Long Stride

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