How does horse measurement work?

How to use a flexible curve on a horse Withers?

With the flexible curve lying directly on your horse’s withers, carefully mold it to follow the contour of the withers. Make sure the flexible curve does not pop up when you let go of it or this will yield inaccurate results.

What are wither tracings on a saddle?

If you’ve worked with a saddle fitter before, you’ve likely seen them take tracings of your horse’s back and withers. Saddle fitters use wither tracings to keep a visual record of your horse’s changes in shape over time.

How to stretch a horse’s Withers?

Mold the flexible curve over the withers 2″ behind the back edge of the shoulder blade. Carefully, lift the flexible curve from your horse’s back, keeping the left side of the curve in your left hand, and the right side in your right.

What is the difference between a broad and narrow chested horse?

Horses with broad chests will be heavier and slower. Those with narrow chests might not be fit for riding as it is more difficult for them to move with the rider on their backs, having less space for heart and lungs (smaller organs and worse exertional abilities).

What do the tracings on a saddle mean?

TRACING THE WITHERS OF THE HORSE IS BOTH EASY — AND NECESSARY. The tracings tell us what ANGLES are necessary for us to correctly adjust the tree of the saddle to fit the back. Western saddle makers use terms like “full quarter horse tree,” “semi quarter” and “half quarter.”

What happens to the shape of a saddle as the horse grows?

The saddle will hold this shape unless it is reflocked, but the tree remains the same. No matter how the horse grows, changes in muscling, in diet, in exercise, in age the traditional custom saddle fit remains as it was on the day of the tracings.

How to tracing a horse’s back?

The topline tracing measures the vertical drop and profile of your horse’s back. You don’t need to mark any areas for this tracing, but DON’T remove the tape yet! Before taking the last tracing, draw a horizontal line from the left to the right side of the paper, about 4″ from the bottom of the paper.

How to trace a horse’s Withers?

The wash stall may look tempting but is not an ideal area for wither tracings, as they are typically slanted towards the drain. Next, use the masking tape to mark BOTH left and right sides of your horse for the first three tracing areas. WITHERS: Use two pieces of tape for each side.

What do you need to make a wither tracing?

You’ll only need a few tools to make a wither tracing. What You’ll Need Scissors. Cardboard from an old cereal box or a sheet of heavy bristol board. Pencil or marker. Bendable tracing “Flex Curve” or a piece of wire that will hold its shape when you bend it.

How do you measure your withers with a tape?

If you are using a measuring tape, you may want to have a helper hold the bottom of the tape while you check the measurement at the top. Pull the measuring device straight up to the top of the withers. The withers is located at the top of the shoulders between the neck and back.

Does the material of the wither strap matter?

The material of the strip does not matter, although they are usually made of leather. Wither strap is not a mandatory part of equipping a horse, it simply adds some convenience.

Why are there different types of equipment provided for a contact horse?

Horses often become participants of various competitions and demonstration performances, therefore different variations of equipment are provided for them in order to ensure the convenience of the horse and the rider, also depending on the type of event, to make a ride on the horse safe.

Why is my horse’s pelvis asymmetrical?

This particular horse had a pelvic fracture when she was young, and the asymmetry is due to how the pelvis healed. No amount of bodywork or training will make that horse symmetrical. You can, however, make her pelvis functional again with good bodywork and proper training.

Why do some horses have one foot higher than the other?

Most horses have naturally asymmetrical hooves – one foot has a higher heel and the other one has a longer toe. This has in part to do with their grazing preference and their “handedness.”

What is a “wither?

One of the strangest is “ withers ,” the term that denotes the high ridge of spinal processes at the lower end of the mane. Who thought up this name, and why is it plural when the horse has only a single feature for the designation?

Why is my horse’s pelvis distorted?

An older horse’s pelvis can become distorted due to a fall, trauma or long term muscular stresses, without the pelvic symphysis being separated. This is because it has fully ossified.

What is pelvic asymmetry and how does it affect saddle fit?

Pelvic asymmetry can link with rotation of the spine and scoliosis along its length. This pelvic asymmetry can cause knock-on pain through different loading and muscle use, throughout the body and limbs. All of this will usually land you with saddle fit issues too.

Why do horses have eyes on opposite sides of their heads?

The horse’s eyes, set on opposite sides of the head, can actually focus on two different things at one time. T his is a survival adaptation to help them notice predators.

What do we know about lameness in the equine limb?

Because much is already known about the dynamic behavior of many anatomic structures with the equine limb (each a potential focus of lame- ness), knowledge of the instant of occurrence of peak lameness within the stride cycle may help further isolate the lameness within the limb. References 1. Stashak TS. Examination for lameness.

What is the path of pelvis movement during lameness?

ward motion of the pelvis. Thus, lameness with the most significant pain occurring in the cranial one- half of stance will result in the first pattern of pelvic motion described above. The pelvis will move down during the stance phase of the lame limb, but the absolute height will be higher than during the stance phase of the sound limb.

How can pelvic asymmetry cause knock-on pain?

Pelvic asymmetry can link with rotation of the spine and scoliosis along its length. This pelvic asymmetry can cause knock-on pain through different loading and muscle use, throughout the body and limbs.

Why is my horse’s pelvis twisted?

The reason for this is that the two halves of the pelvis have opened out to the extent that there’s no symmetry in the living horse’s structure at all. The pelvis is both distorted and twisted. The tuber sacrales tell us about sacroiliac damage, usually when these are of different heights > 5 mm.

Why do some saddles not fit high withers?

The shape of the tree at the pommel does not allow the saddle to fit horses with high withers or poorly developed spinal muscles over the withers. The bars or panels are the parts of the saddle that make direct contact with the horse’s back.

How does the pelvis move?

Objective Analysis of Pelvic Movement in the Sound Horse and in the Horse With Unilateral Hindlimb Lameness In a sound horse at the trot, the pelvis, as a whole unit, moves up and down twice during one complete stride.

How to tell if a horse is hindlimb lame?

A classic sign of hindlimb lameness is a hip hike, which is when one of the horse’s hips climbs higher than the other. This movement is similar to a head bob in that the horse is trying to reduce the load on the lame foot by raising his hip on the same side higher.