Lopsidedness

["Barbara B. Peck" <bpeck@together.net>]

Angie's pretty much covered it.

People can ride a horse into crookedness by always posting on the same diagonal

(builds up the hind leg that's pushing off on what ever diagonal your on) and the same principal holds up for always loping on the same lead.  If you combine a crooked rider, with the horse building up only one hind leg, then you eventually have one shoulder that's visable higher when viewing the shillouette of the withers from behind.

 

I've fitted horses for saddles, who were even shouldered, and then visited them again 2 years

later after competing (CTR/endurance) and some have become lopsided.

 

It'll take a year+  to correct a severe case.

This is why dressage is good for the endurance horse.

 

Most people have one leg longer than the other, or a crooked spine.

If you walk behind someone, who's wearing a belt, you can  easily see which hip is higher, and

which shoulder is lower in them. (No human has perfect conformation either!!)

And to top it off, it's easy to ride with a twisted upper body (reins in one hand) which'll then

twist your hips...

It just never ends.

 

There's no rule that says your stirrup leathers have to be exactly the same lenghth, some people will

 need have one 1/2"  longer than the other (I do) (but 2 " is pretty excessive).

 

And Angie's correct again, that at higher speeds, your stirrup lenghth should be shorter.

An english saddle, is easiest to change lenghths when you need to.

 

All in all... it's best to use both leads and diagnols equally... then the horse AND

rider won't become one sided.

 

Barb.