js1arab said:
That it seems some of the best performance horses actually have minor conformation faults. I have always found this amusing. We all try so hard to breed a horse for what we consider to be "perfect" conformation.
...I've also noticed in the Arabs, Morgans and Saddlebreds, the best English moving horses are slightly cow hocked like Verticle said. I guess my point in this post is -other than to point out an obsevation I've made through the years - is that if you have a horse that doesn't always place so well in halter, don't write them off because they may be the next driving champion!
Also, I sure am glad we people don't have to stand up to conformation tess. I'd be picked dead last as I have a terrible way of wearing my shoes down on one side. Actually, I don't know a lot of people that are truly "straight legged" LOL
I've said it before and I'll say it again: the conformational outline that each breed has accepted as "ideal" is not the only one that works! If my horse's only "fault" is that he doesn't have a table-top croup and he's got too much muscle for today's refined halter horses, you bet I'm going to snicker if someone tells me he's not good for anything. Are you kidding?!
I wouldn't want to be driving one of those truly twiggy little ones with no leg bone in a marathon, that's for sure. (No, I'm not flaming halter horses.
) Give me my cowhocked, good shouldered, sturdy little fella anyday. That's the problem with judging only for an outline- people start forgetting to pay any consideration to what each of those parts DOES and only look for "the picture" regardless of whether that picture is put together to do what you want it to.
On cowhocks- TRUE cowhocks, according to Deb Bennett, have stifles that face straight forward, hocks that point inward and toes that point out. This gives his muscular quarters a narrow or pinched look, i.e. a line between his stifles would be too short. His toes point out more than his stifles, and he will stand with his cannon bones non-parallel (diverging). A horse with this fault carries his weight on the inside edges of his hind hooves. (I have a great picture which shows what she means, I'll scan it tonight when I get home.) That said, the
normal and
desirable condition of the equine hind limb from an anatomical standpoint is parallel cannon bones with the toes pointing out to the same degree as the stifle! This doesn't mean with no distance between them, not at all, but have you ever watched a horse move from behind? They move those hind legs by rolling the stifle to the outside and clear of their rib cage and as the leg moves back again it comes back into straightness. A horse whose legs are straight to begin with suffers from wobble during thrust and is more prone to injury. Another place where "text book perfect," isn't. (Again, as someone else said, you can
set up a correct horse to look like their hind legs are straight. That's fine. It's only if the horse really stands that way that you have problems.)
People conformation...yeah, I won't go there this morning! LOL. One reason I hate to see a sweet or good horse written off because it happened to be born in a body that isn't what the showring wants. Not its fault!
Marsha Cassada said:
What would a "camped behind" hind end do in driving? Would there be a special way to trim for this, such as being sure to keep toes short? Would keeping heels short cause stress on the ligaments? Just looking at the hoof flat might not lead to correct trim.
I don't know how to answer your trimming question, but camped out behind is basically overangulation according to "Principles of Conformation Analysis." Too much bone length trying to fit between the back and the ground! She classifies it as a "primitive" condition, not a harmful one. A high degree of it however, not a folded up Z in the butt but totally ziggy legs, will predispose the horse to bony and ligamentous pathologies of the back of the hock (spavins, etc.) and to stifle strain. It's bad for jumping as the horse is putting too much strain on a weak part of their body. This is one of those areas I suspect can get really confusing as different degrees combined with other conformation factors causes totally different results in an individual. I still haven't figured my own horse out! I'm settling for dealing with what I have right now and I'll figure out the why's of how he moves later.
Leia
