General Biomechanics: The Horse As a Biological Machine

The “Mechanical Mode” of a horse refers to the condition of the musculature appropriate to the moment or task—stretched, contracted, or slack. It can be because of posture or carriage, rigidity, as a result of defensiveness, sustained contraction of musculature beyond the need of the task at hand, general condition of the musculature from moment to moment, and much more. One way to demonstrate this is to address the concept of suppleness. The mechanics of gait can be divided into purity, quality, and way of going. The mechanics of gait should be well understood by the veterinarian so that when evaluating the horse with the complaint of lameness they are best able to integrate and differentiate the true lameness from a mechanical, riding, or performance problem.