Re: [RC] Horses!!! stop with the height - Truman Prevatt
As far as human athletics go, this is an old wive's tale or propaganda
pushed by the short persons society of america.
There are some many examples out there where this has consistently been
disproved. The best was in about 1956 a very tall (for that time) high
school basketball player went to paly college. No he was not a center
(tallest guy on the team) but the point guard - the guy that does all
the ball handling, sets up the plays and runs the offense. They have to
be quick and aigle. He's too big was what the "experts" said. At that
time the average point guard was under six feet with some as small as
5' 6". He won't be quick enough the experts said since he is almost a
foot taller than the rest of them.
Well he was all american his last two years in college and led his team
to the NCAA finals his last two years. Then he went to the pros and the
experts said the same thing - he's too big, yadayada.......... Well he
was rookie of the year. Oscar Robertson, the Big O, is now know as one
of the greatest guards to ever play the game. While professional
basketball players will celebrate with they get a triple double (double
digits in points scored, assist and rebounds) and there are very few
players that accomplish this in a game, the Big O averaged that for two
seasons! He redefined the position.
Being large is not a handicap and in many cases it is an advantage.
Human athletics are getting larger on average - even in those sports
that were thought that height/and or size was a disadvantege such as
the human endurance events.
Know how tall Lance Armstrong is? Ever see a picture of him beside the
other cyclist - he towers over them much the same way as the Big O
towered over opposing point guards, and they both also tower over them
in performance.
I suspect just as human atletics have become larger in the past 50
years so I expect equine athletics have on the average have become
larger since "breed standards" were written.
As far as horses the height of a horse one likes to ride is pretty much
a personal preference based on how the rhythms movement of both parties
jive. For tall people, in general this will happen with a taller horse.
For short people this will in general happen with a short horse. As
with everything there are a few isolated counter examples to this - but
it is the counter examples that make life interesting and keep the
arguments flying fast and furious.
Heidi and Susan are correct about one factor, and it is also
true with the human athlete - the bigger the package, the more
potential for concussive issues. s
-- "It is necessary to be noble, and yet take humility as a basis
"It
is necessary to be noble, and yet
take humility as a basis.
It is necessary
to be exalted, and yet take modesty as a foundation."
