SHB Category: K, Horse Judging Flashcards
Pages 410-447 Finished
What is a natural 2-beat gait in which the lateral legs move simultaneously?
Pace
What is an exaggerated paddling?
Winging out
Most unsoundnesses from concussion and trauma occur where?
Front legs
What are the 3 natural gaits?
Walk, trot, and gallop
What term describes the withers, back, loin, and croup?
Topline
What term describes a horse that is free of any injuries or defects that would affect its usefulness?
Sound
What do we call ears that are carried horizontally to the side?
Lop ears
What are low, round, thick withers called?
Mutton withers
What are the bulged or op-eyed appearance of the eye called?
Bovine eyes
What is an unsoundness?
Defect in form or function that interferes with the usefulness of the horse
What term describes the physical appearance of the horse, due to arrangement of muscle, bone, and other body tissues?
Conformation
What is the single most important consideration when selecting a horse?
Purpose for which it is to be used
What is the fastest 4 beat artificial gait?
Rack
What term describes a hard contact with the ground?
Pounding
Give the term for a concave or sagging back.
Swayback
What is another name for the running walk?
Plantation gait
What is the smoothest gait of the Tennessee Walking Horse?
Running walk
Name the gait that is characterized by 2 beats, in which the diagonal fore and hind legs move together.
Trot
What term refers to a broken crest?
Lop neck
Name the action defect that results when the toe of the horse’s hind foot strikes the lateral forefoot.
Forging
Which is the faster gait, trotting or pacing?
Pacing
What is the mother of all gaits and the most useful gait?
Walk
Name the 4 parts of the horse that are included in the topline.
Withers, back, loin (coupling), and croup
What type of interference occurs at the trot when the hind foot strikes the sole of the front foot on the same side?
Forging
What would be the ideal ratio of the top to bottom lines of the horse’s neck?
2 to 1 with top longer
What is an ossification of the lateral cartilage resulting from injuries that cause calcium to accumulate and harden?
Sidebones
What is a bony enlargement in the groove formed by the splint and cannon bones?
Splint
What is exaggerated lifting and forward motion of one or both hocks that is spasmodic and involuntary and when is this condition most obvious?
Stringhalt, most obvious when backing or turning the horse
What shape should the head be when viewed from the side?
Triangular
Regardless of the breed, the hindquarters should appear to be what shape when viewed from the side?
Square
What is the term used to describe a short, quick, high, and often choppy stride?
Trappy
A horse with too much angle in the hock joint is called what?
Sickle hocked
In a balanced horse, the legs and heart girth are approximately the same length. How does having straight shoulders change this?
Straight shoulders cause legs to be longer than the heart girth
Blue eyes are often associated with horses of which breeding?
Pinto (paint)
Describe the unsoundness called stringhalt.
Involuntary excessive flexion of the horse’s hocks with forward motion.
A horse with too much angle in the hock joint is called what?
Sickle hocked
Balance is the single most important characteristic in equine selection because it forms the basics for movement, length of stride, and ultimately performance. Balance is determined by what physical structure?
Skeletal structure
What are 4 parts of the horse that are included in the topline?
Withers, back, loin (coupling), and croup
Ideally where should the horse’s eyes be positioned when viewed from the front?
About 1/3 of the distance from the poll to its muzzle
A horse with well-sprung ribs and heart girth and a deep, wide chest has ample room for what 2 systems?
Respiratory and digestive systems
What term describes a horse whose front toes point outward?
Splayfooted
What term refers to a pastern that has too much slope?
Coon footed
What is the term for a horse’s knees that are in front of vertical when viewed from the side?
Buck-kneed
Name the fastest paso gait.
Paso largo
What term describes the horse’s eyes when they are too small and set back into its head?
Pig-eyed
Which sex of horse would have a more prominent jaw and more heavily muscled body?
Male
What causes the action defect called rolling?
Wide fronted horse or extremely obese horse
In what 3 areas are muscles most likely to be developed in a heavily muscled horse?
Forearm, gaskin, rear quarters
What is the term for a horse’s knees that are behind vertical when viewed from the side?
Calf-kneed
What term describes a horse with a convex back, due to a permanently malformed spinal column?
Roach back
What is the single most important characteristic in equine selection?
Balance
Base-wide horses are predisposed to what?
