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" What I look for in a two year old."
The selection of a horse
should depend some on the ability of the rider and the
expected goals and tasks for the horse. The more
experienced rider may prefer a more responsive,
high-spirited horse to use and enjoy. While a beginner
will be at ease with a horse that is more gentle, and
reliable. If a horse is to be used as a work horse or as
a show horse then the horse will need more heart and a
mental ability to deal with the pressures and demands of
such work. In all cases a horse that has been started
well, will serve the rider and not rebel or resist
against working with the rider. Also you can change the
level of heat in a horse by increasing or lowering the
amounts of protein and grain in his diet.
The color and size of a horse are things that should be
left to the personal taste to the rider/owner.
When looking for a show prospect I look at the way the
horse moves and at the conformation of the horse.
When watching a horse move I like to see a horse walk on
a smooth, level surface in a relaxed fashion without
being led. I like to see a loose, but smooth and fluid
movement. When watching the front end of the colt I watch
the pivot point of the front legs. A horse that fails to
use its shoulders freely when walking will not use them
well later. I do not look as much at the length of stride
as I do at the pivot. A horse may not relax, but still
use his shoulder to make the stride having a pivot point
that is high in his shoulder, while another may fully
relax taking longer strides using only the forearm and
leg. The one using his shoulder will always be my pick of
the two. I watch the back end to see how the horse breaks
over in a slow walk, and to see how much over stride he
has. When moving slow a gaited horse will break over to
inside of his rear toe. This will shorten his overstride
at that speed. So when I am watching a horse walk slow,
if he has a short overstride and is breaking heavy to the
inside on the back end I know he has more gait to offer.
If he has a short overstride but is breaking over
squarely on his toe I am suspicious of his gait because
he may not have more than he is currently using. If the
horse has a long overstride and is still breaking heavy
to the inside, I know this horse has a lot of gait, but
may have trouble breaking over in a foxtrot. This
tendency to break to the inside when walking slow is one
reason most gaited horses are at least a little
cow-hocked. Breaking to the inside twists the leg out at
the toe and in at the hock.
In addition to watching a horse move, I study its
confirmation. The major areas of confirmation that affect
the gaits of the horse are the curve of the hock, the
slope of the shoulder, and the muscles of the chest.
There are other things that influence the gait of the
horse, but these are the major ones.
The amount of curve in the hock of the gaited horse, or
the degree to which the horse is cycle hocked, can be
used as a predictor of the amount of gait that horse has
available. The straighter the leg the more trot and the
more crook the more gait. A horse can be too straight
legged to make a foxtrotting show horse, but a horse can
be to crooked legged to foxtrot properly. As a point of
reference I look at the hocks of a horse when the rear
leg of the horse is vertical from the rear of the fetlock
to the rear of the hock. I then extend an imaginary
vertical line up from the rear of the fetlock and
touching the rear of the hock as this line passes the
point of the rump I can evaluate the natural tendencies
of the horse. If the line passes through the rump the
horse will be so short gaited and trotty that it will not
make a top show horse. If the line just touches the point
of the rump the horse has enough gait to foxtrot well. If
the line passes more than an inch behind the point of the
rump of a horse, he will be harder to get a true foxtrot
from, as his natural tendencies will be to the lateral
gaits. i.e. pace, rack, or running walk. And as the line
passes further from the point of the rump the horse will
be more lateral in his natural tendencies.
Don't read this to say the longer gaited horses can't
foxtrot, they are harder to train to foxtrot, but if they
have the right rhythm they will usually have a bigger
lick. Some horses have stronger rhythms than others, and
they can use more gait. Horses with more gait than they
can use in a foxtrot will not have as much solid rhythm,
and will be prone to hard trot or not trot at all. Some
of the horses we see in the show ring today that are
called short gaited hard trotters really just have so
much gait that they and their rider can't keep it under
control.
The way a horses' front end is made can tell me how the
horse will use the gait that he has. A horse with a long
shoulder line, the line from the back of withers to the
point of the shoulder, will have a stronger front end
than one that has a shorter line. I also look at the
chest muscles between the points of the shoulders. If a
horse has a flat chest that horse will not be able to use
very much gait in a foxtrot because he can't get his
front legs extended quickly and his back end will
overpower his front and make him racky. If a horse has
well rounded chest muscles and a clear "V"
between them he will be able to pull his front legs
forward and reach for more ground. By reaching for more
ground this horse will be able to balance a stronger back
end and pull enough with his front end to still have a
good breakover.
While this does not tell you which horse to choose, I
hope it will help you make a more informed decision in
selecting a horse to meet your goals.
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