Crabbing

[MBlanchrd@aol.com]

Hi, campers,

  The thought hits me (ouch) that perhaps crabbing in horses is due to
conformation?

For years and years, we were taught that the ideal conformation of the hindleg
was straight as a die. By this, I mean an imaginary line ran straight and true
from the points of the rump, down through the center of the hock, down the
back of the leg through pastern, fetlock and heel. However, Deb Bennet of
EQUUS fame wrote several excellant books on the conformation of the horse tht
taught me a lot different.. 

She showed that such conformation interferes with the stifle. A straight and
true horse cannot get his stifles open enough to allow the hind leg to reach
forward as far as mechanically possibly. She showed that a little toeing out
in the hind legs is far more efficient in that it allows the horse to gallop,
and I assume, trot, the way it's supposed to.

I know this is not a very clear concept because I don't write it clearly..if
you all could just read my mind! Reading the books is better yet?
But, back to the point, could crabbing be caused by the straight in the rear
(as opposed to a toeing out) build?

Michelle and Jordan, who thinks "toeing out in the rear" sounds so much nicer
than "cowhocked"!!! "Mom, I refuse to mooo."