Word of the Week – Regularity
REGULARITY - Purity of the gait. At walk and trot, denotes symmetry in terms of evenness of the length of the steps, levelness of the height of the steps, and equality of the time interval between the steps of the left and right forelimbs, or the left and right hind limbs. Note: In the first collective mark on a dressage test, “Gaits (freedom and regularity),” regularity is used to address purity and soundness, not to address the horse’s tempo.
Full glossary: http://bit.ly/2019USDFGlossary
Word of the Week – Over-turned
OVER-TURNED - Turned more than 180 degrees in a half-pirouette or more than 360 degrees in a full pirouette.
Full glossary: http://bit.ly/2019USDFGlossary
Word of the Week – Medium
MEDIUM (WALK, TROT, OR CANTER) - At trot and canter, a pace of moderate lengthening, with a longer stride than in the collected or working paces but shorter than in the extended pace. The uphill balance is greater than in the working or lengthening pace, and the length of frame and suspension are between that of the collected and extended paces. The movement produced is rounder than that of extension. The tempo should remain nearly the same as in the collected pace.
At walk, a pace of moderate lengthening, with...
Word of the Week – Braced/Bracing
BRACED/BRACING – The horse defensively setting/ holding its muscles contracted against an opposing force or an expected opposing force, such as the rider’s disturbing legs, seat or hands.
Full glossary: http://bit.ly/2019USDFGlossary
Word of the Week – Beat
BEAT – Footfall of a hoof or a diagonal pair of hooves that strike the ground virtually simultaneously. The timing of the footfalls determines the rhythm of the stride. The walk has four beats per stride (only two of which are emphasized beats perceived by the rider), the trot has two beats per stride, and the canter has three beats per stride (only one of which is the emphasized beat perceived by the rider).
See also Beat in Freestyle Music section, and Tempo (regarding counting beats to determine tempo).
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