Re: RC: Bone???

[Truman Prevatt <tprevatt@mindspring.com>]

I remember seeing an article on bone density, bone response to exercise,
etc., some years ago. My vet gave me a copy when we were treating one of
our young horses for a broken bone. It basically said that no particular
breed has "denser bone" - that like many old wives tales Arabs having denser
bone is one. It also went on to say that the bone is always reforming -
that's how broken bones heal - and this refromation is a response to stress.
So bones will reform with exercise. Of course this is a limit to this defined
by genetic potential - but if a horse has smaller than desired bone then
define and execute an exercise program to build the bone.

There is another issue here which gets overlooked many times - that is how the horse moves. You will see many gaited horses with small bone. One the other hand the way they move puts less stresses on the bones than the way a "big moving dressage horse" moves - hence even though small it may be completely adaquate. So I would suspect a big moving, high hang time horse will need more bone (and probably have more bone) than his low moving daisy clipper.   You need to look at the whole package.

All other things being equal, I'd take the horse with the biggest bone. However, all other things are never equal.

Truman

DVeritas@aol.com wrote:

>  
>     Bearing
> weight efficiently, without a degradation to the horse and its
> future, is more than just
> "good bone".
>    It is a product
> of conformation, proper conditioning/training
> (locomotion) and proper
> application of that conditioning/training(locomotion)
> during endurance events.
>    Some folks
> say that cannon bones starting at 7 1/2 inches and bigger are
> needed to "do endurance".
>     Could
> be the "rule"...but a gifted, well-conformed and
> conditioned/trained horse
> can be the exception should their cannon bones be,
> say, 7 1/4 AND they have
> clean, hard and injury-free tendons and are ridden
> properly.
>     I'm sorry
> your first two "endurance prospects" did not work
> out...perhaps the next one
> will be the one.
>     I would
> just say, look at the WHOLE horse, conformation, disposition,
> attitude to things new,
> and determine whether you LIKE the horse, not just
> whether you think the horse
> will "do endurance".
>     
> Being an "endurance horse" (in my estimation) is what the horse does,
> being a horse FIRST is
> where it all starts.
>      
> Good Luck,
>        
> Frank.
>  
>