Ridecamp: Re: [RC] Leg confirmation - Answer to Quiz

> My favorite story of picking or not picking horses by appearance is the
one
> Becky Hart tells.
>
> Becky was giving a clinic at Al Marah Farms.  The first day was class room
> and she went over the ideal characteristics of an endurance horse.
> The second day was hands-on and Becky had 12 horses available for the
> students to examine and pick the best endurance prospects including some
> gorgeous Al Marah Arabians.  The one horse nobody picked from the 12 was
> this slightly chunky 14h3 bay Arab, aka Rio whom Becky had put among the
> 12!
>
> BTW a closer examination of Rio does reveal he is very well put together.

Stagg, I really appreciate that story, and I have to add that in terms of
proportions, "Rio" is one of the best-balanced horses I've ever seen.  He
darn near approximates the classic "three-circle horse" and has the right
depth of body to fit his legs, etc.  The problem with how too many people
look at horses is that they get hung up on one trait or another, or a few
traits, and completely ignore the overall symmetry and balance of the horse.
And that is what REALLY counts, in virtually any endeavor that requires true
athleticism.  The secret to evaluating horses is to understand the actual
biomechanics of motion, and not simply breaking the horse down into a
collection of parts.  I've been around every horse on your list except for
Charbiel, and all of them are better-balanced than average, as are most of
the great ones.

Heidi


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