Intro to Equine Science Exam 1

Vertebral Formula

7c 18t 6L 5s 15-21ca

Instinctive Behaviors

Flight, reproductive, mother young, eliminative, ingestive, combative, gregarious, investigative

Morgan

• versatile

• only breed named after horse/man: Justin Morgan

• registered horses w/ registered Sires/Dams

• No white color

• primarily pleasure/show

American Saddlebred

• “Peacock of the show world”

• High Tail set

• 3 gaited, 5 gaited, and fine harness

• pedigree registration

• 3: animated walk, park trot, canter

• 5: Animated walk, trot, slow gait, rack, canter

• Fine Harness: animated walk, park trot, “show your horse”

• Stripping Class

Tennessee Walking Horse

• bred as utility horse

• head nod and overstride

• recreational mount: smooth, and gentle disposition

• long sloping shoulder/hip

• short back

• Flat Walk: 4-8 mph, 4 beat

• running walk: 10-20mph, more stride

• Canter: 3 beat gait

Arabian

• oldest breed

• Defined face

  • dished nose

  • Flat or bulged forehead (jihba)

  • Arched throatlatch (Miba)

• Extreme stamina = 100 miles in day over harsh terrain

• well sprung ribs and short topline

Standardbred

• speed is performance

• Pace: 2 beat lateral

• Pacer gait is very heritable

• Trot: 2 beat diagonal

• Colors: Bay, chestnut, brown, black, gray

Thoroughbred

• developed for speed at distance

• polo ponies, jumpers, hunters, racers

• most have long forearm/gaskin, and great length from hip to hock

• Jockey Club - live cover

• black, dark bay/brown, bay, chestnut, gray

Breed

A group of animals with distinguishable characteristics like function, color, conformation, color

Pig eye

Eye is too small

Parrot mouth

Fault: overbite

Monkey mouth

Fault: underbite

Throatlatch should be:

thin, a thick throatlatch limits flow of vitals and prevents arching

Ewe Neck

Fault of the neck.

Upper and lower sides of the neck are arched downward.

High head carriage “stargazing”

Interferes with horse’s vision and bit control

Shoulder should tie:

High into horse’s shoulder: if low, may cause horse to travel heavy on forehand.

The withers are

• the first 10 thoracic vertebrae

  • Peak is 3/4/5

• The meeting point of back, neck, and peak of shoulders

Withers should be

Level with or slightly higher than croup

Back should not be:

Long

• long back=long loin

• weak and limited impulsion

• prone to tire

• prevents lateral movement

Barrel should be

Deep and Wide

to accommodate heart and lungs

Ribcage should

Be well arched and project back/down

Underline should:

rise cleanly and slope gradually

be long and deep

Slabsided

short, flat, straight, and upright barrel

provides little room for heart development and lung capacity

Forelegs carry

65% of horse’s weight

Front view line

Point of shoulder to center of foot, bisecting knee, cannon, and fetlock

Toed In

• “Pigeon toed”

• Feet point inward

• Wings out during travel

Toed Out

• “Splayed Footed”

• feet turn outward

• Wing in during travel- legs interfere with eachother

Shoulder Angle

45-50 degrees

Upright Shoulder

• Greater than 50 degrees

• restricts foreleg stride

• worse shock absorption

Humerus

• Long = increased RoM

• Upright = better for show jumper, can tuck

• More horizontal = better for cutter, can jump side to side

Elbow

• Point of elbow should be in front of peak of withers

• turns slightly outward to point toes forward

Forearm

• connects elbow to knee

• radius and ulna

• long for LoS

Knock Knees

• Front View

• deviate towards each other

Bow legs

• Front view

• knees deviated away from e.o

Bench Knees

• cannon bone offset to knees

Calf Knee

• Side View

• Foreleg bends back (bad for shock)

