3. Proportions & angles Flashcards
What can the horse be considered? What can it do?
- Large and Heavy
- Used as a pendulum its position is used to:
* Counterbalance action of hindquarters
* Maintain and regain balance
* Help adjust speed & direction
How should head length be?
- It should compliment the neck in size, weight and length
- Be proportionate to horse’s overall size and conformation
- Long enough to accomodate large nasal passages & strong teeth
When it comes to head length how is it determined? What happens if it is too large? Too small?
- Length varies some with breed
- If too large it becomes front heavy, clumsy, difficult to collect
- If too small poor counterbalance, less agile
What would be ideal for eyes? What about nostrils? What about ears? Mouth?
- Large, round, bright, set wide apart on corners of head
- Large, wide; avoiding small narrow, thick-walled
- Ears should be medium size and set below the level of poll at the top of the head
- Muzzle should be big enough to accomade incisors, top and bottom incisors should align
What is the neck? What is its purpose?
- Vital link between head and shoulders
- Its purpose is to be balanced and agile (like head), collection reasons and extended shoulder ability.
What would be a desired throat latch?
- Open behind jowl, “clean” throatlatch
* 2 fingers width between atlas (C1) and jowl
* More room for airway and blood supply
* Allows horse to flex at the spoll
What would be an undesriable throat latch?
- Heavy, “meaty”, too muscular = can’t flex poll
- Too narrow = constricts airway
What does the neck length influence? How is it measured?
- Infleunces how horse can use head for balance
- Measured from poll to start of withers
What is a desirable neck length?
- Proportional to rest of body
- Top of neck longer than the bottom
What is it called when a neck length is short and thick?What happens if neck length is short, with a thick neck? Where do you commonly see these types of necks?
- “Bull neck”
- Heavy on forehead
- Reduces balance (stumbling, clumsy) and agility (unable to perfomr quick changes of direction)
- Limits flexion at the poll
- Usually associated with upright shoulder and short stride
- Common on ponies and draft horses
What occurs if a neck length is too long?
- > 1.5X length of back
- It shifts the center of balance too far forward
- Reduced agility
- Less flexible
- Hard to develop neck muscles (usually thin necked)
- Reduces stamina (xtra weight carried on forehead)
What is a desirable neck shape?
- Long, slender
- Slightly arched (on topline)
- Relatively straight (on underside)
- Allows full extension or collection; longer strides, greater agility
What is important on a neck shape?
Shape is more important than length for improving athletic ability
Neck shape, length and range of motion depend on what shape of the vertabrae?
- S-curve of cervicale vertebrae
- The bottom of the ‘S’ curve is most important to neck shape
What is a desirable neck that ties into shoulder?
- Base of neck should be higher than or level with point of shoulder
- Distinct breast area below neck
- Smooth transition form neck to shoulder