stifle protrusion, which aids in the ability to run and jump (i.e. cross-country). That particular side on Brit is equal to the measurement from point of buttock to stifle, similar to jumpers, who tend to have equilateral triangles. As a result, her rear triangle is somewhat unusual in its proportions, but still totally functional. Unlike the upper level dressage horses who have a
stifle placement at or just below the level of the bottom of the sheath, her stifle is below the level of where a sheath would be on a male horse. Brit’s stifle is not as low as those eventers who excel in cross-country and stadium, nor is it as low as a grand prix jumper’s stifle. This lower stifle placement aids in scope and length of gallop stride while making sustaining collection more difficult. In keeping with her strengths, she is light on the
forehand as determined by the line depicting the pillar of support emerging well in front of the withers, the rather steep rise of her humerus (elbow to point of shoulder) and the base of her neck being well above her high point of shoulder. These factors help her float across the ground in extended gaits, sustain collection on the flat and lift her forehand over jumps. In addition, the moderate length (neither short nor long) of her humerus helps make her stride lengths match fore and aft. Those horses that excel over fences can be shorter strided in front than behind (they tend to canter very uphill with a lot of knee action), but dressage horses need to have matching strides. The bottom of her pillar of support emerges into
the rear of her heel, which is ideal for soundness and longevity. If it emerged well behind the heel, that would put stress on the suspensory apparatus, and if it emerged into the middle or front of the hoof, the concussive effects would be magnified significantly. Combined with her lightness of the forehand, the length of her career makes total sense. Although she is not built like the majority of the top
eventers and has to work a bit harder in the jumping aspects, she is still built to do the job. As crosses of this phenomenal mare and the jumper
Jaguar Mail, her offspring—assuming they got the jumping ability of their sire while maintaining the dressage abilities of their dam—could well dominate eventing in the future. WT
About Judy: Having researched equine conformation for the last 30 years, Judy has written two books about the subject with two more on the agenda. She travels worldwide giving clinics about conformation for all disciplines. Her website is
www.jwequine.com.
Warmbloods Today 45
Photo by Erica Larson
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