It’s a term you’ve heard a million times, but do you really truly know what it means for a horse to be “on the forehand?”
We will dive right into that in great detail below!
On The Forehand – What is it?
In the simplest of terms, a horse is on the forehand when he is carrying most of it’s body weight on the front two limbs. You and I carry ALL of our weight on our two ‘hind’ limbs because we are designed that way. We don’t typically use our arms to walk, lol.
But the horse is different. They use all four limbs to get around. And you would think that the horse would naturally distribute all that weight equally on all four limbs. But, ironically, the horse will naturally put more of it’s weight onto the front two limbs.
So if a horse is out and about, meandering in the field, he will undoubtedly be holding more of his weight on the front two legs, (which is called THE FOREHAND,) than on the back two legs. ( the hind end)
But why? I mean, the muscles in the hind end are big and strong, and the muscles in the front are not so impressive! …Doesn’t make sense.
I’m not going to go into detail with “why,” because there are many ancient reasons, conformational reasons from breeding, etc. I mean, this could get hairy. But, for the most part, it is far more easier for the horse to do so.
Why is “On The Forehand” Bad?
For retired pasture horses and horses that are companions, it’s not too much of a big deal for them to walk around all day on the forehand.
But for the horses who are athletes, it starts to become a concern. With all the hard work they are doing, and especially when you add a rider on top, too much weight on the forehand is not good for the muscles and joints.
Dressage and “On the Forehand”
For the sport of dressage, you can consult any trainer, any school of thought, or any USDF test. ( Check out the NEW USDF tests HERE!)You will find the same theme. Riding a horse on the forehand is something that is continually sought to be corrected. It’s always a quest to be better and better at riding the horse more uphill, because that takes some of the weight and puts it back on the hind end, lessening the burden on the forehand.
So for the “dressage discipline” it is basically a criteria that is used to judge your ability, score you at shows, and also give you more goals to try to attain!
If you are in the sport of dressage, getting your horse off the forehand is a top priority. But even the best riders in the world can’t completely, entirely accomplish this for an entire ride. But it’s a journey for all riders, to become more skilled and develop tools to be able to do this better and better with each ride.
“On the Forehand” HELP
There are tons of exercises to help you ride more uphill. Check out some of my other related articles:
The Leg Yield
The Shoulder-in
The Half Halt
Engagement
The Horse Who Leans
More Engagement
Take away
And might I remind you that horses weren’t meant to be our ‘servants’ for 30-45 minutes of their day. They would be totally ok walking around, on their forehand, in the wilderness their entire life!
But they selflessly and willingly become our partners in our sport that we love so much. (whichever discipline.) They gift us with the privilege of sitting atop of them! And we make our requests, and sometimes demands, and they go along with it. (most of the time)
So don’t we owe it to our equine partners to do whats best for them? If we as riders could help to lessen any burdens possible, we should. And that’s, sort of in a round-about way, why riding a horse on the forehand is bad.
NOW, NOW, don’t get upset here with that last sentence. Like I said earlier, the horse will naturally carry more of it’s weight on the forehand, and even more so with the rider, and even STILL when the rider tries and tries and tries to get the horse off the forehand!
It’s kind of inevitable, but the basic takeaway is this: If we can ride our horses to the best of our abilities, as much uphill as possible, helping to distribute the burden of too much weight being carried on the front end, then it’s better for the horse in the long run.
Keep Riding, Keep Refining
The Refined Rider
