The Physics of how Horses Jump, Part 2

3. Flight and bascule

In flight, the horse leaves the ground, traveling up, forward and over the obstacle in an arc or “bascule” (a French word meaning “arc in motion”). His neck extends forward and down as his shoulders rotate, raising and folding his forelegs to the utmost as they pass over the highest point of the obstacle. The lowering of the head and neck pulls on the nuchal and dorsal ligament systems, especially the supraspinous ligament that runs down the top of the back. This helps create the bascule or arc in the horse’s body. As the back rounds, the hindquarters rise and the hind legs begin to fold.

As the hindquarters pass over the highest point of the jump, the hind legs are folded. The hocks, stifle joints and fetlock joints are tightly flexed, with the hocks pulled up behind the hindquarters. As the forehand descends toward the ground, the horse’s back flattens, the lumbosacral joint closes, and the neck rises, as the forearms and forelegs unfold and stretch forward toward the landing point.

4. Landing

The horse recovers his normal canter balance and stride and resumes the canter. The first step after landing often resembles a small jump, called a “half bound”. When a horse jumps in stride and lands lightly in good balance, his recovery is quick, natural and effortless and he can easily go forward. A rider who remains in balance and does not interfere with the horse’s efforts makes this easier.

The order in which the forelegs land establishes the canter lead; since the forelegs are evenly folded during the jump, it is easy for a horse to change leads over a jump or to choose the lead he prefers to land on. Good jumpers, especially when going over a medium to large jump, are likely to change leads.

Landing stiffly, in poor balance or with insufficient impulsion makes recovery an effort. A delayed recovery makes a horse slow in getting away from the obstacle; it also takes him more time and effort to adjust his balance and stride. If a rider loses his balance or interferes with the horse’s recovery efforts, he may become tense and quick, bucking or running away from the unpleasant effort of recovery. Deep muddy ground can delay the horse in picking up his forelegs during landing; this puts him in danger of “over-reaching”, which occurs when the hind leg strikes the back of the foreleg, tendon, heel or shoe. This can result in injury or the loss of a shoe; tendon boots and bell boots are used to protect the forelegs against such injuries.

A successful rider doesn’t just ride her horse – she also understands how he functions and moves. Understanding how your horse jumps can improve performance, prevent injury, and assist with problem-solving when things aren’t going quite right.

Check back in next Monday for the rest of this article.

Happy Riding!

Source: Equine Wellness Magazine