>> back was a little long, but it's not sagging at all...so there must be >> something else in her conformation that's keeping it solid...and >> strong. > > HMMM - That's an interesting question because other horses I know have > shorter backs but weaker backs.
It's not just the length to be considered, but things that we can't see! One "biggee" is the laxity or flexibility or tightness / looseness of the tendons and ligaments. Normally a short back *would* be stronger than a long back. But, say you have a short back with lax tendons and ligaments. The back looks fine from a standing-still-conformation-picture, but get on the horse, and it sags down, even with a light rider. Would that be a horse that should be bred? Do we want to perpetuate those lax tendons and ligaments? Or say you have a long back with very tight / stiff tendons and ligaments and the horse can carry weight, but can't bend.... Judy http://iceryder.net http://clickryder.com
