Forequarter #2 (pic 3) – This horse shows a pillar of support that emerges into the rear quarter of the hoof for soundness, but does not emerge as far in front of the withers as in the previous horse, making him a bit heavier on the forehand. He does not have as much rise to the humerus (from elbow to point of shoulder), which also adds a bit more weight to the forehand. In addition, the ‘flatter’ humerus means that he would not exhibit as much action in the forelegs and move more like a hunter on the flat and have natural hunter form over a fence. In fact, as his scapula rotates back and his forelegs fold, his forearm and humerus meet, limiting his form to that of a hunter, not a jumper. And, his base of neck is not as high as the previous horse, again adding a bit of weight to the forehand. He has the forequarters of a hunter; therefore, if he had the hindquarters above, he would not be a good dressage horse. He would be and was a hunter. A dressage hindquarter is actually not a disadvantage in a hunter, especially in hunter flat classes, and the stifle
3 4
placement would not be a hindrance if the heights were within his comfort zone.
Forequarter #3 (pic 4) – This horse shows a pillar of support that emerges in front of the withers for some lightness of the forehand—between that of the previous two horses—but it emerges behind the heel, which adds stress to the suspensory apparatus of the forelegs. In fact, he has developed a muscle on the underside of his neck due to inverting his neck as a means of protecting his weakness, a weakness that ended his competitive career as a jumper. He also shows a steep rise to his humerus from elbow to point of shoulder, which adds lightness to his forehand while giving him considerable knee action as well as quickness of the forelegs over fences. His base of neck is above his high point of shoulder for a bit more lightness of the forehand. Without his factors for lightness of the forehand, his career would have ended sooner since heaviness of the forehand would have added even more stress to the suspensory apparatus put at risk because his pillar of support emerges behind the heel. Since he has a jumper’s forequarters, albeit a forequarters at risk, if he had the hindquarters used in this column, he likely would have shown talent as an eventer or a mid-range jumper, until his unsoundness became an issue.
About Judy: Judy has researched equine conformation for 30 years and has written three books on the subject (the most recent, 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.
Warmbloods Today 49
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