Ringbone and navicular disease
What is a bony enlargement surrounding the bones of the pastern?
Ringbone
Horses that toe in will move with what type of arc?
Wide outward arc
When selecting a horse, what is the most important conformation characteristics of any breed?
Balance
What is the term for a horse that is weak in its coupling and shallow in the flank?
Hound gutted or wasp-waisted
What term describes the throwing of the front feet inward while in flight and what conformation problem is it associated with?
Dishing or winging, associated with toed-out or splayfooted
Horses that toe out will move with what type of arc?
Inward arc
What is the study of motion and the gaits, specifically with reference to mechanics and anatomy?
Kinesiology
The length of what is relative to the length of the shoulder and forearm?
Length of arm
What gait has a flowing movement in which the forelegs roll to the outside as the horse strides forward distinctive of the Peruvian Paso?
Termino
Describe a horse that is base narrow.
Front legs and hind legs too close together
What condition occurs when there is a strain on the flexor tendon which causes synovial fluid to escape into the hock hollow?
Thoroughpin
What is another name for an undershot jaw?
Monkey mouth
Which part of the horse’s hind quarters should be the widest when viewed from the rear?
Stifle area
What is it called when the hocks are too far apart, are generally predisposed to being base narrow, and can toe in on the rear hooves?
Bowlegged
What is it called when a horse toes in behind and are ‘out at the hocks’?
Bowlegged
Sickle hocks predispose a horse to what condition?
Curbs
What term describes when the horse’s front feet are wider at the ground than at their origin at the chest?
Base wide
Steep pasterns will cause what type of stride?
Choppy and rough
A splay footed conformation usually will cause what gait abnormality?
Winging
Describe what parts of the horse interfere when a horse forges.
Toe of the hind foot hits the sole or shoe of the forefoot on the same side
A good rule of thumb when judging horses is that when all other things are equal, what is an asset?
Size
What is the vital junction between the forearm and the cannon?
Knee
What is the vital junction between the gaskin and the cannon?
Hock
Which breed is known for its termino gait?
Peruvian Paso
What conformation defect has the carpus angled behind the ideal straight line of the front leg construction when viewed from the side?
Calf knees
A horse that is low at the withers or high at the hip is said to be walking downhill and will have a tendency to have what defect in its way of going?
Forging
Cow hocks often contribute to development of what condition?
Bone spavins
What term describes when the hairline at the top of the hindfoot hits the toe of the forefoot as it breaks over?
Scalping
Describe a horse that is cow-hocked.
Hocks are close together and its feet are wide apart
Define a lateral gait.
Legs on the same side perform the gait in pairs– pace
Which conformation fault of the forelimbs can cause ringbones and navicular disease?
Short upright pasterns
In reference to the way of going, winging occurs in horses with what conformation defect?
Base wide or toed-out feet
What is it called when the lower jaw protrudes in front of the upper jaw?
Monkey mouth (undershot jaw)
A pigeon-toed horse exhibits a deviation of its foot in flight, what is this action called?
Paddling
What condition has too much angle in the hock joint?
Sickle hocks
Which conformation fault can cause a curb?
Sickle hocks
A base narrow horse is predisposed to landing on the outside of its hoof walls, thus may have a tendency to develop which 2 conditions?
Ringbone, sidebones, and heel bruising
Bowlegged horses will cause increased weight to be carried where on the hoof wall?
To the outside
What area of the hoof carries more weight on a horse that is base narrow?
Outside of the hoof
What is it called when a horse has a structural problem or deviation that has only a limited effect on the horse’s ability to perform?
Serviceably sound
What area of the hoof carries more weight on a horse that is base wide?
Inside of the hoof
What are 2 additional gaits of the 5 gaited Saddlebred?
Slow gait and rack
What term describes a specific way of going with a specific sequence of limb movements that are repeated each stride with a regular cadence?
Gait
What term refers to when the horse’s leg stands under its hip from the hocks down due to excessive angulation in the hock when viewed from the side?
Sickle hocked
What are 2 basic types of supporting leg interference?
Brushing & striking
What condition has the cannon bones set too far to the outside of the knee?
Bench knees or offset knees
What term is used to indicate a horse that stands closer at the ground than at the origin of the legs in the chest?
