Horsemanship Through Cadence...Count Your Horse's Feet!

Cadence and rhythm being important. So how do you achieve it? If you can count to four, you can begin to learn your horse’s rhythm. While walking your horse in a circle, start to feel the rhythm of your horse’s feet and start your count with the inside front leg. One-two-three-four. Your goal is to have all four feet to hit in an even cadence, similar to the beat of a metronome (one of those gadgets that your piano teacher put on the piano that goes tick-tick-tick).  So you count your horse’s feet over and over. As you count, pay attention to your count. If you are beginning your count with the front inside foot, are you counting ONE-two-three-four, with the ONE count being more pronounced? That means your horse is heavier on that foot. Not sure what we mean? Listen to the hoof beats and determine if one is louder. If so, your horse is heavier on that foot.