Horse Evaluation Flashcards
What are the 5 points of horse evaluation?
-Planned use (performance, pleasure, breeding?)
-Behavioral characteristics
-physical characteristics (health, color, movement, conformation?)
-genetic characteristics (pedigree, production records)
-cost
How does planned use affect your priorities for selection?
-athleticism vs temperament?
-beginner vs advanced?
-pleasure vs. competition?
How does planned use affect your breed selection?
-work horse vs. stock horse vs. sport horse
How have breeds/types been developed?
to have physical characteristics consistent with their primary intended use (size, muscling, overall shape/proportions, speed, strength, endurance, agility)
“Ideal” for one breed/type =
different than another breed/type
“Ideal” characteristics can vary from breed to breed but…
we can use similar techniques to evaluate those characteristics
Lameness
an irregularity in an individual horse’s normal gait that often involves the limbs and is often associated with pain
What do we need to know to identify lameness?
what the horse’s normal gait is
Gait defect (fault)
A deviation in limb movement from the ideal which may or may not be associated with pain and can be normal for a particular horse (horses can develop these because of lameness to avoid pain)
To identify gait defects what do we need to know first?
the “ideal” for the type/breed of horse we are evaluating
Examples of gait defects:
a horse may move their limbs to the outside in their individual movements
Unsoundness
a characteristic that impairs the ability of a horse to fulfill a specific purpose
What do we need to know to determine if a horse is unsound?
the horse’s purpose
Examples of unsoundness
-blindness
-old tendon injury
-asthma
-reproductive issues
-a filly injured on the track that heals cannot race again but she can be sound enough for breeding
Conformation
close study of the form of the horse (con = to study; formation = giving form or shape to something)
Conformation defect (fault)
a deviation from the “ideal”
To be able to identify conformation defects what do we need to know?
the “ideal” for the type of horse we are evaluating
Examples of conformation defects:
saddlebreds should have a very upright neck, if they have a low or straight neck it is a conformational defect
Blemish
a characteristic that affects the appearance of the horse but not its ability to function or fulfill a purpose
Examples of blemishes:
-scars
-eye problems (that don’t effect vision)
-sometimes hearing problems
-brands sometimes
Is conformation evaluation all about the legs?
No! the legs only function because of whats above them, the body is just as important as the legs
Conformation characteristics
-symmetry
-structure
-balance
-height, breadth, muscling, quality (sex)
-breed characteristics
Dynamic symmetry
in motion, symmetry of limbs, body position
Examples of dynamic symmetry
do the left and right move together/in the same way?
Static symmetry
relationship of left and right
-are they mirror images of each other?
What are the best gaits to evaluate symmetry in?
walk and trot (symmetrical gaits)
How to observe dynamic symmetry
-are legs taking the same step length?
-are legs lifting off the ground to the same height?
-are legs stretching forward the same distance?
How to observe static symmetry
from the front:
-ears
-eyes
-notrils
-muzzle
-chest/muscling
-forearms/muscling
-knees
-cannons
-ankles
-pasterns
-hooves
from behind:
-hips
-stifles/muscling
-hocks
-tail
What could a lack of dynamic symmetry do?
-may affect performance
-may indicate lameness (sudden loss of symmetry)
What could lack of static symmetry do?
may affect dynamic symmetry
What is structure?
angle, alignment, length
What does structure affect?
-dynamic balance
-dynamic symmetry
-stride length
-power and efficiency
-force distribution within the body and limbs
What makes up structure?
where the skeletal parts are in the horse
-angle
-alignment
-length
of bones
How do we observe structure?
from the side, front, and rear
Describing words for structure of the torso:
-deep
-good
-bad
-sloped
Shoulder structure
scapula and humerus
-where the scapula joins with the humerus and where the humerus ends in the forearm
Shoulder length
the length of the scapula (top of scapula to where the scapula joins the humerus)
Deep shoulder
the humerus joining the leg to the top of the shoulder
Comparing the shoulder between young and old horses:
it is hard to do because the shoulder gets longer as they grow older
Shoulder slope
-ideal angle is 45 degrees
-length of scapula joins a line parallel to the ground at a 45 degree angle at the point of the chest
More upright (straighter) shoulder
bigger angle
More sloping shoulder
smaller angle/ gentler slope
Shoulder angle
angle between the scapula and the humerus (open/large angle vs. closed/smaller angle)
Pigeon chested
leg is set slightly back from the chest
What is the ideal shoulder for a saddlebred?
very sloped shoulder because they pick their legs up so high (easier to get vertical to the ground)
What type of shoulder would jumping horses need?
a sloped shoulder to get their legs up and out of the way
A long sloping shoulder with an open angle gives the horse what type of movement?
a longer stride and more freedom of movement
A straighter shoulder gives horses what type of movement?
shorter stride (good for barrel racing and pole bending)
How does a sloped shoulder influence the neck set?
a higher set neck
How does a straighter shoulder influence the neck set?
a lower set neck
Length of the hip
from the point of the hip to the end of the pelvis
What does a longer hip mean?
more are for muscles (more muscles = more power)
Slope of the hip
the slope of the line from the point of the hip to the end of the pelvis
Flatter hip
hip length is closer to parallel to the ground
Steeper hip
hip length is pointing more down towards the ground (better for broodmares)
Angle of the hip
angle between the pelvis and where the femur articulates with it
What does the angle and structure of the hip affect?
the placement and reach of the hindlimb (where the power comes from)
What does the position of the pelvis and femur affect?
the ability of the horse to engage the hind end
The front end is lifted by the…
rear!
What is the only thing supporting the front end of the horse to the hind end?
the lumbar vertebrae
The back is what to the horse?
the bridge and transmits the lifting action
A long back is…
unsupported
A short back is…
ideal (unless too short) because there is less area that is unsupported
Length of back
from the withers to the point of the hip
A line from the shoulder joint to the front of the hoof should be…
perpendicular to the ground
-lower forelimb is aligned underneath the scapula with the radius and cannon mostly perpendicular to the ground
Camped under
when the front legs are set slightly back from the perpendicular line straight to the ground
What does a long forearm allow?
reach
What does a short cannon bone allow?
it is strong and allows low foot flight (less effort)
What is the length desire of the front legs for horses?
a long forearm and a short cannon
When is the front leg the strongest?
when the radius, carpus, cannon, and fetlock are aligned for more even force distribution
What distributes forces more evenly in the front leg?
a flat cannon, knee, and radius
A speed/big jumps what may happen to the knee
it may be hyper-extended
What is the role of the pastern and fetlock?
drop down to absorb concussion and then spring back
Back pasterns are what compared to front pasterns?
a bit more upright
