An appropriately trained, non-lame, comfortable horse with well-fitting tack should be responsive to a rider’s cues when in an arena. That is true whether the horse is on the left or the right rein, and when hacking out on the level or up and down hills.

The horse should create a symmetrical rein tension so that the horse is not ‘heavy in one hand,’ and is ‘taking’ a contact but without ‘leaning’ on the bit. 

Comfortable Horse at a Trot

When in rising trot, the horse should feel similar when the rider sits on either the left or right diagonal.It should not alter its posture or rhythm when the rider changes from one diagonal to the other. 

There should be no alteration in rhythm or speed in sitting trot versus rising trot.

The horse should not be tense or anxious, should not spook repeatedly without cause, or try to stop spontaneously or alter direction in opposition to a rider’s cues. The rider should feel that he or she can turn equally easily to the left and to the right in all paces.

Comfortable Horse at a Canter

There should be no jarring impact through a rider’s back in either trot or canter. The rider should not feel that the saddle is slipping to one side.

In canter in a three-point position (sitting in the saddle), a rider should feel that his or her pelvis is rocked backward and forward, not rotated (what I call the ‘washing machine’ canter). The paces should feel powerful. Therefore, for example, the rider feels that the horse could easily jump a fence from the canter.

Senior Horse Movement

An older horse that has been stabled prior to work might start work with less freedom of movement than a younger horse, but should rapidly improve with exercise.  

A horse that is comfortable should not attempt to break spontaneously from one gait to another. It should easily establish canter with the correct leading forelimb on either the left or right rein.

A young horse with little training might struggle to maintain canter around the short sides of an arena. That young animal might attempt to break to trot or change legs behind (cross canter or become disunited). This should not be felt in a mature horse with adequate training.

Rider Influence

It is obviously important to be aware of the influence that your posture and balance might have on a horse’s movement patterns.

If you sit crookedly, your asymmetrical weight distribution will result in changes in a horse’s gait that might predispose to the development of lameness.

If you are ‘bouncing’ in the saddle, the horse is likely to compensate by reducing the range of motion of its back (‘stiffening the back’), which will in turn influence forelimb and hindlimb movement and step length. It might also result in a jarring sensation through your back.

Additional Reading

Observation and Palpation of an Older Horse’s Limbs. Dr. Sue Dyson. MySeniorHorse.com