This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] I'd like to make a point of clarification. I'm afraid that Carol's definition of "good" legs on a Fjord may be confusing or misleading for some people. Whether Fjords have "dry, clean legs" or not does depend somewhat on parentage and conformation, but it has more to do with the horse's physical condition (i.e. body fat percent) and body type. If a horse is in lean condition, his tendons are going to be more defined, making one more likely to say he has "dry, clean legs". On the other hand, if that horse is slightly overweight, fat is going to fill in around those tendons and joints, and they will not be as defined, leading someone to say the legs are not as dry and clean. Believe me, there are 16 starved horses at our county fairgrounds right now that have the driest, cleanest legs you have ever seen! Also, when have you heard a big draft horse described as having dry legs? You may hear it occasionally, but not very often. And what are many Fjords? Small drafts.
As an equine veterinarian, I palpate many horse's tendons, and I can tell you that, for the most part, a tendon is a tendon. The most superficial of the flexor tendons that you can feel does have sharp edges, while the slightly deeper one has rounded edges. If we could judge 20 horses' legs, and then see all 20 horses' tendons laid out on a table, there's not a single one of us who could accurately pick which tendons belonged to which horse, no matter whether we had thought their legs were dry and clean, or spongy. Like Carol, I have seen many Fjords, and I feel very comfortable saying that, in general, the lighter bodied, slightly finer-boned Fjords would be classified by many as having drier, cleaner legs than would the intermediate body style or draft type Fjords. But do the lighter Fjords have stronger, sounder legs? No, not at all. In fact, it's more likely the other way around. To give an example with some of the horses that Carol mentioned, in the pictures I have seen of BDF Torolf, he is very lean and seems to be what most people would consider more the finer-boned, riding type Fjord. Gjest, on the other hand, seems to be more of the intermediate or all-purpose body type. In the pictures I have seen, one would not call Gjest's legs as dry and clean as Torolf's. Does this mean Torolf's legs are any better or stronger or sounder than Gjest's? Not a bit. So here's why I'm writing and making this distinction. Fjords in this country for the most part were historically the intermediate or draft type. More recently, the slightly finer body-type Fjord is gaining in popularity, but I believe are still a minority as far as total Fjord numbers go. Also, many Fjords tend to be kept in slightly overweight body condition. So most Fjords will not fit Carol's definition of good legs because their tendons and joints will not be sharply defined and delineated. Does this mean they have bad legs? No. On the other hand, does this mean I think "spongy" legs with no definition are better? No. As with many things, I believe moderation is the key; Somewhere in between is best. No one would argue that good, clean legs are desirable, but "dry"? I'm not sure we need to go too far in that direction. Brian Jacobsen, DVM Norwegian Fjordhest Ranch Salisbury, North Carolina >...To me describing a horse's legs as dry and hard means - not soft and spongy, which, unfortunately, can be a characteristic of the Fjordhorse. A characteristic good breeders everywhere are trying to eliminate. > When you feel a horse's legs and the tendon is really well defined, and feels a bit sharp, rather than soft and rounded. . . this is very good! You should immediately be able to feel all the very distinct parts of the leg, rather than the tendon and canon melding into each other. The leg shouldn't feel fleshy. Definitely not fleshy.-- That's what dry legs are. If the tendon is strong and "sharp", tight, and distinct, the leg is considered "clean." If you make a habit of feeling the legs of as many horses as you come across, you'll begin to distinguish between the good, bad, and inbetween legs. ___________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]
