And that ladies is why secrateriat is boss
Not only that, but Secretariat utilized something called a double-suspension transverse gallop that allowed him to carry sprint speed over distances of more than half a mile. In a normal, single-suspension transverse gallop there is only one moment where all four hooves leave the ground
in a double-suspension transverse gallop there are two
Secretariat had a stride longer than any other horse, but he also ran elastically, and was able to develop an extraordinary amount of downward-and-backward thrust, thus achieving double-suspension. He ran straighter and more efficiently than any other horse.
I’M SO INTRIGUED *gets pencil and paper*
Do you think his incredibly elastic gait contributed to his double-suspension gallop? What factors contribute to a horse preferring double-suspension over single-suspension? Is it a genetic behavior? Is it influenced by physical factors (IE Secretariat’s extraordinary gait)? Or is it purely a fluke when a horse uses the double-suspension gallop? What other horses did this? WHERE CAN I READ MORE????? *HEAVY BREATHING*
The elasticity refers to the flexibility of his back and loin conformation. The muscles of the pelvis, rib cage, and spine form a flexible and powerful spring that is the biomechanical root of speed. Secretariat had increased ability to coil the loin, and with it, increased elastic up-and-down flexibility of the back. The more flexible the back is, the longer the stride.
It is this long stride, and the incredibly powerful downward-and-backward thrust of his hind legs that allowed him to have a double-suspension transverse gallop. I don’t know of any other horses that have achieved double suspension, but it has been speculated that if we had more footage of Man O’ War we would see that he ran at a double-suspension transverse gallop as well.
This is so cool!
Horses are one of the trickiest animals I’ve found to animate because there are so many strict rules about the way they place their feet at different gaits and if you get it wrong they start to look like a completely different ungulate, like a deer or antelope or something.
This is fascinating! 🐎
For Megan
