Corner I
By Judy Wardrope World Class Eventers
n this column we will look at three of the top four eventers in the rankings of the World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses (WBFSH)
from 2015. Let’s see what they have in common and where they differ or if they differ. To start, let’s identify the horses according to
their WBFSH rankings. Horse #1 Fischerrocana FST (aka Fischer Rocana FST) is a 2005 mare with a Thoroughbred sire and a Hanoverian/Oldenburg dam. Horse #3 Shamwari 4 is a 2002 gelding with a Thoroughbred sire and a Hanoverian/Hessen dam. Horse #4 Classic Moet is a 2003 mare with a Thoroughbred sire and a Thoroughbred/Irish Sporthorse dam. Here are the halt photos from the 2014
World Equestrian Games. Although the photo angles and stances are not ideal, we can discern certain aspects of functional conformation for comparison purposes. In fact, having to adjust our eye to the photo angles and horse stances may even be viewed as an additional lesson in improving our understanding of conformation and function.
Lumbosacral gap (LS)—As one would expect
at this level of competition and competence, all three horses appear to have excellent LS placement. The LS gap, found just in front of the high point of croup, would be bisected by a line drawn from the top point of one hip to the top point of the opposite hip. This strong coupling allows for maximum transfer of power as well as an improved ability to compensate. Rear triangle—Horse #1 shows a slightly
shorter ilium side (point of hip to point of buttock), which is a dressage trait, and she also shows the longest side from point of hip to stifle protrusion, which corresponds to an ability to jump from a gallop stride. Both of these traits are advantageous in the modern eventer. Horse #3 shows essentially equal measurements on the ilium side and the femur side (point of buttock to stifle protrusion), which is a jumper trait. Despite the near hind being stepped slightly forward, we can still see that the longest side of the triangle is from point of hip to stifle protrusion, as is the case with the other two horses as well. Horse #4 shows a shorter ilium, similar to Horse #1, and the same long side as the previous two
#1 Fischerrocana FST
66 May/June 2016
Conformation
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