Base narrow
What part of the horse provides propulsion, serves as a base of support & helps absorb shock?
Forequarters
What term refers to a horse that stands closer at the ground than at the origin of the legs in the chest?
Base narrow
What term is used to indicate a horse that stands wider at the ground than at the origin of the legs inn the chest?
Base wide
Horses that stand base narrow, are predisposed to extra weight being placed on what part of the hoof?
Outside of hoof
Horses that stand base wide, are predisposed to extra weight being placed on what part of the hoof?
Inside of the hoof
Name the specific part of the horse’s back or topline that must be well muscled, short & strong, in order to transmit the forward power generated in the hind quarters.
Loin (coupling)
What is a bony enlargement surrounding the bones of pastern?
Ringbone
Horses that are bowed in at the hocks & cannon bones instead of being parallel are called what?
Cow hocked
Which structural deviation of the knees when viewed from the side is extremely serious & many horses with this condition will not stay sound?
Calf kneed (back at the knee)
What 2 problems are camped out horses predisposed to?
Navicular disease & laminitis
What term describes a horse whose entire forelimb is too far forward & away from the body?
Camped out
What term describes a horse whose forelimb is too far under the body?
Camped under
What term denotes excess hair on the chin, throat, ears & legs?
Coarseness
Which area of the hoof carries more weight if a horse has knocked knees?
Inside of the hoof
What is an extension backward of the flexor tendons caused by tearing or stretching?
Bowed tendon
What condition has the entire knee set to the inside of a straight line from the chest to the toe?
Knock kneed or close kneed
What is the exaggerated lifting & forward movement of one or both hocks that is spasmodic & involuntary & when is this condition most obvious?
Stringhalt, most obvious when backing or turning sharply
Name the conformation defect characterized by a weak loin & shallow flank.
Hound gutted
What are the 2 types of stride interference?
Striding leg interference & supporting leg interference
What is a bony enlargement that appears on the inside & front of the hock at the point where the base of the hock tapers into the cannon bone?
Bone spavin or Jack spavin
What is the characteristic of a ‘stride stance phase’?
One or more of the horse’s feet are on the ground during the stride
What term describes characteristics such as head shape, head & neck carriage, body structure, color characteristics, gaits or way of going?
Breed type
What term is used to indicate that a horse may have a structural problem or deviation which may have only a limited affect on the horse’s ability to perform?
Serviceably sound
Describe the pace
Rapid 2- beat gait in which the lateral forelegs and hindlegs move together
The majority of the horse’s weight, approximately 60-65%, is carried where?
Front legs
What is another term for offset knee?
Bench knee
What is the most important factor when selecting a new horse?
Purpose for which it will be used
What gait has a flowing movement in which the forelegs roll to the outside as the horse strides forward?
Termino ( Peruvian Paso’s gait)
What is the speed of the fox trot?
5 - 8 miles per hour
A horse whose height at the withers, height at the hip & length of body is approximately the same is said to be what?
Balanced
Where is the primary point of attachment of the forelimbs to the rest of the body?
Shoulder blade or scapula
What is the hardest part of the horse to keep sound?
Forelegs
What is the term for the physical appearance of an animal due to the arrangement of muscle, bone & often body tissue?
Conformation
Height measurement of horses is recorded as what?
Hands
What percent of the horse’s weight is carried on the front legs?
60-65%
What is the ideal slope of the shoulder?
45 - 50 degrees
What is a fast, 4-beat gait, characterized by a smooth , fluid motion where the hind legs overstrides the print of the front foot, the head nods & it has a 1-2-3-4 beat cadence?
Running walk
What are the 3 most important paso gaits?
Paso fino, paso corto & paso largo
What is the speed of the running walk gait of the Tennessee Walking horse?
8 - 10 miles per hour
The best description of size is a combination of what 2 measurements?
Weight & height
What term is used to refer to refinement of hair, hide, bones & joints?
Quality
Name2 types of ears that are undesirable.
Lop ears & mule ears
In what area of the horse would stringhalt be found?
Hindlegs
What measurement can be used as a remarkably accurate method of estimating weight regardless of breed?
Heart girth measurment
What is the best measurement of growth in a horse?
Weight
What term describes a short, quick, high & often choppy stride?
Trappy
What conformation defect causes paddling?
