be neither too flat nor too steep—at least 15 degrees, and preferably 18–22 degrees of slope. The peak of the croup will indicate the location of the lumbo-sacral joint, and ideally the peak of the croup should be directly above the point of the hip (when viewed from the side) to enable the horse to make the best use of his hindquarters. The femur (which goes from the pelvis to the stifle) should be for- ward sloping. A femur which is too upright can contribute to hind legs which are too straight when viewed from the side (also referred to as “post legs”).
Legs and Feet Next we’re on to the evaluation of the legs and feet. There
are so many potential leg faults and limb deviations they could probably fill a book, ranging from minor faults (like slightly toed in front legs) to more severe faults (like ex- treme bench knees, or legs which are back at the knee). The most important thing to remember is that any devia- tion of the limbs will likely increase the stress on the liga- ments, tendons and joints. Sometimes one flaw (such as being base narrow) may be combined with another flaw (such as toeing out) which is then considered a “cumula- tive fault”—even more severe and more likely to cause a problem later. When viewed from the front, the joints of the front leg should be lined up straight. (This is where you’ll get to use your imaginary line again, this time to visualize a plumb line dropping straight down.) The same is true for the hind legs, when viewed from the back. When viewed from the side the front leg should be neither back at the knee nor over at the knee, and the cannon bones should be short and with good bone. When viewing the hind leg from the side you should be able to imagine a plumb line going from the point of the buttock down to the back of the hock and then the back of the fetlock, with a vertical cannon bone. Pasterns should be neither too short and upright (pre- disposed to arthritis, ringbone and navicular, and less comfortable to ride) nor too long and sloping (predis- posed to suspensory ligament injury.) When overly slop- ing pasterns are paired with overly straight rear legs (“post legs”) it is considered a severe cumulative fault. The feet/hooves should be big and round, with the angle of the toe matching the angle of the heel and the angle of the pastern.
The Gaits In USDF Dressage Sport Horse Prospects classes, only the
walk and trot are evaluated in-hand, while all three gaits are evaluated in the Materiale and Sport Horse Prospects Under Saddle classes. Evaluation of the gaits in-hand is not much different than evaluation of the gaits under sad- dle in a dressage test. The gaits must be pure and rhyth- mical, with freedom and reach from the shoulder, and
34 September/October 2014
Participants had instruction and practiced hands on evaluations at Iron Spring Farm.
engagement and articulation of the joints in the hind end. As you watch a horse move you should be able to see how the conformational strengths and weaknesses work to influence the gaits. There are exceptions: sometimes a horse with average conformation may be a great mover, and sometimes a horse with great conformation may be an average mover, but generally there will be an obvious correlation between the conformation and the quality of movement.
Temperament and Trainability Temperament was referred to in the seminar as the “fourth
gait” to indicate its importance. A horse with a heart of gold and a fantastically willing attitude may be able to overcome all sorts of weaknesses, while even the most perfectly conformed and moving horse can be a struggle to train if the temperament or work ethic is poor. The
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