I guess everyone knows that the "Wikipedia" is somewhat controversial, since people who may not be qualified can alter its content. But, I still find some useful compilations of information there.
I did a google search for "horse conformation ewe neck" and found a whole article on conformation. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equine_conformation Please don't take everything on this page as gospel, but it might be a good starting point...but remember to think about each trait individually and think and double think each point. It might be that someone involved in a totally different breed, or a totally different sport submitted the "fact"...or it could be that the "fact" is merely an old wives' tale. The give the article some credit though, in the first paragraph you see: "Thus "form to function" is one of the first set of trains considered in judging conformation. A horse with poor form for a Grand Prix show jumper could have excellent conformation for a World Champion cutting horse, or to be a champion Draft horse (draft horse showing). It is also important to remember that every horse has good and bad points of its conformation, no horse is perfect, and many horses (including Olympic caliber horses) excel even with conformation faults." One major beef I have about this article: there is very little detail about how conformation affects gaited horses...and it seems to me that the few generalities given probably originated in the show world. For instance, under "Straight, upright, or vertical shoulder" it says: >>An upright shoulder is best for gaited or park showing, parade horses, and activities requiring a quick burst of speed, like roping or Quarter Horse racing. << Oookay... But it also says, >> An upright shoulder may cause a rough, inelastic ride due to the high knee action. It increases concussion on front limbs, possibly promoting the development of DJD or navicular disease in hard-working horses. The stress of impact tends to stiffen the muscles of the shoulder, making the horse less supple with a reduced range of motion needed for long stride reach. << So, I have to ask, why would gaited horses need a conformation that may "may cause a rough, inelastic ride"? And a "reduced range of motion"...? MAYBE...because of the next phrase, "due to the high knee action"...? Next question...why does the FEIF promote knee action? What do the horses gain from knee action? Is it in the best interest of those of who are in search of a smooth-gaited trail horse? Karen Thomas, NC
