Conformation Question...

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MiniWrangler

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Can someone explain to me the significance of a horse's tail set? Be it high or low, does it really affect the horse in some way, or is it more of a cosmetic thing? What got me wondering was an article in one of my horse magazines. It was describing the appearance of a particular breed and mentioned a low tail set.

I'm just curious and figured this was a good place to ask :bgrin :saludando:
 
A high tail set is desired in the halter ring, as it is aesthetically pleasing.

A high tail set *supposedly* deters a horse from being able "to use it's hind end and get it's rear under himself" but the more I look at horses the less true I think this is. I am starting to think that this excuse is used for people who have horses with low tail sets and want a reason why it's okay
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To me a tail set isn't a big deal, low or high... I have seen lots of hackneys, arabians, and modern shetland ponies with very high tail sets that have been perfectly capable of engaging their hind end. I have been trying to inspect a horse that can really use it's hind end... and I actually think a long gaskin and good stifle angle has a LOT more to do with hind-end-engaging than the tail set does... as well as a nice deep hip with lots of angle. It has nothing to do with where the tail comes out of...

Just my opinion!

Andrea
 
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I think a "low tail set" is mostly described as being undesirable because it is often seen in conjunction with sharply sloped rear ends and too steep of an angle at the hip joint to move properly as well as being visually less appealing. Personally I love a really flat croup area. The hip on horses with flatter toplines tends to be longer, and generally at a nicer angle, but alot of that is personal preference.
 
Hackneys generally have high tail sets. Witness the hind-end action here:

hackney_pony.JPG


Sorry... I came across this picture online and have been DROOLING and DREAMING about this pony for weeks now... I don't know anything about him. I think he lives in Europe somewhere though...
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But you can see the angulation in the back legs pretty well, that allows for lots of flexion and pendulum action.

Andrea
 
I think people often confuse high tail set with a table top croup.The horse pictured above has a nice tailset however I wouldnt call his croup table top or straight and level there is some angle to it.

I am not a huge fan of the perfectly level top line going from wither to croup but that is JMO

Although bottom line I think really it is what is pleasing to ones eye
 
Just be aware of what the Standard states...If it is AMHR the tail set sould be neither excessively high nor low, but smoothly rounding off the rump. Mary
 
Hackneys generally have high tail sets. Witness the hind-end action here:
Yes, there is a lot of action going on here in this picture, but it is up-n-down, not stretching forward and moving out... That's what I'm talking about, when I say "able to use it's hind end and get it's rear under himself".
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Although bottom line I think really it is what is pleasing to ones eye
Exactly so, Lisa.

The pony that you show the picture of, disneyhorsewhile perfectly gorgeous to some, doesn't make me drool at all, but that is because I simply prefer a long-reaching, ground covering trot, more like what I would see in a dressage ring. That doesn't make what I like any better, or what someone else likes, any worse.
 
The hip on horses with flatter toplines tends to be longer, and generally at a nicer angle, but alot of that is personal preference.
Somewhat true, as long as people don't go overboard with "flat" toplines. I could show you photos in magazines--can't post them here as they aren't my horses--of horses that have toplines that are flat, but not level...they are not "level" because they actually angle upward from loin to dock of tail--and in order for a croup to angle upward toward the dock, it has to be a short croup.

A high tail set *supposedly* deters a horse from being able "to use it's hind end and get it's rear under himself" but the more I look at horses the less true I think this is.
I have to point out that when a horse has an extremely high tail set--so high that it is higher than the horse's loin (like I said above, I could show you oodles of magazine photos of Morgans that are built just that way)--yes, the overall hindquarter conformation does severely limit the horse's ability to get its hind legs under himself. I have seen horses that moved their hind legs up and down BEHIND themselves, truly like a sewing machine.
The Hackney above--I do believe he is quite capable of using his hindquarters and reaching forward under himself. I don't believe his conformation is hindering him. I do find his action hideous, but I blame that on his training and presentation (excess weight on his feet, tight check, etc) not on his conformation. If we saw this horse barefoot, trotting free across the pasture, he'd probably be using his hind end just fine.
 
Hackneys generally have high tail sets. Witness the hind-end action here:

hackney_pony.JPG


Sorry... I came across this picture online and have been DROOLING and DREAMING about this pony for weeks now... I don't know anything about him. I think he lives in Europe somewhere though...
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But you can see the angulation in the back legs pretty well, that allows for lots of flexion and pendulum action.

Andrea
Poor horse! he has to move like that cuz of his check! notice how high is head is and the check is still taut..thats sad! His back is hollowed and he looks so uncomfortable, i feel sorry for that horse.........
 
I beg to differ on the check.....Note it is NOT being pulled taunt, it is angled, probably by this horse's already high neck set. I do, however, agree that this horse has the sewing machine, up and down movement and not the reach and drive needed to cover ground.

A balanced horse has good structure and angles in his joints, evenly balanced, front and rear, to propel him forward with reach in front and drive behind. How "Big" his leg action is, is determined by all of the above AND his genetics ASKING him to lift more. This is the dfifference between Country horses, Pleasure horses, and Park horses even WITHOUT all the chains, weighted shoes, pullys and whatnot.
 

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