Role of training and racing horse breeding 말의 역할

A8. The role of training and racing in horse breeding. The horse gaits, forms of movement

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Training: Main goal is to create a horse that is safe for humans to handle, performs a useful task for human benefit & is obedient

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Historically Training for warfare, farm work, sport, transport

Today Recreational/sporting activities; specialized jobs (movie stunt horses, police work & crowd control, equine-assisted psychotherapy)

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Controversy exists over training methods. Some techniques are considered cruel; others are believed to be gentler & more humane.

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Safety is considered to be the most important aspect when training horses, due to their size & strength. Horse must be taught to behave in a way that will not harm/ injure the handler.

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Horses are social herd animals and Can learn to follow & respect a human leader

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Prey animals -> ‘Fight or flight’ response. Horses must be taught to rely on humans to determine when fear/flight is an appropriate response to new stimuli & not to act on instinct (animal must learn to trust human)

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Handling from an early age is advisable, Young horses are more adaptable & responsive to learning

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Stages of training:

Most horses go through a predictable series of steps before becoming a ‘finished’ animal

1. Training of foals/young horses – Getting animal used to human contact & handling

2. Ground training – May involve getting animal used to vocal signals; strengthening muscles in

preparation for starting.

3. Backing/breaking in (saddle or harness) STARTING A HORSE!!!

4. Training for specific discipline

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Racing : a performance testing for speed, skillfulness, stamina, jumping ability.

Racing can be under saddle/ in harness

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The horse Gaits

The horse has four natural gaits – walk, trot, canter, gallop.

 

1. Walk: 4 beat gait

~6.4 km/hr

when the walk begins with the left hindleg, the sequence is the- LH, LF, RH, RF (4 gait)

medium walk/ collected walk/ extended walk/ free walk.

 

2. Trot: 2 beat gait

~13 km/hr

Diagonal pairs move synchronously & in unison Variations of trot: movements are Piaff (trotting ‘on the spot’)/ Passage (exaggerated trot with slow motion)

Piaff: a dressage movement where the horse is in a highly collected & cadenced trot, in place or nearly in place

LH RF --> RH LF --> LH RF ----> (2 gait)

 

3. Canter= short gallop : 3 beat

Controlled, 3 beat gait

Lh --> left diagonal = lh and rf touch the ground simultaneously --> rf = leading leg

~16-27km/hr (depending on length of stride)

Variation: Lope. Slow canter seen in Western riding.

 

4. Gallop: 4 beat gait

Fastest natural gait with variations in the sequence according to speed (flying in the air)

LH, RH, LF, RF followed by a period of suspension with all feet off the ground

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Other gaits

 

- Specialized gaits: lh – lf- rh – rf

All specialized gaits are faster than a walk but usually slower than a canter

May be inheritable/able to be taught with minimal training

 

Types of specialized gaits:

- Missouri Foxtrotter

Fox trot : 4 beat diagonal gait

- Peruvian Paso/Paso Fino

Paso : smooth, intermediate ambling gaits. Lateral 4 beat ‘pacer’

- Five-Gaited American Saddlebred

Rack/racking : lateral “pacer” with action

- Tennessee Walking Horse

Running walk  4 beat lateral gait, flat and smoothy

- Icelandic horse

Tolt / “ flying pace ”: very fast 4 beat lateral “running walk” with action. (2 legs on same side move simultaneously) Inherited recessively. Faster than trot

- Jump : another type of special gait, Can be learned or taught!

- Swimming : occurs in trotting gait !