Corner By Judy Wardrope Longevity of Two Eventers
level, then became a junior’s mount and was still competing at 19 years of age. The other started as a Young Rider mount and competed to the 2* level before his body let him down as a 10-year-old. Let’s compare them to see the similarities and the differences. Contrary to what is the norm for this column,
B
we will start at the front of the horses for this comparison only. Even though Horse #1 is standing underneath himself with the forelegs, we can still see that the pillar of support on both horses emerges well in front of the withers for lightness of the forehand and into the rear quarter of the hoof for soundness.
oth of these event horses progressed through the ranks, but one of them went farther than the other. One of them competed at the 4*
We can also see that both horses have good rise
from elbow to point of shoulder for lightness of the forehand and quickness of the forelegs over fences. Horse #1 has a longer humerus than Horse #2, which would equate with more range of motion and a longer stride, more reach, but a slower turn-over rate. Both horses also have a base of neck well above
the point of shoulder, which contributes to the lightness of the forehand for both. So far, both horses are built to be fairly light on
the forehand and to be able to fold the forelegs readily when jumping. The described traits of the forehand assisted both of them in their careers and none of the traits would contribute to unsoundness. But when we move to the hindquarters— specifically the rear triangle and the placement of the stifle—we see differences in the two horses.
Horse #1
50 May/June 2013
Conformation
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