Corner By Judy Wardrope Placement of the Lumbosacral Gap S
ince this column usually focuses on the structure of a superior athlete, we have seen well placed lumbosacral gaps (LS) in relation to
the top of the hip, but not all horses are as fortunate. In this article I'll give you three examples of horses with poor LS placement in order to compare them to a horse with good LS placement. As the skeleton photo (below) illustrates, the lumbosacral gap is just in front of the sacrum, which we see as the high point of the croup. On this particular skeleton the LS gap is rearward of where a line drawn from the top of one hip to the top of the other hip would bisect the spine, which is not what we would want in an equine athlete. (It is worth noting that only one of the skeletons I have photographed over the years has displayed good LS placement and that was the skeleton of a pony. The horse skeletons, most of which were donated to veterinary colleges, have all had poor LS placement.) Horse #1 was a 3-year-old warmblood mare when
photographed, but when she rebelled against being ridden, she was bred. The line shows the difference between the high point of the croup and the downward arrow shows the location of the LS. The upward arrow shows the location of the top point of hip and the dotted oval highlights the ridging of the muscles along the spine that she is using as a form of protection. It is evident that the LS is considerably rearward of the top of the hip, which is a detriment to athletic ability and likely explains why she did not want to be ridden. I would have advised against breeding her.
Horse #2 was a young Thoroughbred broodmare when photographed; her racing career ended shortly after it began and was not a success. She displays very poor LS placement and ridging of the muscles along the spine. Despite being related to several superior athletes, she was not an athlete, has not produced any athletes of note and has not contributed positively to the gene pool. Horse #3 was a mature warmblood gelding when
photographed and was competing as a jumper. In addition to poor LS placement and muscle ridging, he shows atrophying of the muscles rearward of the sacrum and the development of a hunter’s (or jumper’s) bump. His famous pedigree did not help him overcome the limitations his structure dictated. Maintenance and veterinary costs would likely be factors in keeping him in competition until he started refusing jumps on a regular basis. Horse #4 was a 21-year-old Thoroughbred mare when photographed and used in a sport breeding program. Despite her advanced age and the number of foals she had, her LS placement is superior. Notice that the two arrows are in line, which is definitely an indication of athleticism. She produced an equal number of athletes and non-athletes. Her best athletes were from stallions with good LS placement and they also had good LS placement. As we can see, the contrasting lumbosacral
placements not only affect athleticism; they regularly lead to other issues. Ridging of the spinal muscles, development of a hunter’s bump, atrophy of muscles and perhaps being donated to a veterinary college are some of the possibilities when the LS is too far rearward.
About Judy: Having researched equine conformation for 30 years, Judy has written two books on the subject. Her most recent, Learning by Example: Analyzing Functional Conformation for the Olympic Disciplines, is available as an e-book. She travels worldwide giving conformation clinics for all disciplines. Judy also analyzes individual horses based on photos and gives breeding consultations. Learn more at
www.jwequine.com.
52 July/August 2012
Conformation
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