Shoulder Up

Television is going to be the ruin of us all. It communicates to us too clearly, too blatantly, too rapidly. It teaches us horrible horrible habits, and encourages us to overlook subtlety.

Compared to a toy commercial on Nickelodeon, horse conformation is about as subtle as you can get. You have to analyze, think, apply... and horse conformation is not blatant. It takes training and time to recognize specific traits, and picture from the image of a stationary horse how they will likely look in motion.

I have to remind myself of these things because the difference between these guys' shoulders:




















And these guys' shoulders:





















just doesn't scream at me.

But I believe the difference is there. All of these guys have reasonably sloped shoulders with a good length to them. I believe that the first two, however, have steeper shoulders than the second two. I'm still struggling to be sure of this.

The first set of horses are English Pleasure champions, and I think the few degrees difference between their shoulder angles and the other horse's shoulder angles affect this discipline. The slightly steeper shoulder encourages a higher knee action that is especially noticeable when the horse is moving at a strong trot. And now, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the second set of horses could be taught to lift their knees just as high (in other words, their conformation does not prohibit it), but a long smooth stride would come to this second set much more naturally.

So you'd choose something like dressage or hunter for the second pair. Because when teaching a horse how to move his body is already so difficult, why not just use them as their body suggests?

Now, if I could train my eye to distinguish between a horse that would have a good hunter trot, and a horse that would have a good dressage trot (from a standing snapshot), I'd consider myself quite the pro. *Sighhhh*... maybe in a decade or so.

Don Quixote At Large

Apparently, I was not as interested in starting this blog as my initial caffeine-induce enthusiasm would have suggested. I pretty much substitute my desire to write anything here by reading other horse-y blogs. Everyone else is already saying it so well!

But today, I have an itch.

I am a frequent reader of the FHoTD blog, and my itch began with blogs like this one. Particularly, I'm talking about the brilliant owner of the Akhal-Teke who, hopes that "decades from now...[she] will be remembered as the pioneers of a whole new line of sport horses, talented, and prize winning in both the hunter and dressage arenas!" Naturally, she is referring to how crossing an Akhal-Teke:



















with a Quarter Horse:


















is going to revolutionize the modern sport horse.

What I envision from this cross is an animal with toothpick bones and Arnold Schwarzenager muscles. Yet the breeder proposes that she will be celebrated for this cross! I propose that she could have helped inspire Don Quixote.

Let's review:
1)
Don Quixote was steadfast in his delusions of grandeur.
This woman is steadfast in her hope to taste immortality by breeding the next big thing in dressage: An Akhal-Teke/AQH mix.

2)
Don Quixote rode a fugly-ass nag whom he--seriously--referred to as a Noble Steed.
This woman looks at the Holsteiner and--seriously--says, "I can breed a horse that will blow that one out of the water!"

3)
Don Quixote went galavanting about the country side with a chamber pot on his head.
This woman is galavanting about the country telling people that Akhal-Teke/QH mixes will be excellent sport horses.

4)
To return to point 1: Numerous pieces of incontrovertible evidence to the contrary, Don Quixote maintained to the very end that he was a True Knight.
So will this woman continue to breed a species of "sport horse" that the world neither wants or needs.


Reading the FHoTD blog has made me realize that there are hundreds of people just like this woman. But she takes the cake because she comes right out and says it,
"I am motivated by dreams of grandeur."
To be sure, there are far worse breeding programs to be found on FHoTD. Far, far worse. And there are Plenty of breeders out there who maintain the delusion that their Fresian/Tennessee Walker cross is going to make them a Millionaire. In many ways they, too, are Quixotic.

They simply fail to capture the spirit of Quixote so well as the woman who believes she is making a major contribution to humanity for having thought up the Akhal-Teke/QH cross.

Which barn would you choose?

So my dad was looking at a barn for my little sister to get riding lessons at. I happened to be in town so, Of Course, I was interested.

Here's the barn he was thinking about. The number one reason he liked it: there's a community of little kids riding there so my sister could make some riding buddies. All right, OK. Well, that lesson pic didn't sell me (seriously, why even put up a picture of your lessons if it's just 10 kids sitting all slack in the center of the ring? It's just UGLY). Since the description on the lesson page didn't tell me much, I thought I'd look to the kinds of horses they have to give me a clue about their "horse philosophy." That told me all I needed to know because, naturally, they have a palomino stud standing at their barn.

Take a second to look at that horse.

He's UGLY!!! Oh my. That is one downhill should-be-gelding with back legs 1 mile long. And I thought Cheeto's back legs were on the long side! This guy's hind legs belong to a horse that's an entire hand taller than he is. The entire barn immediately drops to unworthy status in my mind. Their choice of stallion tells me their claim to being "horse experts" is that they own them. Probably have for a while. Not impressive. Incidentally, I know some disciplines favor a slightly downhill build, but there is no way they could favor this stallion's hill. I could go sledding on it.

