Brigitte's 4 month update

 I'm sorry these pictures are a bit blurry - they are stills grabbed from Brigitte's footage - but they are interesting because they show a clear progression in how her landing is changing. The top photo shows her on arrival, nearly 4 months ago now.

Many horses change from toe first to heel first much more quickly than this but Brigitte had been landing badly, we suspect, for a considerable time. She had also been on a prolonged period of box rest which may well have contributed to her being "stuck" in a toe first landing for longer than most. 

In February (above) she had started to land much better and was able to benefit from work on tougher surfaces.  

By the middle of March, this is where she had got to - a clear heel first landing on her RF though her LF hasn't quite caught up. Its improving steadily though so a bilateral heel first landing should be just round the corner. 

As with Gemini, who was on the blog yesterday as well, notice the increased stride length now that she can land heel first. In fact full extension isn't possible with a flat or toe first landing, which is why so many owners report their horse becoming "short-striding" or "shuffly" (especially down hill) way before a clear lameness is evident. 

Brigitte landing from Nic Barker on Vimeo.