Re: RC: Cow-hocked endurance prospects???

["Glenda R. Snodgrass" <grs@TheNetEffect.com>]

> Are they truly cow-hocked, or do they just toe out?  I have heard that
> toeing out is not necessarily a bad thing, in fact it's fairly common, and
> shouldn't preclude a horse from competing and doing well in endurance.

In "How to be Your Own Veterinarian (Sometimes)" under the heading of Cow
Hocks, it says:

"Cow hocks must be differentiated from the outward turning of the hindlegs
that commonly occurs in Arabians.  The Arab's hocks will appear to be
turned toward each other as with cow hocks.  Careful observation will
reveal that NOT just the hocks are turned but the WHOLE LEG, from the hip
on down.  When viewed separately, each leg is straight with itself -- the
two of them are just not straight with each other.  While this is
definitely NOT an ideal conformation and does not occur in better
representatives of the breed, there are many Arabians who have been used
hard all their lives and not had any hock problems despite this defect."

Since I read this, I've been paying close attention to hind legs <g> and I
have indeed seen that a couple of horses I thought were cow-hocked are
not, in fact, but have turned-out hind legs, including one experienced
endurance horse I know.  It seems to me that this slightly turned-out leg
conformation goes along with the "hind end squatting" at the trot that is
talked about on here as being a good way of going for endurance horses,
where the hind footfalls are slightly outside of the front feet.  What say
the rest of you?

Glenda & Lakota
Mobile, AL
AERC # M18819 & H27310
SE Region


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