So, now I need to convince my dad to take little sis to a different barn. Because I love my sister and don't want her to go to Frankenstein's Stable. In steps Google maps (oh, how I love you Google maps, you make things so much less tedious). Type in "[zip code] horse" and up pops all the horse-y related centers within a 50 mile radius of my dad's house. I find this barn.

OK, they paid a pro photographer, made sure to set up their arena all nice and pretty, AND put up a (somewhat blurry) picture of a properly attired girl sitting correctly on her pony. This barn looks to run itself much more efficiently than the first one already. But, just for comparison's sake, I look at their sale page (they don't have a stallion page).

Pretty horse that I wouldn't mind riding or even owning. Incidentally, he'd definitely make for one unhappy sledding experience:

Oh, and did I mention that the cost of lessons is the same? Hmmm, wonder where I'd rather spend my money.

Fortunately for my little sister, my dad has agreed with me.

The opinion is rooting itself in me that a technical study of horse conformation is infinitely easier for you Geometry people out there. You know how in high school math people who excel in geometry frequently struggle in algebra? and vice-versa? Well, I hated freaking geometry. I have a college degree in mathematics, and I still can't consistently come back with the correct surface area and volume of a prism. Geometry bores me to tears.

I can't tell you how far out of my element I feel when trying to simultaneously visualize the different angles of a horse's bones! It's frustrating. I want to be able to do it, but the little interesting hooks that we rely on to learn new material are not snagging my attention. My brain slides off of this material the way oil slides over water. I'm impressed with you, Geometry person, I wish you could lend me some visual insight into the geometry of flesh on bone.

It was incredibly misguided for me to think that I would enjoy analyzing something so fundamentally geometric as skeletons. Anyway, at least there's more to it than that. And I'll be damned if I don't learn this stuff one way or another.

So here's the endeavor that brought me to my current frustrations. I suspect from this picture that Cheeto is at least mildly calf-kneed. I was trying to determine degree. I gave up on that. I feel a slight security in saying "Cheeto is calf-kneed," but I can't add a qualifier. He is splay-footed. And that is mild.

As for the neck, I completely gave up envisioning how that thing looks under all the flesh. In the second picture, the blue line represents approximately where Cheeto's spine should be. The red line indicates where his spine IS if his neck connects to his body in any kind of logical way at all. WTF?? I know that's not where his spine is. Oh! Oh! Ray of light! His head is lower than normal, and his neck is S-ing down. That's it, isn't it? It surely must be. At any rate, I suspect a slight ewe neck. I gather this from looking at the first picture, and trying to connect the neck to the spine. The neck looks to connect to the spine at a lower point than a horizontal line drawn forward from just below the hip. This makes me think it must dip down between the shoulder blades. But I can look at his topline and know that it's not a gawdawful ewe neck. Just, looking at the second picture, my first inclincation is to say that his neck is the perfect shape. That can't be, can it? It's so damn confusing. It would be awesome if I could see an x-ray of Cheeto.

Worry no more

Having had a day to reflect on the idea that Cheeto was coon-footed, I remembered that the last farrier complained that his heel was too low. I'm no farrying (how the hell would you spell that??) expert, but I think a low heel could contribute a lot to breaking the angle between hoof and pastern. Sooo, I can stop worrying about how Cheeto will have to retire at the grand old age of 5.

Let's take a stab at measuring Cheeto's shoulder angle, shall we?
The pic is crooked as hell, and since we're measuring the shoulder angle against the ground, I had to draw a line (fuschia) to represent the ground. The blue line is Cheeto's shoulder angle, I think. I added the vertical fuschia line as a point of reference, so you can see Cheeto's shoulder angle inside of a right angle. Looking at that, I guesstimate his shoulder has an angle of 60 degrees with the ground.

The lime green line is what I wish his shoulder looked like. But, I guess then he wouldn't be Cheeto anymore.

Shoulder angle confuses me b/c there are like 4 different ways you can measure it, and they all give back different angles. Whatever the case, I know that Cheeto has a more upright shoulder than is desirable. But just how undesirable his shoulder is, I can't say.

It also looks like it could stand to be a bit longer. Why is a long shoulder desirable? More room for muscle? Bigger shoulder? More torque? (Does "more torque" even make sense?)

Oh! And I learned that a horse's hocks should be level with the chestnuts of the forelegs. I was wondering b/c I was walking around looking, and thinking "Man, every horse is deformed!" So I reassessed my premise: hocks should be level with knees? No!

