stifle conformation

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crponies

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Ok, I know the stifle is the source of a lot of problems if it is not put together correctly. I have not had much luck finding a good description of exactly what to look for in stifles though. Could someone please explain and/or show with a picture what a good stifle is?
 
One of the biggest problems that minis have is being too straight in the stifle. When they stand, the stifle doesn't angle back, it's more up-and-down (post legged).

Wish I had a picture to show for you, but I don't think we can post pics of horses we don't own.

Andrea
 
Well, I am absolutely LOUSY at writing a description of what a good stifle looks like. I can post this photo to show a good stifle. This mare has the best stifle I've seen yet on any Mini--I always say that if all Minis had a stifle like hers there wouldn't be a locking stifle problem in the breed.

Scarlet04_1_4x6.jpg
 
Just got my guy done with the stifle surgery. But I don't have a pic of him close up and my camera is broke. He's the little guy in my avatar.
 
That mare is gorgeous and I love her butt! I hope you don't mind if I borrow your picture to mark on it. Is this the angle you are looking for then? I'm not sure I drew those lines exactly right.

stiflemarked.jpg
 
Thank you!

Yes, that's the angle, though I don't think your lines are drawn just quite right--that is the angle we refer to when we are talking about well angled stifles and stifles that are too straight.
 
since we're talking stiffles, how does one know when we are looking at a young colt/filly to buy, if it has the "stiffle lock problem"? Also, I hear people talk about "loose stiffles". How do I spot that when looking at young horses for sale?

Thanks!
 
Generally if you work them lunging in a circle, you'll be able to tell. They don't run as smooth and start to have locking problems. My guy was bought knowing it, but exercise fixed it for a while.

Also, with foals, some will grow out of it. So don't be too quick to judge until they areat least 3.
 
actually, if you evaluate the stifle conformation carefully you can pretty much pick out a horse, even a foal, that isn't likely to have a stifle problem.

Just watching the horse move isn't going to tell you a whole lot if you don't know what good stifle conformation looks like. You can have a horse with a weak stifle that doesn't lock up the day you look at him--perhaps the seller knows the horse has a problem and has carefully conditioned the horse to minimize the problem...so you aren't likely to see anything wrong with the movement when you look at the horse. But, you take him home and he stands around for a couple weeks and then starts locking up...or if it is a foal you buy him today and then a growth spurt two weeks from now has him locking up. Yes, growth spurts can cause a horse to lock up, but generally speaking those horses that have issues during growth spurts do have some flaw in their stifle conformation to begin with. A horse that has a good stifle almost certainly isn't going to lock up no matter how fast he grows.
 
If a horse has a shallow hip it will then be more likely to have a straighter stifle, right? There just isn't room for that good angle to be there I am thinking.
 

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