Flat knee movement

Can someone explain to me what this is...and better still, have a video of it..
I am not grasping it... :scratch: lol

Not flat knee
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awaxuGMxn8E

compaired to flat knee
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5zlGUq0bAY


btw these are just random videos i found on the net

i always thought of it as non flat knee means they have lots of knee action, like watching the videos that Imagine posted you can see the horse really picking it legs up and bending at the knee, where the flat knee horse looks more like there leg is just coming out in straight line, barely bending at the knee. Dont know if that makes any sense, that's just what i was told once

A hackney horse or pony definitely is not flat kneed - just the opposite. How is that for a mental picture TC? LOL

a good way to think of it is

flat knee moves more from the shoulder.

Not flat knee moves more from the knee.

ok cool! THANKS!

I can't watch the videos from work, :roll: I will check at home...

Just trying to see if their was any correlation between the horses trained (or born and bred) to be flat kneed and those who develop Navicular...

Very intersting idea TC.

Most of the horses that I know of that have "Navicular syndrome" are Quarter horses. I've always wondered why ....maybe more common breed, shoeing a 2 yrs of age, confirmation or possibly breeding for flat kneed way of going.

So many variables.

Well, no, not necessarily a breed thing..as Paints are shown for the same movement... although it could make it APPEAR to be a breed thing or even a bloodline thing, when that particular line is bred for that discipline...
My thoughts are if a horse bred or trained for the flat knee way of going, it is not fully extending it's legs and feet out as the horses' body and conformation and genetic make up was made to so...therefore not getting that heel first landing...

a toe first landing causes navicular disease... fact.

I found a better example... I even think this horse is landing toe first on the inds... Which is hard for a horse to do...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Py_ic_ibuTs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fo0XcPMK0JY

This hrse is learning to go western pleasure (So maybe not bred for it perhaps?)... and is clearly landing toe first...
IMO, it is very hard for them to land heel first when asked for this way of going...

Could this be why so many seem to be navicular syndrome/disease cases... ?

Just something I was pondering..
I see tons of beautiful photos of these horses...only to see them in wedge pads or heart bar shoes... Even on the hinds!