I’m not sure exactly how a discussion of the Base of the Withers (BOTW) got into this topic, but I would like to explain my comments (posted in a totally different topic). And, just for reference, I have known horse conformation for 40+ years, but I am not too proud to say that I have never, until this measuring proposal came up, been asked to define an EXACT spot that is the Base of the Withers. For me, the BOTW was always defined as the area where the withers transition into the back. So, I can not in all honesty say I know an EXACT, single defining point that is now going to be known as the BOTW.
I was not ‘talking’ down to people. I am trying to have a logical discussion, on the whole issue of the accuracy and dependability of using the BOTW as a measuring point. I was pointing out that the EXPERTS, not myself, do not agree on the EXACT anatomical description of the withers. The reason that I emphasize EXACT is because if we are going to measure, we have to measure at EXACTLY the same place on each horse.
The discussion at the AMHA Meeting said the BOTW was a better place to measure because it was ‘bone’. So, that opened the door for discussion of bones. I’m not the one who started the vertebrae dialogue, the people promoting the BOTW are the ones who did that. I just followed the direction they started, and am asking for more specifics…which bone did THEY mean? If it’s a bone, then they should be able to define which one.
There is only ONE Last Hair of the Mane (LHOTM). It is a single point. We don’t measure a ½ inch either side of the hair and say, that’s close enough. There is only one highest point of the withers, mostly referred to as the Top of the Withers (TOTW) in these topics. The highest point is the highest point. It is a single point. It isn’t a place ½ inch either side of that single point. From my knowledge, the BOTW is a general area where the withers transition to the back. It is NOT a single point. Until we can define a ‘single’ point that can be EXACTLY located on every horse, then the ‘base of the withers’ is not a valid measuring point.
If veterinarians don’t agree where the withers end, then how can I say I know? But, if someone can tell me the EXACT location, the single point that is the specific Base of the Withers, not just the general area, then I am willing to learn.