The anatomy of the Horse-Part III

The shoulder: should be nicely sloping. This characteristic helps the horse to move more freely. In the ideal case, the slope should have 45 degree angle from the wither to the point where the shoulder begins(in relation to a horizontal ground line). The shoulder blade(scapula) has to be longer than the humerus bone. This will allow for a long, low, smooth stride.

The withers: should be well formed, not too prominent, but also not too flat. During their growing, horses will look like the wither is lower than the croup, but as they get bigger, it should become level. The horses that have a very flat muscular withers are not very good for riding, but for traveling in harness. This is because of the fact that they tend to have something like a "rolling action" , that can be difficult to fit a saddle to.

The chest: should be broad and deep, with enough room for a baseball cap to be fitted between the two forearms. If the chest is too wide, it will tend, the same as like in the withers case. to have a "rolling action", difficult to deal with it. The best case is to find a horse that has, as we can tell, a medium size.
The front legs should be straight and in pairs. They should have a long muscular forearm and short dense cannon bone.
The elbow should be clear or the ribs. A good method to test a good conformation for this part, is to be able to run a hand between the two elbows.
The knees should be a "pair", facing directly forward, broad and flat. The pasterns should slope on a similar angle to the shoulder. If the pasterns are too long, the horse may have a weakness. If they are too short, the horse is less able to cope with concussion.
The feet should be in pairs and well made with tough horn.

Additional: it is said that the horse should be "deep through the girth", which means that when viewed from the side, it appears like there is plenty room for the heart and lungs. A good method to test a good conformation is that the distance from the top of the withers to a point just behind and below the elbow should be the same as the one from the elbow to the ground. Taking this in consideration may appear that the horse would be short legged, but it is ok. In a ideal case, the first 8 "true" ribs, that attach to the vertebrae and the sternum, should be long and flattish. This will allow the leg of the rider to sit nicely behind the triceps muscle. The 10 "false" ribs, that attach to the vertebrae, and to cartilage attaching them to the sternum, should be rounded and well sprung. That will give the appearance of a nicely rounded barrel. Again, a good method to test a good conformation is to see that there is not more than a handspan between the last rib and the hip bone.
The length of the back should be proportionate to the overall size of the horse. Another good method to test a good conformation is that from nose to girth should be the same length as from girth to the point of buttock. The back should be strong and not too narrow or too broad.

Important:

• the horse's ears must be pricked and alert, and the eyes bright and healthy.
• looking at the horse as a whole, the head should be in proportion to the body.
• a horse that is used for racing, eventing or show jumping should be always in optimum condition.
• the horse's skeleton has around 250 bones, which varies from breed to breed.

Hope you find this helpful!

See also the first 2 parts:

• First Part
• Second Part

The Horse Behavior

Having a horse is easy. The hard part is to establish a bond with him and to try to understand his behavior. Once you get used to observing his behavior, you can better understand what are his needs, when and why he gets scared.

As we all know, the most basic instinct for any animal (for horse too), is to survive and to reproduce.
Out in the wild, horses live together in so called herds or "harems". Any herd is led by a dominant stallion and he usually has a dominant mare. It can also be that there are 2 or 3 mares he protects and breeds from. He has a close bond with them. In this way the tend to for long-lasting relationships and will try to make the herd/harem a secure environment.

The Harem

Once a dominant stallion has selected his "harem" (his dominant mares), most probably he will not look for new mares. Studies have shown that the average size of a harem is 5: the dominant stallion, 2/3 mares and their offspring. The boding process is not restricted between the stallion and the mare. It can happen that 2 mares will pair off and become close friends, grooming together. In the same way, young stallions that did not yet established their own harem will stay together, forming bachelor groups. Within the herd/harem, the weakest members, will often tend to attach to a dominant member, trying to stay close to them. When doing so, they will be left alone by the bullies and will always have a good food supply. 

                                                                ...TO BE CONTINUED...


You may want to see:

• The next part

Grooming a Horse...Part III

Let's continue with the thing you need for grooming a horse...

