endurance horse conformation / was Akhal tekes

["Becky Huffman" <tos@htcomp.net>]

I can't speak about ATs as I've never seen one in person, much less worked
with them, but I have started reading a book by Hilary Clayton called
"Conditioning Sport Horses".

She made a couple of points that I thought were interesting: (this is my
understanding of what I read, paraphrased in my words) one, that the
respiratory system was, basically, the limiting factor in a performance
horse, as it is the one system that doesn't respond a great deal to
conditioning. ,and that the main limitations were restrictions of intake
(narrow/small nostrils, small/narrow throatlatch) and the amount of
turbulence caused by the bends in the air passage (upright carriage).

She also talks about the "visceral piston" (guts; she est 30% of
bodyweight).  She explains how this works at the trot and lope to "pump" the
respiratory system, decreasing the amount or work required to breath and
thereby increasing the efficiency of the horse.

so based on the first two chapters of her book, I would look for a horse
with huge nostrils and air passages, correct (working) angles in how the
head and neck tie in, and a large gut. - large gut would need a large
ribcage...

Becky Huffman, Cleburne, Texas
Huffman's Arabians ~ The Original Series ~
http://www.htcomp.net/Huffman/

"Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.  The Great Oz has spoken."
The Wizard of Oz


----- Original Message ----- From: <guest@endurance.net>To:
<ridecamp@endurance.net>Sent: Wednesday, July 11, 2001 9:44 AMSubject: RC:
Akhal tekes > Lysane lysanec@yahoo.ca> I am looking into Akhal Teke horses
myself. I have > some info. from the web which describes the conformation >
of this type of> horse as having a long, slender neck, long back,> narrow
chest, flat ribs. I am interested in these horses myself for> endurance> but
isn't this description of conformation the> complete opposite of the average
endurance Arabian> horse, which is usually looked to as an "ideal", - what>
I mean is the short back, well-sprung ribs, lots of room for lungs,>
etc....> Lysane
>