Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

On Tue, 8 Jun 2004 15:22:39 -0400, A. Perez <walkergirl@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>   In the thread about 'no-name breedings' a comment was made
> about hips as the horses 'motor' (I forget who made the
> posting).  What is the 'ideal' proportion between the length of
> hip vs length of the back?  Can anyone point to a photo of horse
> or horses illustrating this ideal?  Also, is this apparent in
> foals/young horses or does the proportion change/develop with
> age?
The difficulty with evaluating foals and young horses is that they
often grow unevenly: one week they're hip high, the next they're
uphill but the hip is short and the shoulders are steep, two months
later they have a shoulder angle to die for and the hip looks fine,
and so on and so forth.  I just hope I like what I get when the music
stops. :-)

One of these days I'm going to make a printout of this picture and
actually draw the circles, but in the mean time I'll stick my neck out
and point at the picture at the top of
http://ambararabians.com/stallions/

The comparison to make isn't really the hip vs. the back, but the hip
vs. the shoulder.  I'm taking the liberty of reposting a recent
message of Heidi's to another list, discussing this very topic.

-- Ambar

From: <heidi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: May 24, 2004 7:24:50 AM PDT
To: <ArabianPreservation@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

Perhaps others can point out specific websites, but Í'd suggest that the
first step here is to become familiar with equine skeletal structure so
that you fully understand what it is you are trying to measure.  It is
difficult to look at pictures with dots on them "defining" points from
which to measure unless you first grasp what the bony structure underneath
looks like.

I'd also add that the "three-circle" concept is a means of assessing
balanced conformation in ANY breed, not just Arabians!  Good conformation
is universal.  One can put different aspects of breed type into the mix,
but the balance itself is essential to any endeavor, whether one is
sprinting to the finish line, cutting a cow, pulling a load, jumping a
fence, or whatever.

Additionally, the "three-circle" thing is not as easy to "measure" IMO as
it is to visualize.  And again, one has to be able first to understand
what actual structures make up the entire forelimb assembly, the barrel,
and the hindlimb assembly, and the actual "points" can be in somewhat
differing locations as one goes from horse to horse.
Basically, the three circles consist of the shoulder area of the forelimb
assembly, with all of its associated bones and musculature, the barrel and
back, and the pelvic/hip/femur area of the hindlimb assembly.

You can pretty well define the shoulder assembly by the upper edge of the
shoulderblade and the associated muscling that comes off of it to the
elbow as being the hindmost aspect and the shoulder joint and forechest as
the frontmost aspect.  The top of the shoulderblade is also the uppermost
aspect, while the elbow joint is the lowermost aspect.

The "hip" area of the hindlimb assembly has the forwardmost point of the
pelvis as the "front" boundary, the point of the buttocks as the hindmost
aspect, the top of the croup as the uppermost aspect, and the level of the
stifle as the lowermost aspect.

The barrel is basically what is left in between.  If one were to draw
boxes on the horse and utilize these points, and then draw circles in
these boxes, one would have the approximation of the three-circle horse. 
In too many horses, the shoulder "circle" becomes an upright oval, the
barrel "circle" becomes an elongated horizontal oval, and the hip "circle"
becomes constricted from either or both directions.

Hope that helps.

Heidi
===========================================================This weekend, many 
of you are at rides...25's, 50's or 100's.  You are the
lucky ones.  I know you did whatever you had to do to get to 'em.  I know
that each of you go to 'em with different so-called "goals" in mind...but I
also know that each of you cares for your horse and realize that "carrying
you" is the least of what he/she does for you.  LIFTING YOU is the true
effect.
~  Ryder

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