11.  Wisp or massage pad 

• a wisp is normally made from a woven rope of hay, which is knotted together. It is a good idea to clean it before every use. 
• a massage pad is made of leather and has a strap on the back.

Both of these are used together with a stable rubber. It amends the muscle tone and also gives a beautiful shine to the coat. When you will raise the pad, the muscles will tense. When you will bang down and give a gentle stroke with the rubber, the muscles will relax. If you keep it in a steady rhythm, the muscle tone will be improved. This massage should be done only in areas like quarters, thighs, and the neck, and should avoid the bony areas.

12. Sponges - a really good advice wold be to have 2 of different colors.

• one for cleaning the eyes, mouth and nose
• the second one for cleaning the dock area

13. Stable rubber - it looks like a drying-up cloth and it is used at the end of the grooming. It will give an extra beautiful shine to the coat.

14. Sweat scraper - it has a curved rubber piece on one side and a metal piece on the other. It helps a lot at removing excess water, after you have washed your horse. You should use the rubber side for the bony areas and the metal one over the body (please be careful when using the metal side).

15. Hoof oil - it is used for the feet to create a beautiful shine.

16. Shampoo - sometimes is better to use a special equine shampoo for the tail.

17. Scissors - are used for general trimming and must(!) have a round end.

18. Grooming machine - are a lot of types, but basically are like a vacuum cleaner for taking all the dirt away. But please be careful on using them, cause they may scare your horse.


Hope you will find this helpful!
See also the first 2 parts of this post:

• First Part
• Second Part

Grooming a Horse ... Part II

Let's continue with the Grooming Kit!

5. Plastic/Rubber curry comb - extremely useful when you want to remove the mud and dried sweat. Also very good for stimulating the skin and for bringing grease to the surface of the coat.

6. Rubber grooming mitt - similar with the rubber curry comb.

7. Cactus cloth - a piece of hairy sackcloth. It is used to remove dried sweat and mud from all over the body. If it is cleaned, it will also bring a beautiful shine to the coat.

8. Metal curry comb - used only to clean the body brush. DO NOT USE it on your horse!

9. Hoof pick -  used only for cleaning the feet. The best way is to move downward from heel to toe, like this you will prevent damaging the frog or heels.

10. Mane comb 

• long tooth comb is used for combing out the mane and tail. 
• a short tooth comb is used to pull the mane
  

...To be continued...

You may want to see also:

• The first part of this post
• The next part of this post

Grooming a Horse

Regular, thorough grooming is necessary to keep your horse clean and healthy.

This also stimulates circulation, keeps your horse looking good and can help to build a relationship between the two of you. By doing this, you have a perfect chance to check your horse over for any lumps, bumps, or heat, and because of this, you should not wear gloves when grooming so you can feel any abnormalities. You should always tie your horse up before beginning this.

Grooming kit:

1. Body brush - is a soft-bristled brush that removes dust and grease from deep down in the coat. It is rarely used on the grasskept horse, and always used in conjunction with the metal curry comp.
   
2. Dandy brush - is a hard-bristled brush that removes caked mud and sweat from the coat, and is the primary tool used for grooming the grasskept horse. The dandy brush should not be used on the mane and tail because it will break the hairs.
   
3. Water Brush - ideal would be to have 2 water brushes:

• one to use it when you are finished with the grooming. This way you can take all the remained dust off the coat and you can arrange the mane on a side of the neck.
• the second one you can use only when you want to clean the feet
  

                                                              ......TO BE CONTINUED.....

You may want to see:

• The second part of this post
• The last part of this post

Choosing and buying a horse

When you buy a horse, it is likely that you will have it for several years. Because of that it is very important you are buying a horse that is suitable for you, your circumstances, your knowledge, and your ability.
For the novice or first-time owner it is a good idea to take along an experienced friend when viewing a horse. Often they will spot something that you overlook.  It is also helpful to make a list of points that you want in a horse before you even start looking. You can then focus on the type of horse you need and ignore ones you don't need. Buying a horse can be a lengthy process and you may spend months looking at different kids before finding the one that suits you best. However, it is well worth taking the time to do this rather that rushing in to buy something for the sake of it. 
When looking at horses, it is often what the seller does tell yo that is important, so try to ask as many relevant questions as possible in order to find out as much about the horse and its history as you can.

