 |
Re: [RC] [RC] [RC] Conformation - Juli JakubJen, Good post! I agree with you. I look for that click and the attitude. I will overlook some minor flaws if the horse moves well and clicks with me attitude wise. Use is also important. We just bought a lovely Morab gelding. He is a bit upright and shorter in the pasterns than I usually like...but for some reason he floats!! Very comfortable at walk /trot ( has not been cantered yet we'll see looks nice and flowing). He even seems to be ever so slightly club footed on the left front ( did you know some barrel and reining people breed for a club foot...something about turning faster...weird!) but again he moves like he has perfect conformation. But I also bought him for use...he is to be my husbands trail horse!!! If I wanted to event high level with him or campaign him in 100 milers I might have had second thoughts ( but maybe not he really is a mover does not interfere and has a ton of heart)...but his main job is to keep up with my Morab on the trail which my husbands current horse cannot. He might do a low level event or two in his life and maybe my husband could be convinced to do a 25 or 50 miler once in a blue moon ( and that is a big maybe) but really his job is to trail ride and do some ring work! Keeping up with Be is no problem he trots right with her no problem! So i really think it depends...I will always check conformation but I also have to like how they are put together when moving and attitude is incredibly important. So far it has worked...my guys are all sound even the high level eventer ( despite some minor faults in her conformation) and happy! Of course I am now knocking on wood like crazy! Cheers, Juli <html><DIV> <P>Juli Jakub</P> <P>The Air of Heaven is that which blows between a horse's ears.</P> <P>~ arabian proverb</P></DIV></html> all things being equal, which of course we know they aren't - good conformation will increase the odds that the horse will be sound and athletic. (It's still no guarantee). *However*, simply because all things are never equal - there are so many factors to consider when choosing a horse for *any* purpose. Movement, intelligence, personality, willingness, heart, health, conformation, soundness, training, attitude, desire... and luck... all influence how successful any horse can be, IMHO. And I've always heard that if a horse has a conformation flaw, odds are he has developed a way to compensate for that flaw or he has another flaw that offsets it. That's why we see horses with less than perfect conformation becoming excellent athletes when their photos perhaps contradict their performances. They've simply managed to compensate for their physical quirks.And some of the horses I've been told "had perfect conformation" were either too lazy, crazy, dumb or clumsy to make good athletes (although you can line them up in a sandy arena without any problem :P). _________________________________________________________________ Mortgage rates as low as 4.625% - Refinance $150,000 loan for $579 a month. Intro*Terms https://www2.nextag.com/goto.jsp?product=100000035&url=%2fst.jsp&tm=y&search=mortgage_text_links_88_h27f6&disc=y&vers=743&s=4056&p=5117 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
|