Pigeon toed horses (toes in)
What is the hoof beat sequence of the trot?
2 beat diagonal pairs of legs move together, Right front & left hind & Left front & right hind move together
Describe the pace.
2 beat lateral gait with the front & rear feet on the same side start & land together
What conformation defect causes rolling?
Wide chested horses
What measurement is used to refer to the fractions of a hand?
Inches
What is the only horse in the world that is capable to naturally overstride?
Tennessee Walker
What is the most common conformational fault of the hind leg when viewed from the side?
Sickle hocked
What are the 2 basic types of interferences?
Striding leg interference & supporting leg interference
What term describes horses that roll from side to side as they stride?
Rolling
When the horse changes gaits from the canter to the gallop, why does the beat change from 3 to 4?
In the gallop the middle diagonal pair of legs no longer hit the ground together, the hind leg hits the ground slightly before the diagonal front leg changing the beat to 4
Which is the more serious fault: buck knees or calf knees?
Calf knees
What is the desirable conformation trait that allows for free forward motion of the limbs with looking at the shoulder?
Sloping shoulder
A concave neck accompanied by a depression in front of the withers & thickened, rounded underline of the neck is called what?
Ewe neck
What is calf-kneed?
Sprung back at the knee
What is the basic difference between the Paso fino & the Paso largo?
Paso largo is faster
What is an inward break at the knee?
Knock kneed
The artificial gaits all have what 2 things in common?
All have 4 beats & sequence is similar to that of the walk
What is it called when the horse’s knees are sprung forward?
Buck kneed
Which breed of horse has a natural overstride?
Tennessee Walker
What term describes the repeated limb coordination & placement patterns exhibited by the moving horse?
Stride
Name 2 differences in the running walk & the rack.
Rack has more action, the hind legs at the rack do not overreach the front legs
What is it called when the hind leg is hit at the cannon or shin with the front toe?
Shin hitting
Which of the basic types of interferences is the most serious?
Supporting leg interference
What supporting leg interference results in an open wound?
Striking
Why are the lower legs of the horse used to estimate bone quality?
No muscling below the knees & hocks so bones are easily viewed, can’t see other bones of the body
What is the difference between the trot & the pace?
Both are 2 beat gaits, trot is diagonal while pace is lateral
What term refers to the luster of the hair coat?
Bloom
What 2 stride factors determine the speed of a horse?
Stride frequency & stride length
What is the term used to indicate that a horse may have a structural problem or deviation which may have a limited affect on horse’s ability to perform?
Serviceably sound
What are the 2 supporting leg interferences?
Brushing and striking
What is it called when the hind leg hits the correct with the toe of the forefoot?
Scalping
What do roughed hair, nicks & scars on the fetlock tell you about a horse’s way of going?
It may interfere
What is a fast 4 beat ground covering walk characteristic of the Tennessee Walking Horse?
Running walk
What is it called when the hind leg on one side strikes the diagonal foreleg?
Cross-firing
What 2 conformational faults occur when the articular ridge & the articular grooves of the tibial tarsal bone do not fit correctly?
Splay footed & pigeon toed
What 2 artificial gaits does the American Saddle Horse perform?
Slow gait & rack
What is an occult spavin?
Hock lameness without visible exostosis ( bony outgrowth)
Horses that wear the hoof wall unevenly usually have what problem?
Crooked legs or feet
The main propulsive force for forward motion is what?
Hind legs
How much will the angle of the front feet differ from the angle of the hind feet?
Hind feet are 2 - 3 degrees greater
What is it called when the hind leg is hit at the pastern or fetlock with the toe of the forefoot?
Speedy cutting
Which gait is easy on the rider but tiring for the horse & receives much emphasis in the judging of 5-gaited horses?
Rack
Name 2 ways the horse’s gaits will be affected by a steep shoulder.
Shorter stride& rough gaits
Which gait is a fast, flashy, 4-beat gait that is free from any pacing motion & is sometimes called the single foot?
Rack
What is the pivot point of the horse’s back?
Loin ( coupling)
What is another name for overshot muzzle?
Parrot mouth
What is it called when the hind foot strikes the forefoot & the impact area is on the pastern or fetlock?
Speedy cutting
What term describes long, thick, heavy ears?
