Terminology
Melissa Wood
Introduction to Equine Studies
Impulsion: Thrust. Comes from the horse’s desire to go forward with energy, willingness, and power,
but without rushing, gives the gaits liveliness and animation. In order to have impulsion the horse must
be willing to go forward and must travel straight. The horse must also engage his hind legs and allow the
energy to come through his elastic back. Impulsion is not speed, nervousness or wild runaway energy.
(pg.65)
Phases of the jump: The phases of the jump include; approach, takeoff, flight, landing and recovery.
Approach-During approach the horse sees the jump, judges the effort needed to clear it and adjusts his
direction, balance, impulsion and stride to arrive at the right take-off point from which to leave the
ground. Takeoff- The horse engages both hind legs well under the body, flexing his loin and lumbosacral
joint. The hind legs should be lined up together for maximum thrust. Flight- The horse leaves the ground
and rounds his spine in a bascule as he passes over the obstacle. His neck reaches forward and down, his
back is rounded and the lumbosacral joints flexes bringing his hind legs up and folding them to clear the
jump. Landing- The horse lands on one extended foreleg first, quickly followed by the second foreleg.
The body pivots forward over both forelegs, which are usually picked up before the first hind leg touches
the ground. The first foreleg to land establishes the canter lead. It is easy for the horse to change leads
over a jump or to select the lead he prefers to land on. The landing should be balanced, coordinated and
elastic; the horse absorbs the first shock with the muscles of the shoulders, arms and forearm and the
joints and tendon of the foreleg. Recovery- The horse recovers his normal balance and resumes the
canter. The better balanced the jump, the more smoothly the horse can recover. When the horse jumps
in stride and lands in good balance, his recovery is quick, natural and effortless and his first stride is
ready to go on. (pg. 61-63)
False extension: Also called goose-stepping and toe-flipping. The horse hyper-extends his forelegs so
that the toes flip up in and exaggerated manner. The engagement and impulsion from the hind legs are
insufficient. (pg. 40)
Rhythm + Tempo: Every gait is performed in its own rhythm which includes beats and the pattern of
footfalls in each stride. Good movement has a clear, consistent rhythm, without shuffling, mixing gaits
or irregularities. Tempo refers to the speed of the rhythm-quick, medium or slow. The tempo of the gait
should stay the same even when the horse lengthens or shortens stride or performs various maneuvers.
(pg. 65)
Lightness: The horse’s ability to move with deftness, agility and grace. It is the result of suppleness,
impulsion, balance and freedom of movement. A horse that is light to ride is handy, balanced and
responsive. The opposite of lightness is heavy, clumsy and uncoordinated movement. (pg. 72)
Counter canter Vs. Cross Canter: Counter-canter – Cantering on the outside lead on purpose, as a
training and suppling exercise. Cross canter- disunited canter. This is an uncoordinated gait in which the
horse is on one lead with his hind legs and on the other with his front legs.(pg. 45- 46)
Rein back: The rein-back (also called backing up) is a somewhat unnatural movement and is more
difficult for the horse than natural forward movements. In backing up, the hose engages his hind legs
and moves back in a diagonal pattern. (1) Right fore (2) left hind (3) left fore (4) right hind. (pg. 49- 50)
Piaffe: A highly collected and cadenced trot performed nearly in place with suspension and a clear
rhythm. The hindquarters are well engaged and slightly lowered, and the hind legs bend more in all their
joints; the forehand and shoulders are light and free, with more flexion in the forelegs. Belongs to the
highest levels of dressage. (pg. 39)
Straightness: Good movement is straight, not swinging inward or outward, and not canted off to one
side or cranked sideways. This is more efficient and allows impulsion to come through unhampered, and
does not run the risk of the hose damaging his legs by interfering or overstressing one side of his feet
and legs. There are two kinds of straightness in movement. The first refers to the flight of each leg and
the way the foot lands. Horses with good leg conformation move with each leg relatively straight,
without swinging inward or outward. The other meaning of straightness refers to the movement of the
whole horse and his spinal alignment. His hind legs should follow in the tracks of his front legs, which is
called tracking straight. (pg. 67-69)
Trot: The trot is a two-beat diagonal gait with suspension, executed in two-time. This means that the
diagonal pairs of feet strike the ground together for one hoof beat.
1) Right hind and left foreleg (suspension)
2) Left hind and right foreleg (suspension)The moment of suspension gives the trot its characteristic
spring or bounce. The trot should always have two clean beats, with a regular, even rhythm and tempo.
(pg. 35)