05/09/2026
FEl rules state that “the movement of the fore and hind legs should reach equally forward in the moment of extension.”
The first photo therefore IS NOT CORRECT! It’s me so l am not offending anyone
Equine biomechanics expert Hilary Clayton
explains. “The photo with the more extravagant front leg and slower hind leg the movements of the fore and hind legs are no longer synchronised and the parallel relationship between the hind cannon and the forearm has been lost.
“For me this makes the gait somewhat impure because the diagonal limbs are not rotating synchronously.
The second photo? “I really like the photo (Photo 😎 where the hind cannons are parallel with the forearms which indicates that the movements of the diagonal limb pairs are correctly synchronised - in other words swinging forward (protracting) and swinging backward (retracting) synchronously,” Hilary explained. “Also the hind leg is stepping nicely forward. The horse is clearly in an uphill frame so I would anticipate that the hind hoof will contact the ground slightly before the diagonal front hoof (hind-first diagonal dissociation).
Full article here on eurodressage
https://eurodressage.com/2016/03/30/classical-training-what-correct