its easier to mount and dismount this way. plus nothing looks as nice and stylish as a horse parked out.

 

If you horse is parking out now and wasn't before I'd be on the look out for hoof issues. It's a classic warning sign of laminitis or short trims.
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Having a horse "park out" has three historical purposes:

First, it made the horse easier to mount. It lowers the back and it prevents the horse from moving while the rider mounts. The downside is that it makes the back much weaker and more prone to injury if mounting is ineptly done.

Second, it looks attractive to some people.

Third, it's a wonderful way to hide conformational defects.

G.

 

If done naturally, it is often because the horse has curby hocks, a trait common in twh. They were encouraged to park out for mounting but it places a tremendous amount of strain on the horse. When a horse is correctly parked out, he is over his front legs with the hind stretched out behind. The fronts should never be in front of the natural position.

 

Also, parking out was done by riders in English saddles, and there is not a lot to grab onto with them.

And it gave rider time to gather up reins and get settled in saddle too.

 

Anybody who grabs onto their saddle to mount their horse (unless constrained to do so by a physical malady) is engaging in poor equitation.

If your horse walks off before the rider is ready the horse is poorly trained.

I'm aware of the propensity of Walkers for "sickle hocks." Parking out hides that defect.

I'm not sure I buy the concept that parking out can ever be "natural." It's not a stance that the horse would take of it's own accord. The argument that it relieves stress on the legs is countered by the fact that it grossly weakens the back.

Not something I would recommend, I'm afraid.

G.

 

My gelding Parks out when he takes a leak..... that seems like a fairly natural thing for him to do. I see alot of older gentleman at field trials who have horses taught to park out because they insist on riding 16.2-16.3 horses and just cant climb aboard. Not really my box of cookies. If my horse wont stand or I cant climb on its time to re evaluate something.

Jim

 

^I think most horses (geldings) do that while going pee.

Guilherme--You're correct that it's bad equitation, but I'm pretty sure it's one of the most common 'bad equitations'. xD

 

You're probably right, Zexious. Not a good reason to encourage it, however!!!

Jimmyp the stance of a urinating gelding is NOT the stance of a parked out horse. Further, I don't see anybody jumping up on a horse's back while it's taking a leak. :wink:

G.

 

And since many times a rider is legged up, it can be appreciated that the parked out stance is beneficial to the "legger upper" too.

Having time to address the reins, and getting settled in saddle is something parking out helps with greatly.

The extreme methods I see in Racking/TWH's is way too much though.

 

While not a historian, nor claiming any historical facts, etc., etc., the leg up theory made me think that this parking out would be a wonderful thing for a gentleman to teach a ladies horse, even if they needed a leg up. "Well, my MY, Rhett, what a KIND and considerate thing to do, you smoothtalkin' devil, you!"

I always taught my horses to park out when I was young and had time. Not gaited horses or Saddlebreds.....I am short!! And I rode bareback a LOT, and was never an athletic, swing or jump up on a tall horse type!

Nancy

 

one must wonder how many horses have been ruined by parking out during a mount/dismount?

 

I'v never asked Chloe to "park out" she will do it, i think her former owner taught her to do so, and i don't mount her when she stands like that though i'm short, i'll find another way to make it easier on the both of us. Her hooves are fabulous, tough and rugged, i hardly have to trim them, i usually just rasp off the edges and down enough to keep from being long in the toe, and flared on the sides, the trimmer loves her feet, they are so easy to do (i have him on hand all the time, and to check my progress).
I just never understood the purpose of a "parked out" stance in gaited horses, and i find it a rather odd practice, but each to their own.
my 21 yo Appaloosa gelding doesn't stand still for anyone to mount him, for any reason, i'v tried training him to do so, he's so bullheaded and is just like his dam was. So i get to play rodeo, and swing up like the cowboys do in the old western movies LOL, and even worse is he has no mane to grab on to!!! Being an App, his mane is so sparse and thin, there's nothing to it, and i'v tried everything to thicken it up and get it to grow long, nothing has worked.
Thank you everyone for your responses!!

