5 Signs Your Horse Is on the Forehand – and What You Can Do About It

As riders, we all want to give our horses the best possible conditions—both in training and in everyday life. Still, there are things we may not notice, simply because we haven’t learned to look for them yet. One of those things is how the horse actually distributes its weight between the forehand and the hindquarters. Whether you mainly enjoy relaxed trail rides, train at home, or have ambitions to compete, it is valuable to recognize the signs that your horse is working on the forehand.

At first glance, this may seem like a minor detail—especially if the horse feels willing and cooperative—but it has a much greater impact on the horse’s health and overall well-being than you might expect. Let’s take a closer look at why this matters and what you can do to help your horse find better balance.

How to Spot That Your Horse Is on the Forehand

The forelegs move more backward than forward – you can see that the horse is pulling itself forward rather than pushing.
The hind legs take shorter steps than the forelegs – the hindquarters are passive, and the horse is not working actively from behind.
The horse carries the neck high – the neck muscles tense, and the back drops.
The horse struggles to yield to light contact and often goes behind the vertical – it attempts to find support by shortening the neck.
It is difficult to sit the trot without gripping with the knees – the horse’s tension makes the movement stiff and uncomfortable.

Why Is This a Problem?

Riding a horse that is on the forehand is not just a cosmetic issue—it can have serious consequences for the horse’s health and well-being.

When the horse leans forward, the forehand becomes overloaded because it carries a disproportionately large share of the weight. This increases the risk of:

Inflammation and osteoarthritis, especially in the fetlock, knee (carpal), and shoulder joints.
Tendon injuries such as suspensory ligament damage and overloading of the flexor tendons.
Coffin joint and pastern problems, often worsened by the horse landing toe-first.

At the same time, the back is pressed downward, which can:

Reduce the space between the dorsal spinous processes and lead to kissing spines (inflammation and wear between the spinous processes).
Create muscle tension along the back and croup, restricting movement throughout the entire body.

When the horse is unable to correctly tilt the pelvis, the stride length of the hind legs becomes shorter. This means the hindquarters are no longer pushing, and the forehand instead “pulls” the horse forward. This often results in toe-first landings, which send concussion up through the limbs and, over time, can damage joints, tendons, and ligaments.

The neck is also affected. Tension in the neck muscles and shortening of the topline can lead to:

Overloading of the nuchal ligament and surrounding muscles, potentially causing soreness or chronic pain.
Restricted blood flow and nerve irritation, which can influence the entire movement pattern.

In short, a horse that consistently works on the forehand is at high risk of developing chronic pain and injuries that can both shorten its career and significantly reduce its quality of life.

When the horse maintains balance by tensing and lifting the neck, it creates a harmful posture in which the ribcage is pressed downward, the back drops, and the pelvis becomes locked. This shifts the weight onto the forehand, forces the forelegs further back under the horse’s center of gravity, and prevents the hind legs from stepping correctly underneath the body.

Here’s What We Can Do

The most important thing is to return to the basics: the horse must learn to find balance by shifting weight back onto the hindquarters. This does not happen by pulling more on the reins—doing so will only reinforce the problem. When we take hold of the reins before the horse understands the task, the horse will simply tense the neck even more and fall further onto the forehand.

It can feel unfamiliar and sometimes a bit overwhelming to step back in the horse’s training. At times, it may also seem like a long process, but remember that we are doing this for the sake of the horse and its well-being. As riders, we are rarely taught from the beginning how our horse actually moves and how we can support it in using its body correctly—this is often something we only begin to notice and understand as we develop as riders and trainers.

Our horse cannot figure out on its own how to find correct posture and lift the ribcage—this is something we must help it with. When we break the training down into small, manageable steps, the task becomes easier to approach, and along the way, both you and your horse will grow with the process.

3 Steps to Better Balance and a Healthier Horse

Step 1: Check the Basic Signals

First and foremost, make sure your horse understands your cues. Can you easily move the hindquarters, move the forehand, and ask for bend in the neck without resistance? If these signals are not clear and easy, this is where you need to start. For example, if your horse cannot move the hindquarters in the halt without losing balance, it will not be able to do so in the walk either.

Step 2: Rounding Through the Body

Practice asking your horse to softly round to both sides. When the horse rounds through the topline, the hindquarters automatically become more active because the inside hind leg steps further forward. This movement helps the horse find a natural balance without tension.

Try this:

Ride on a large circle and take a light contact on the inside rein. Notice whether your horse relaxes and seeks forward and down on its own.
Stay on the circle until your horse feels relaxed and stable in the roundness.
If your horse does not yield after one circle, return to working on the basic signals.

Step 3: Forward and Down as a Natural Result

When your horse rounds correctly, it will naturally begin to seek forward and down. This movement activates the ligaments of the neck and back, which automatically lift the ribcage and the back up between the shoulders. This happens without force, as a result of correct rounding and activation of the hindquarters.

If we try to ride our horse before it has learned to maintain balance on its own by shifting weight back onto the hindquarters and shortening the muscles of the underside, the horse will not understand our rein signals. Instead, it will shorten the neck even more and fall further onto the forehand. When a horse trots in good balance, the cannon bone of the hind leg and the upper arm of the foreleg move in parallel—meaning at the same angles.

When the horse is on the forehand, this parallel movement is no longer present, and it becomes clear that the hind legs and forelegs move differently. The hind legs will typically take shorter steps and lose their active thrust, while the forelegs carry too much weight and have to work harder.

How You Can Test This

When you walk on a long rein, your horse should seek forward and down and carry the poll lower than the withers.
When you gently take contact on one rein, the horse should round, step confidently onto the circle, and maintain balance.

Further Training: Shoulder-In and Haunches-In

Once the foundation is in place, you can begin working with shoulder-in and haunches-in. These exercises teach the horse to shift weight onto the carrying hind leg and improve its ability to maintain balance without tension. When the horse can consistently seek forward and down in these exercises, it will naturally begin to lift the ribcage and activate the muscles that allow it to carry more weight behind.

Only at this stage of training is the horse physically and mentally ready to understand what we are asking for when we request collection—and here it can happen with light aids, because the horse now has the strength, balance, and understanding to perform the movement without tension.

Your horse must consistently seek forward and down on a loose rein, and be able to round to both sides from a light rein contact, before it is ready to learn how to shift weight back onto the hindquarters through shoulder-in and haunches-in.

"Our horse cannot figure out on its own how to find correct posture and lift the ribcage"

Be Patient and Observant

It can be tempting to move forward quickly, but many riders only realize too late that their horse is still carrying too much weight on the forehand. When we instead take the time to work calmly and systematically, we can help our horse develop a strong and healthy body that can carry itself without tension.

Try going out to your horse and really feel for yourself:
Can it move lightly and relaxed from one cue at a time?
Does it lower the neck on its own and seek forward and down when you give a loose rein?
Can it softly round to both sides without becoming heavy or stiff?

If you feel that the answer is “not quite yet,” it’s not a setback—it’s simply a sign that the foundation can be strengthened.