New Worries

Cheeto was a free horse. Family friends got a divorce. Horse breeders who couldn't sell their stock, and so resorted to giving them away. The name of their barn was "Painted Arabians," and I don't suspect that they put any real thought into anything about their breeding program except that name.

I'm cursing Painted Arabians today because I don't like the latest piece of info I've gathered from Cheeto's bones. I think he's coon-footed:


You can see from this pic, that I'm not sure exactly which two angles I'm comparing. Regardless, it is clear that the angle of Cheeto's pastern does not connect smoothly into the angle of his foot as it should. Perhaps Cheeto is standing awkwardly in the one pic?

No, of course he's not. Plus, I've been watching him at the trot, and thinking "Jeez, his pasterns sink so low." Especially when he had the bell boots on the other day. I was afraid they would actually hurt him because his pasterns kept sinking into them.

Well... at least the severity changes between the two pics. So it may not be so grim as the first picture makes me think. I don't know anything about being coon-footed. I've read that it can make a horse anything from unrideable to for-pleasure-only. But it seems like a pretty serious conformation fault, and one that I should take seriously. I'd like a farrier's take on it. I have questions for said farrier:
Is he really coon-footed? Is it safe to ride? ...

Cheeto's got the typical coon-footed gait. Smooth, smooth, smooth. Coon-foot, slightly long back... if he can stay sound, he'll ride smoother than a Hummer on fresh blacktop.

Coat-Tail Rider

Annnnd, I just saw that the FHOTD blog that I follow actually has a post called "Conformation 101."

Probably would've named this blog something else if I'd known that.

Anyway, she's knowledgeable, so I'd like to know what she says: Conformation 101.

Exercising

What prevents me from posting more, I decided, is that I am loathe to load pictures. I'll work on that, though, as they really do improve the blog-maintaining experience.

Anyway, Cheeto was a handsome man last night. We finally got a real english bridle (no more clunky western bridle with dirty, nylon halter serving for a cavesson for us), polo wraps, and bell boots. Cheeto is particularly grateful for the last two because he has such dramatic hind end action that he's always click-clacking away at the trot. And I frequently find knicks on his front canons from those overactive hind feet. It's amazing how much more professional a horse looks in the right tack. I would like to say that Cheeto himself knew the difference. He certainly strutted his stuff for all he was worth, and even started moving in a collected frame of his own volition.

Anyway, further conclusions about his conformation. His shoulder angle (and I really have a hell of a time measuring shoulder angle) must be steep because the reach of his front end does not even approach that of his back end. I watch him on the lunge, and am struck with a craving to see him lighten up in front. I want his front legs to become elastic, and stretch forward for that extra 6 inches, but they won't. His hind end draws all the attention instead. And it's pretty. Up to a point.

Cheeto's hind action brings us to an impossible piece of conformation for me: Is Cheeto sickle-hocked? Or is Cheeto just downhill from hocks to knees? I'm pretty sure I've ruled out being camped-out, but for a while that one was further confusing the mix. His hindlegs look to have a freer range of motion than most horses. Anyway, I don't know how to answer this question. It seems to me that a horse with high hocks could sometimes stand in a way that suggested he was sickle-hocked, and sometimes stand perfectly normal. I've seen Cheeto look comfortable standing both ways. I'm sure this is a problem of over-thinking, but I'm having a heck of a time breaking out of that circle. How can one be certain?

Whatever the verdict, Cheeto travels heavy on the forehand at the trot, and I would love to get him to relax his back. That sounds like a step in the right direction, don't you think? Being part Saddlebred, however, and 100% excitable, Cheeto prefers to trot around with a damn giraffe neck and a back tight enough to be a chopping block.

Little Cheets

Cheeto's a good horse, but I, for one, am not very impressed with his looks. This makes me sad because I have to sell him, and the better he looks, the more likely it is that a knowledgeable horseperson will snatch him up. But anyway, his color will make him flashy in the HA show ring, and his conformation is good enough that he can stay sound if that's his job.

What we've got:
He's got a robin's chest, which significantly cuts into his ability to expand his lungs (however, he's not completely screwed over for stamina, as we'll see later). He's splay-footed, which means that way too much concussion is going to travel up the insides of his dainty little legs coming off a jump. He's also tied in behind the knee (can't see in pic), and I still need to measure his cannons. What is it supposed to be, like 7 inches per 1,000 pounds? Anyway, those little tendons were never meant to bear up under intense strain. So right away, we have a front end that screams, "No strenuous jumping, Please!!" (Also, "Petite riders, Please!!") I'm not saying that I think a few 2 foot jumps a week would cause him to break down. A professional jumping career probably would.