Bucked Knees

• Side View

• Forelegs bend forward

Cannon

• between knee and fetlock

• want short cannon for long forearm

Angles

• Angle of pastern/dorsal hoof wall to match shoulder

• Angle of hip to match shoulder

Hindleg Side Line

From point of buttock to hock and down cannon

Croup

• loin to base of tail

• long from point of hip to buttock, more power/leverage

Stifle

• widest point of hindquarters from behind

• same height as elbow

Hock

• hardest working joint

• ample size

Straight hock, long gaskin, short cannon

lengthy stride

Angled hock, short cannon

pivots, sliding stops, rollbacks

Sickle Hock

Camped under from hock down

Straight Hock

“posty”, easily injured/less shock absorption/up down movement

Cow hocked

• In at hock (view from behind)

• strain on insides of hocks and stifles

• toed out

Bow legged

• hocks further apart than fetlocks

• often toed in

• common in younger horses

Training

Modification of behavior

• we train horses to “add value”

Vision

• primarily monocular

• some limited binocular vision

Response

act that horse makes

Reinforcement

Anything that strengthens response

• Primary: naturally occurring

• Secondary: learned (ex: whistle, release touch)

Contingent Reinforcement:

Identify response and follow promptly with reinforcement

Historic English Saddle

Developed for war horses

Did not have stirrups

Historic Westen saddle

• 1830s vaqueros

• slim horn

Parts of Saddle

• tree

• bars

• gullet

• cantle

• swell/fork/horn

Tree

• distributes weight

• bars, cantle, pommel, swell

• shape/longevity

Bars of Saddle

• sides of horse’s spine

Swell/Fork

• pommel

• more swell = more rider support

• joins bars together, provides base for horn

Gullet

• space under pommel

In-Skirt rig

• maximum leg contact

• strong

Flat plate rigging

• more bulk than in skirt

• very strong

• hangs lowest

Dee Ring

• bulky

• weakest

• highest

• seen most often with front and back cinch

Tree Materials

• wood covered in hide

• wood covered in fiberglass

• polyethylene

Lining

• sheepskin

• wool

• acrylic

Flocking

• used in panel of english saddle

• usually wool, sometimes foam

• wool can be reflocked

Reining Saddle

• feel

• low horn

• seat that rider can move pelvis in

Cutting Saddle

• flat seat

• high/thin horn

• free moving stirrups

Roping Saddle

• strong horn/tree/rigging

• front and back cinch

• low rounded fork

• deep wide stirrups

Barrel Saddle

• deep seat

• small skirt

• narrow horn

English All purpose saddle

• combines jumping/dressage

• deep seat

• flaps cut

Close contact/jumping saddle

• shallow seat

• flaps short/angled forward

Dressage Saddle

• deep seat

• high cantle/pommel

• straight flaps

• longer billets

• knee rolls/calf blocks

Event Saddle

• deep seat

• knee support

• thigh blocks

Australian saddle

• combo eng/west

• used for trail and endurance

• high cantle

Saddle Seat

• cutback in withers

• balance further back

Evaluate before bridling:

• loose/abscessed teeth

• caps on young

• wolf teeth

• if teeth need floated

• foreign objects in gum tissue

5 Pressure Points (Bridling)

• Bars

• Tongue

• Palate

• Chin Groove

• Poll

Bars of Mouth

• least sensitive

• between molars and incisors

Tongue

• second most sensitive

• all bits, employed by bars and port

• higher port = relief

Palate

• Most sensitive

• roof of mouth

• Leverage bits with high port

Chin Groove

• Employed by leverage bit

• Longer purchase = less pressure

Poll

• Leverage Bit

• longer purchase = more pressure

Parts of Bit

• bars

• port

• shank

• purchase

Bars of Bit

• smaller diameter = more pressure

• texture

• more joints = more give

Port of Bit

• part of mouthpiece that extends above/below bars

• wider/higher = more tongue relief

• +2 inches = palate pressure

Purchase

• extends above mouthpiece

• longer = more signal and more poll pressure

Shank

• extends below mouthpiece

• rein attaches

• effects balance, leverage, severity

Snaffle Bit

• no shank

• direct pressure

• lateral control

• bars and tongue

Leverage bit

• shank

• generally, more pressure

• Can use all 5 pressure points

Bit Materials

• sweet iron

• copper

• stainless steel

• plastic/rubber

• aluminum

• silver

Curb Strap

• no/low port = four fingers flat between strap and horse

• higher port = loosen more