Some horses move in a way that catches your eye. There's something about these horses that allows them to stand out. They often make great performance horses in ranch riding, reining, cutting, and other western disciplines. It can be helpful to train your eye when evaluating a new prospect or improving your current mount. If you know what to look for, then you can seek out a naturally good mover.

A Good Mover

Professional horse trainer, Larry Trocha offers a video on what he thinks it takes to be a good mover. He talks about a few characteristics that the horse should have. In his example, Larry evaluates the movement of a palomino gelding.

Some of the things he notices are:

  • Feet stay close to the ground, unlike a gaited horse with a lot of action. In the western world, that's not desirable
  • The hocks don't go way behind the horse, rather they stay underneath him
  • Good extension with their front legs
  • Natural collection

These characteristics are specific to western performance horses. You can check out the horse in action while watching this training video...

You can watch more helpful videos from Larry on his YouTube channel: Larry Trocha Horse Training.

Cowgirl Hotlist

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
  |