Cheeto looks like he might be a bit long-backed. Indeed, when you measure his shoulder, middle, and quarter, his shoulder and quarter match up, while his middle is about 6 inches longer. I really don't know if that's usually considered a significant difference. What I do know is that Cheeto has very well sprung ribs that extend well back towards his quarters. This not only helps to make up for the stamina he loses with his robin's chest (perhaps more than makes up for?), but it also allows for the possibility that he will have a strong loin (Is that because there is more space available for muscle attachments to bone in his coupling?).


There are actually only three fingers space between Cheeto's last rib and the point of his hip. That's pretty damn decent. But in these pics it looks like the point of his croup is behind the point of his hip (I was sure they were level, so I'll have to look). That's bad as it does make his loin longer, and thus weaker. Also, from the pic above, I was worried about a slight roach back. Not the case. That swelling is muscle, and the spine there is flat. The Horse Conformation Handbook assures me that this "swollen" muscle is a good thing.

Cheeto

All right. So I was hoping to get some better pictures, but these will have to do. For now at least.

Meet Cheeto.

He's a 5 yo Pinto Arabian gelding. His mother was full Arab and his dad was 1/4 Arab and 3/4 Saddlebred. Cheeto's not quite full grown, but he's old enough so that I can make confident assessments of his conformation. Cheeto is being trained to show in Half-Arabian Hunter Pleasure, and will hopefully kick off his career in the next year or two. The grey blob in the background is my husband. He might be in a lot of these.
Before we start, what Cheeto's got: intelligence/the ability to learn, willingness to trust, willingness to perform. Fundamental things, and he scores near perfect on all three counts. What he doesn't have: ideal conformation. But I think he can be worked with and have a happy life as a show horse.

Tell me this isn't frickin cool:

Excerpt from The Horse Conformation Handbook (p175):

"The horse's hoof is his second heart. Hoof expansion and contraction with each stride not only dissipates concussion but helps push the blood back up the leg. In the rest of the body, muscle activity helps the circulatory system return blood to the heart, but the horse has no muscles in his lower legs. Each time the horse puts weight on the foot, the pressure helps force blood out of the foot and up the leg veins. When the foot is lifted, the release of pressure allows new blood to flow into the foot."

Horses are so cool! Their hooves pump blood through their legs. What a novel idea.

Horse pictures still to come.

Statement of Intent

M'kay, so this is my plan. I'd like to take contributions from fellow bloggers who would like to have their horse's conformation evaluated.

Starting with the horse that I'm currently training, I'll regularly post pictures of a horse and analyze their conformation from head to toe: Head and Neck, The Teeth, The Hooves, The Chest, The Back, The Forelegs, The Hindquarters. Then I'll compare body angles, look for overall balance, and finally try to sum up the strengths and weaknesses.

This is a very ambitious task because, well, I'm a novice. I've read The Horse Conformation Handbook, and haven't taken much time to apply what I learned. So this next part is key: I want there to be a discussion about each horse. I want people to post their analysis of the horse's conformation. Contradict me if I'm dead wrong about what it means for a horse to have a goose rump. I'd honestly like to know. This blog is not intended to be a substitute for good, solid, professional advice about your horse's conformation. It is intended to help a few interested parties learn about a very important aspect of horsemanship.

Really, if I can just find a few people who share a common interest in educating themselves about horse conformation, this blog will be a complete success.

I'll try to get the pictures of my little Pintabian gelding up by the end of this week. If you read this, and want to send in pictures of your horse, just let me know!

Laying the Groundwork

Because your role in your relationship with your horse is The Leader, her well-being is squarely your responsibility. The un-abused domestic horse will readily accept this arrangement, and will be utterly dependent on you to keep them healthy and happy. It's a big deal, this total responsibility for another life. You owe it to your horse to educate yourself about her species. 'Cause she ain't human. You need to understand and respect her as an emotional, mental, and physical creature that is not human. But I'm not about to go into horse psychology here. We'll stick to the physical in this blog.

A gigantic part of keeping a horse safe and sound is understanding their particular conformation. It is irresponsible at best, and fatal at worst to demand strenuous tasks of your horse while knowing nothing about their conformation.

The way a horse is put together will determine how they move, how well their body can hold up to physical strain, and consequently how sound they are likely to remain throughout their career as your mount. Conformation is a fundamental piece of horsemanship that too few people (and frighteningly few breeders) have a working knowledge of. To the detriment of horses everywhere.

On that note, if you're a horse person who can't say why a short loin is desirable, and would think I was crazy if I asked if your horse made a nice trapezoid, take a few hours to get yourself up to speed! I promise that it will be time well spent. I recommend The Horse Conformation Handbook by Heather Thomas, but even the internet will do if it must!