• this short description was made according to "The Encyclopedia of  Horses & Ponies" by Tamsin Pickeral

The anatomy of the Horse-Part II

Something about a good conformation

The first thing when judging a horse's conformation is to identify what type or breed of horse you are looking at. Every breed has some special characteristics that you should search for, and mainly if you do not find them, there is some kind of conformational fault. For example, Arabs have a high-set and carried tail because they have one less vertebra in the back than other breeds. Therefore, if you are looking at an Arab horse, and it had a low and poorly-set tail, then it is safe to assume that this is an area of poor conformation

Next, you should know what sex is the horse. Mares invariably have a slightly longer back than geldings, and it is a good idea to don't forget this. Secondly, you should know how old is the horse too. A very old one sags naturally in the back and will have lost muscle tone. This point is also very important in discussing the conformation.

The head: should appear to be in proportion to the rest of the body. The ears should be alert and pricked. The horse should have a broad and flat forehead (a bulging forehead may tell you he has a bad temper and he is unpredictabil), with large "kind" eyes well apart to allow good peripheral vision. The nostrils should be large enough to allow for maximum intake of air, and the mouth should be neither too long, but also too short. A horse with a very small mouth may be difficult to fit bits to, and one with a long mouth can often be strong and a "puller". The incisors of the top and the bottom jaw should meet exactly at the front of the mouth, with the top jaw somewhat wider than the bottom jaw. There should be at least a fist-sized space between the 2 bones of the lower jaw, indicating unrestricted room for the start of the respiratory tract.

The head should be "well set" to the neck, meaning that the horse should not be thick in the jowl and gullet region, which would restrict flexion. The neck should be long enough to allow for a "good length of rein" m with a well-developed top line and a gentle curve from the withers to the poll. In this direction, the length of the neck should be equal to one-and-a-half times the front of the face to the lower lip. The neck should be  also "well set" to the shoulder, being neither too low nor too high.

You may want to see also:

• The first part of this post
• The last part of this post

this short description was made according to "The Encyclopedia of  Horses & Ponies" by Tamsin Pickeral

The anatomy of the Horse - Part I

The skeleton of the horse is intrinsically linked to the horse's performance, well-being and appearance. It supports the body, maintains body shape, allows for movement, and provides points of attachment for the muscles and tendons. 

Conformation

1. How tall is a Horse?

Horses and Ponies are measured in units called "hands". One hand is the equivalent of four inches or ten centimeters. For example if we have a pony that has 15.5 hh (hands high) that means 15 hands and 5 inches high. Whether being measured in hands and inches, or in centimeters, the height is always taken from the ground to the hightest point of the withers, and for an accurate reading, the horse should be measured standing on a flat level surface, and without shoes. 

    2.  Conformation

The conformation of a horse is the way the horse has been put together, which is effectively the bone structure beneath the skin. A horse can be described as having "good conformation", meaning that he is considered to have been put together correctly, and in proportion and balance for the job he has been bred to do. On the other hand, "bad/poor conformation" describes a horse that has certain weakness in its frame, and that may lead to injury, or at the very least, an impaired ability to do his job.

   3.  Condition

The condition of a horse is governed by several factors like:

• what type pf work he is doing
• what he is fed
• his state of health
• how well he is being looked after

So taking in consideration, a horse that is eventing fit, in good health and eating the correct amont of food, will have good solid muscle development, and could be described as being in "good/hard condition". Also, a well-fed, healthy horse that is not working hard, and , therefore, does not have well-developed muscles, cold be described in "good, but soft condition". To the untrained eye, it is easy to mistake a horse lacking in muscle development and having poor conformation. The same is with an overweight horse with an excess of fatty tissue around the stifle and on the crest can be mistaken for being of "good conformation". 

As a conclusion it is very important to not forget that "conformation" and "condition" are two totally different things.

You may want to see:

• The second part of this post
• The last part of this post

• this short description was made according to "The Encyclopedia of  Horses & Ponies" by Tamsin Pickeral