© Cealy Tetley
emerges well in front of her withers, showing lightness on the forehand. Dressage horses that are heavy on the forehand do not do as well and are more difficult to ride, while those that are too light on the forehand require an extremely sensitive rider. This mare shows an ideal middle ground. However, the bottom of the pillar line just skims the
rear of her hoof. The good LS placement and lightness of the forehand help, but she would have been less at risk for injury to the suspensory apparatus of the foreleg if it emerged into the rear quarter of the hoof. She has a good rise to her humerus, meaning that her
point of shoulder is considerably higher than her elbow, which adds to her lightness and her ability to extend. Her length of humerus matches her stifle placement as it relates to length of stride, making cadence and rhythm natural. In this case she exhibits medium stifle placement (neither high nor low) and medium length of
humerus (neither long nor short). Her base of neck is well above her fairly high point of
shoulder, adding more lightness to the forehand. In addition, her length of neck is suitable for
dressage—neither too short nor too long. A long neck is an advantage in a jumper but a detriment to a dressage horse. It can not only add weight to the forehand; it can make control more difficult for the rider. One can see why she competed at the highest levels
of dressage with relative ease—she was built to do it. Unfortunately, she was also built to have a slight risk for injury to the forelegs.
About Judy: Having researched equine conformation for the last 30 years, Judy has written two books about the subject with two more on the agenda. She travels worldwide giving clinics about conformation for all disciplines. Her website is
www.jwequine.com.
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