Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Four Weeks with Shoes...Difference?

My last videos of Milo longing were exactly four weeks of having hind shoes on - to the day. Initially I didn't think much about the landmark, but after coming home and watching the videos, it occurred to me that my horse was stepping underneath himself more than when he first had them put on. So for comparison's sake, I thought we would watch the videos taken from my original post when the first were first put on, to my last post with the shoes on for four weeks.

Left: Milo walking first day with shoes. Right: Milo four weeks after shoes.


I noticed (mostly in person but I think you can see it in the video) that Milo not only has reduced toe dragging from the hind end, but also appears to be stepping more fully in the tracks of his front hoofprints. It seems that he is using his hind end more efficiently then before. One could also note that he was excited that day because of Torik leaving him, but when watching him move at the walk in both videos, he looks about the same (calm-wise). Thoughts?

Let's compare two videos of the trot as well. 

Left: At the trot first day with shoes. Right: At the trot four weeks after shoes. 

Again, I'm noticing the same changes in these videos: less toe drag and more reach. Yes, we can consider that Milo's energy was higher, but I would actually think that would make him move less forward from the hind and more pulling from the front due to excitedness and less interest in work. Considering that, I still think that he is moving differently then just four weeks ago. It would seem that the shoes are really helping him fine tune his balance. 


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