How does (horse) troika work?

You can harness three horses a-breast, sometimes call hitching a troika. The center horse is hitched into a pole and two horses are hitched beside. Usually the side horses would be hitched with a "tie-back" to pull their head back a bit so that they look out wards. A troika is a rare thing - most people have never actually seen it done. read more

The middle horse is usually harnessed in a horse collar and shaft bow; the side horses are usually in breastcollar harness. The troika is traditionally driven so that the middle horse trots and the side horses canter; the right-hand horse will be on the right lead and the left-hand horse on the left lead. read more

We do not understand why it happens. Some feel that it is a developmental condition. The range of symptoms this condition can cause is variable with some horses showing distinct back problems and considerable pain. However, in other horses although X-rays showed a problem the horses did not show clinical signs. read more