arabian endurance saddles
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Black 16 Double T Western No Horn Endurance Trail Pleasure Saddle No Res-Arabian $112.50 |
Conformation for speed?
Not right now, but sometime in the future, I'm considering buying a new horse. Being as I'm getting into endurance riding, I want a horse that has a conformation for speed and durability.
I've narrowed my breed options down to another Morab, that is, a Morgan X Arabian, because the Arabs are notorious for their speed and stamina, while the Morgans are known for their smooth trot and wide chest, which, in the Morab, creates a very good respiratory system.
Now, what else should I look for that would give clues about the horses ability to move quickly and smoothly? I've read that horses with high withers, once fitted with a proper saddle that won't inhibit the movement, will have a wider range of motion through the shoulders, which creates a longer stride and faster movement. What else can I look for?
Good endurance conformation:
-sloping shoulder
-flat croup
-shorter back
-strong hindquarters
-uphill build
-medium or long neck (enables the horse to stretch out more)
Also nice:
-strong/heavy bone
-medium-length pasterns (too long, cannot sustain years of hard work, too short, choppy ride)
-large, sturdy feet
-short cannon bone in relation to upper leg
-low stifles (technically for sprint work you'd want high stifles, but since you want endurance...)
At the lower levels, any horse can sucessfully compete in endurance as long as their conformation isn't god-awful. I have to say, though, that at the upper levels it's almost exclusively Arabs and ArabXs.
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Black 16 Double T Western No Horn Endurance Trail Pleasure Saddle No Res-Arabian $112.50 |
Charm working under saddle 2009