Mule ears
Describe the 4 basic steps used in a systematic approach to horse judging.
Tracking the horse, profile view from the side at a distance, close inspection from the front & rear
What term describes the twisting of the striding leg around the supporting leg?
Rope walking or winding
A horse with ‘too much set to the hocks’ is often described as having what kind of hocks?
Sickle hocks
What condition is predisposed in horses with toe-in or pigeon-toed standing positions?
Paddling
What is the term for the physical appearance of an animal due to the arrangement of muscle, bone & other body tissue?
Conformation
What is an outward break at the knee?
Bowlegged
What term describes the use of painful methods & devices to enhance the horse’s gait in the show ring?
Soring
If a horse is thick & coarse in the throatlatch, name 2 things that may be restricted when the horse is asked to flex at the poll.
Air & blood flow
What 2 factors will a judge use to evaluate the barrel of a horse?
Spring of ribs & depth of heartgirth
What is the term for hitting the sole of the forefoot with the toe of the hindfoot on the same side?
Forging
What action defect occurs when a pigeon-toed horse throws his front feet outward?
Paddling
When the cannon is not centered in the knee when viewed from the front, it is called what?
Offset or bench knee
What is the ideal slope of the horse’s shoulder?
45 - 50 degrees
What is the single most important physical characteristic in equine selection because it forms the basics for movement, length of stride & ultimately performance & is determined by skeleton structure?
Balance
What is the fast, four-beat ground covering walk characteristic of the Tennessee Walking horse?
Running walk
Name 3 temperment characteristics associated with the size & appearance of the eyes.
Large quiet soft eyes indicate quiet docile disposition. Pig eyes indicate lazy & difficult to train. Excessive white around eye indicates nervous & flighty
The length of the arm is relative to the length of which 2 other parts of the horse?
Shoulder & forearm
How many stride suspension phases are in one stride at the canter?
One
Describe the difference between the stance phase & the swing phase of a stride.
Stance phase is the weight lifting phase where one or more limbs are in contact with the ground, Swing phase is when no limbs are in contact with the ground.
What is another name for patella fixation?
Stifled
Give a location & also describe what a splint is.
Calcification or bony growth found on the cannon bone or splint bone area of the leg, usually the front leg.
The Tennessee Walking Horse, at the running walk, covers approximately how many miles per hour?
10
Name the 3 natural gaits of the Tennessee Walking Horse.
Flat footed walk, running walk, canter
Name 4 gaits that do not have a suspension phase.
Walk, foxtrot, singlefoot, amble, running walk, paso
Describe coonfooted
Too much slope to the pastern
What are the 2 primary structural deviations in the knees, when viewed from the side & which is most common?
Buck knees ( over at the knee) most common & calf knee (back at the knee)
Describe abduction as it applies to limb movement.
Movement away from the median plane ( away from center of line dissecting horse vertically)
What is it called when a horse has low pasterns & shallow heels?
Coon footed
What are wind puffs & are they an unsoundness or blemish?
Soft, puffy, fluid filled swellings occurring around a joint capsule, tendon sheath or bursa. Usually on the lower legs. They are blemishes
Describe the difference between striding leg & supporting leg interference.
Striding leg-one moving leg make contact with another moving leg, Supporting leg-the striding leg strikes the supporting leg
What causes the action defect called rolling?
Wide fronted horses or extremely obese horses
What are 3 natural & 3 artificial gaits of the horse?
Natural - walk, trot & gallop (pace can be also), Artificial - running walk, slow gait, rack, stepping pace, pacing walk, paso, single foot, amble
Name the 2 basic types of gaits & give an example of each.
Natural- walk, trot, gallop. Artificial - rack, canter, lope, jog,, running walk, slow gait, sometimes the pace
Name 3 factors that influence the correctness of a young foal’s legs & hooves.
Adequate exercise, equal & even pressure of the growth plates, properly trimmed hooves with any corrections done when foal is a few days old & its hooves are hard enough to trim
Describe 3 features of the lope.
3 beat gait,, very slow to medium slow smooth gait, horse’s head is carried low
What are the foot fall sequence for the left lead canter?
Right hind, left hind & right fore together, left fore
Describe the difference between scalping & speedy cutting.