 

Actually parking out was traditionaly used to keep a horse from stepping out while a "lady" mounted. When riding side saddle with bulky dresses back in the early days mounting could be a rather taskfull event and you did not want a horse that tended to moved about and parking them out helped prevent this. It also shortened the animal a few inches to aid in mounting. Its gone from "nessesary" to show tradition and is a elegant way to show off the horse. Its now primarily just for show. I also see it as a way to show off trainability and it can indeed hide a sickled hocked horse. (being slightly sickled hock is a common trait in TWH). If you dont show then its not nesseary to teach your horse to park out. Unless you just want to. A proper park should have the front legs perpendicular to the ground (straight down placed under the body) with the hind legs placed backwards from the body (not so much it bows the back). An excessivly parked out horse can be strainfull on the animal and will loose its efffect (physicaly and visualy) and will not add astheticaly to the animal.
You do not want a severly sickled hock horse because they will suffer the same things that a non gaited sickled hocked horse can suffer from. Being slightly sickled hocked in a TWH that performs the true running walk can be a plus in the way the animal reaches beneath itself. The hocks should still be of good size, well made and strong. A TWH that is severely sickled hock suffers from weakness and can suffer from stress related problems in the hock joint ( and lower leg). If a TWH with weak, sickled hocks, excessivly long gaskins (and or sored feet) bows out or twists during travel this is not a feature you want for it shows weakness (the animal is compensating for such) and can create gaiting problem soreness, spavins, fractures, calcium deposits, ligament damage and a plethera of other problems.

Some TWH have long gaskins (a little longer than average is good for a nice long under reach) and may stand camped out (not realy parked) to accommodate this feature. A TWH that stands a tad camped out (again not severely) is an acceptable feature or characteristic. If the gaskin exheeds exsessive length then it becomes weak and then the hock suffers and becomes "hocky" in the action. Also the longer the gaskin the harder it is for the horse to lower his croup and drive from the hind end. You do not want this. If the Gaskin is more than 1 1/4 longer than the femur then the horse will be compromised and will have trouble "getting down" in the hind end for that drive. Some ppl will say the horse is to leggy in the rear. Some Gaited horses appear sickled hock but aren not truely sickled because of the common long gaskin to femur ratio. The angle of the hock itself may not be closed at all or very little when measured. Many ppl mistake this for being sickled hocked in horse with rather long (over 1 1/4 longer than femur) gaskins. In non gaited ( or I should say those that dont perform the true running walk) a more equal ratio length of the femur and gaskin will provide a bit more power. a Gaited (again ture running walkers) horse with a short steep pelvis have trouble getting power from the rear. A long well angled pelvis can work harder and has the ability to "get down" than those with short steep pelvis'. A rounded horse will utelize more muscles, get more power from the rear, tire out less, gait better than an inverted horse. A horse (any horse not just gaited types) should push from the rear and not pull from the front. To often I see gaited horses that are tightly contained, pulling from the front with unsquared, hurried gaits and just plain miserable. A thing I to often see with "shot gun" trained animals.

All horses regardless of dicipline, breed, temperments (high strug or laid back) should stand quietly while being mounted. I have ridden highstrung Saddlebreds (mostly made to be highstrung by artificial means) that were taught to stand while being mounted. Its all about training.

 

Very nice explanation ZaneyZanne123. I have a Mountain Pleasure, and she does a nice running walk, i have yet to get used to her gaits, and see how well she performs them. I have had her do the running walk, she did well, but she does still need some work.
My grandfather trained my gelding, and when he would mount, that meant time to go, no waiting for cues, just go. I'v tried for years to break him of it, my mom too...so he's just a little more of a challenge to mount to ride. Unless you stand on a mounting block or something, he will stand for that :shock: He's pretty well retired now LOL