This message is from: Paula Steinmetz <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > This message is from: Steve McIlree <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > . ....One fellow in the Morgan camp who is > an engineer has done an in-depth analysis of the structure of the > horses illustrated in the old woodcuts, and claims that the angle of > the shoulder is very important to the versatility of the breed. My > point in all this discussion is that I find myself wondering where > Rosendalsborken's shoulder and neck are in the modern Fjord?
They have been lost for the most part I'd venture to say. My own belief is that the slope of shoulder is strongly correlated to the incidence of tripping, stumbling, etc., which impacts suitability to riding and, by extension, to versatility. One of my Swedish warmblood mares had a very correct shoulder (the much desired sloping 45 degree angle) in addition to overall balanced conformation. She received the highest rating possible, a "premium" rating, from the Swedish Evaluators when they were in the US in 1992. This mare DID NOT trip. Nor did the other horses I've owned (purchased or bred with this important confirmational feature in mind). It's been my observation that good shoulders and tripping don't happen together. All else being equal, of course - that the horse is in good health and properly shod. My weegie gelding with the straight shoulder trips (really shouldn't have bought him, but those eyes!); the other one with the more correct shoulder seldom does. One is (I hate to say this!) the "draft" type; one is the "riding" type. Guess which one has the straight shoulder and trips? By similar mathematics to what Steve's engineer friend did with the structural analysis, the relationship between tripping and slope of shoulder could be proved - or disproved. With two pieces of data for each gait - the shoulder angle and the number of trips over a measured distance (say, a flat 1/8 mile?), this data could be statistically analyzed to determine if there is a probable relationship between slope of shoulder and tripping. Anybody up to doing some tests? We'd need at least a hundred (maybe over a year's time?) for each gait being analyzed. I'll do the math, if you readers supply the data.
