Published in Dressage and CT, July 1998 The McPhail Chair Report #2 Suspension seems to be a loaded term these days, especially when used in descriptions of the piaffe. In this column we’ll look at the biomechanical definition of suspension, which gaits have it and which don’t, and how its presence or absence affects the […]
Suspension Part II – The Perplexing Piaffe
Published in Dressage and CT, August 1998 The McPhail Chair Report #3 Last month we defined suspension as a period when none of the horse’s limbs is in contact with the ground. Suspension is a characteristic of some gaits; the trot has two suspensions in each stride, while the canter has only one. Other gaits, […]
The McPhail Chair Report – An Introduction
Published in Dressage and CT, June 1998 The McPhail Chair Report #1 Like many sports dressage combines elements of art and science. Today’s top competitors have developed the artistic component to a high level, whereas the scientific component is still in its infancy. Biomechanics is an area of science that has many applications in improving […]
