Re: Horses 16 hands and over doing endurance

["Susan Garlinghouse" <suendavid@worldnet.att.net>]

There is very little empirical data that has looked at height in endurance
horses---we started to measure it at Tevis during a three-year project but
had trouble getting consistent readings and abandoned that particular
parameter.  But as Becky pointed out, we did derive the conclusion that
total mass of horse plus rider contributed to increased incidence of
lameness as the mass increases.  Assuming a taller horse in good condition
is also a heavier horse, then it would follow that taller horses might be
more predisposed to lameness problems.  Possibly this wouldn't occur if the
conformation and cannon bone was of sufficient substance to overcome the
additional forces---but (also as Becky pointed out), we measured a very
narrow range of cannon bone circumference measurements, despite the wide
range in body sizes.  So if you were to try endurance on a tall horse, I
would strongly advise using a horse with the substance to carry the weight.
Having said that, I have two youngsters sired by Karahty (a purebred arab)
and out of my old TB eventing mare.  The older gelding has a cannon bone
circumference well above the average for the "successful" horses we measured
at Tevis, so with careful conditioning, I'm hoping for very good things with
him (and his baby sister Her Royal Empress)<g>

Earlier this month at Swanton, we did get good height measurements along
with foot size, cannon circumferences, weights and serial blood samples. And
there were horses of all sizes there---so I'll let you know if we analyze
anything particularly interesting about the horse heights there.

susan g


----- Original Message -----
From: Karen Webb <kwebb@GSSB.com>
To: <ridecamp@endurance.net>
Sent: Thursday, August 24, 2000 9:49 AM
Subject: RC: Horses 16 hands and over doing endurance


> Okay folks, I posted a query yesterday about doing endurance on tall
> half-Arabians.  By tall, I mean 16 hands and over.  I only got one reply.
> Surely I can get more input than that?  Don't any of you have some big
> horses?  And what I want to know is do they do well?  I noted that a 16.2
> hand half Arabian came in 65th at Tevis and Ruby, the 17 hand molly Mule,
> came in Top Ten.  Am just wondering if height is a drawback, especially
when
> it comes to P&R's, since you would collaterally have more mass; or it
could
> be a plus especially for a taller rider.  Since the two mares I have are
> both half-Thoroughbred, when crossed with my Arabian stallion, that would
> hopefully produce a tall half Arabian with increased bone and good
stamina?
> Any thoughts.
>
> -Karen Webb
> Epiphany Arabians
> Palmetto, GA
>
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