Re: RC: Old Wives Tales

[CMKSAGEHIL@aol.com]

In a message dated 3/30/00 10:52:39 AM Pacific Standard Time, 
guest@endurance.net writes:

<< It is an old wives tale that Arabs have less vertebraes
 or ribs than other breeds.  I am not sure who would ever
 have come up with such silliness as that.  When you look
 at it logically it makes no sense that Arabs would be 
 different than other breeds, and if they ARE different 
 then why do not some TBs have one less rib/vertebrae?  
 They did use the Arab in the creation the TB. >>

Well, a little truth, a little fiction.  There is a RANGE of number of 
ribs/thoracic vertebrae, from 16 to 19.  There is a tendency for Arabs to be 
in the lower end of the range, but it is not a cut-and-dried thing.  There 
are also more members of those breeds who carry Arab blood to be in the lower 
end of the range than there are of say, draft horses.  (Charlotte, are you 
out there?  You  had some numbers on this...)  Furthermore, the length of the 
back has to do not just with the numbers of vertebrae, but also with the 
actual shape of the bones.  Michael Jordan has similar numbers of bones to my 
5'2" brother--but the shapes and lengths of those bones are different...

Heidi