Scalping-toe of front foot hits the coronet of the hind leg, Speedy cutting-toe of forefoot hits the pastern or fetlock of the hind leg
Describe the action defect, scalping.
Forefoot toe hits the hind leg at the coronet band
Describe a horse that is bucked kneed.
Front legs bent forward at the knees or oversprung at the knees
Name 5 systematic unsoundnesses.
Heaves (COPD), azoturia (Monday morning sickness), Roaring, colic, any contagious disease (rhinopneumonitis, influenza, strangles, etc.)
Name 2 areas of the horse that is critical to its length of stride & smoothness of gait.
Forequarters, forelimbs, thoracic limbs
Describe a base narrow horse.
Front legs & or hind legs too close together
A pigeon toed horse exhibits a deviation of its foot in flight, what is this action called?
Paddling
How many suspended phases are there when all 4 of the horse’s feet are off the ground during the gallop?
One, just after the lead foot leaves the ground
Name 3 conformation faults of the knee.
Calf kneed, buck kneed, knock kneed, bench knees, offset knee
Describe adduction as it applies to limb movement.
Movement towards the median (center of line the dissects the horse vertically) plane
What determines the balance of a horse?
Its skeletal structures
Describe rope walking
Twisting of the striding leg around the supporting leg
What are the foot fall sequence of a right lead canter?
Left hind, right hind & left fore together, right fore
What is the hoof sequence of the paso?
Right rear, right fore, left rear, left fore
How does a horse with excessive angulation of the hock generally stand?
Camped-under/fleet too far forward
What is the term for a convex appearance from the eye to the muzzle?
Roman nose
What gait is a broken pace, with more action in front than behind, that is performed at 3 speeds?
Paso
The angle of the front foot should be equal to the angle of what 2 other parts?
Angle of shoulder & pasterns
What is the incapability of movement when first starting exercise?
Cold lameness
What does ‘lightness’ mean when referring to the horse’s mouth?
Softness & responsiveness during training
What is a natural 4 beat lateral gait that is extremely smooth on the rider & performed at three speeds?
Paso
What is a bony enlargement in the groove formed by the splint & cannon bones?
Splint
Describe a pigeye
Eye that is too small for the size of the head
What breed is noted for its flat foot walk, running walk & a rocking chair canter?
Tennessee Walking horse
What term used to describe a horse that has too much lope to its pasterns?
Coon footed
In pigeon toed horses, the horse’s feet move forward in what type of arc?
Wide outward arc
What is the most frequent structural deviation of the knee when viewed from the side?
Over at the knee ( buck kneed)
Name 5 common conformation faults of horses that can be corrected by trimming its hooves.
Splayfooted, pigeon toed, cocked ankles, quarter crack, contracted heels
Name 3 interferences that occur when one front leg strikes the opposite front leg.
Ankle hitting, shin hitting, knee hitting, forearm hitting
Give 5 types of undesirable characteristics of a horse’s front legs when viewed from the front.
Bow legged, base narrow, base wide, knock kneed, pigeon toes, splayfooted, offset knee(bench knee)
What are the 2 basic causes of unsoundness?
Congenital & acquired
Name 5 conformation faults of the horse’s body, excluding the leg & head.
Mutton withers, swayback, roach back, ewe neck, straight shoulders, wasp-waisted, narrow chest, shoulder too wide, short thick neck, slab sided, goose rumped, lop neck, thick throatlatch.
Name 5 structural deviations of the front legs
Knock-kneed(close knees), bench knees(offset), bowlegged, base wide, base narrow, pigeon toed, splayfooted
The angle & position of what 2 parts of the hindquarters will determine how collected, balanced
& horizontal the movement of the hind limbs will be?
Croup angle & hock position
What are the 2 general classifications of gaits?
Natural & artificial
Describe the difference between supporting leg interference & striding leg interference.
Striding leg-one moving leg makes contact with another moving leg, Supporting leg-striding leg strikes the supporting leg
Name 4 structural deviations of the front legs.
Knock-knees, bench knees (offset knee), bowlegged, base wide, base narrow, pigeon toed, splayfooted
What are the 5 walks exhibited in a dressage test?
Working, collected, medium, extended & free
Name 5 common conformation faults of horses that can be corrected by trimming its hooves.
Splayfooted, pigeon toed, cocked ankles, quarter crack, contracted heels
