I'm too old for this

[Palogal]

http://http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj162/palogal/The%20tree/1124081122a.jpg

Here's freckles 98 Sorrel Toby who had never seen a saddle or been tied prior to this summer/fall. She strongly feels she is too old to be tied to a tree although she has watched both of her daughters do it.http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj162/palogal/The%20tree/1124081122a.jpg


I think I'm going to ask my neighbors to teach me to barrel race with her. She's a lovely mare but not built for dressage.

[WP~Paint]

I don't know a whole bunch about confo. but I think the way she is built she could do barrels!

[oursarge]

I love her markings and her color!

[Palogal]

She's not as down hill as she looks here! I need to expand my horizons! I'm going to play-day!

[WashingtonBay]

She's not as down hill as she looks here! I need to expand my horizons! I'm going to play-day!

????

She's not down hill at all. If anything she's up hill.

[cloedoll]

Lol, whadda cutey!

[Remali]

She sure is a beautiful horse!

[doc_western]

????

She's not down hill at all. If anything she's up hill.

i agree, she looks uphill to me. :huh:
she looks like a lovely horse.

[Kowgirlkate]

I thought any horse could benefit from dressage ;)

[Palogal]

Yeah, they can but she has other aspirations I believe. Her bloodlines are speed, I think she would like that better.

[Joey A]

????

She's not down hill at all. If anything she's up hill.

Yeah, you need to adjust your monitor, or fix your chair. :p

[Palogal]

Are ya'll saying uphill b/c her withers are higher than her hips? It thought that was downhill.

[WashingtonBay]

Are ya'll saying uphill b/c her withers are higher than her hips? It thought that was downhill.

When she is backing up maybe.

[Kowgirlkate]

I always thought downhill was when their rear was higher than thier withers..

[WashingtonBay]

I always thought downhill was when their rear was higher than thier withers..

Don't be confused now. You're right.

[Joey A]

I personally have always thought of "uphill" and "downhill" as referring to how the neck comes out of the shoulder. uphill ~ dressage / saddleseat. downhill ~ hunter / western pleasure.

I've (and known associates) always referred to uneven hip / withers as hip high / wither high respectively.

[Kowgirlkate]

Maybe it's a regional thing ? ;)
I got my defination outta confo and other horse books and hearing horse people talk.

[WashingtonBay]

There's some debate about where the reference should be measured from... Some say wither to croup, some say elbow to stifle... some say the center of the neck to the hip.

But the point is, does the horse appear to be going up hill, or going down hill, if you can't see the ground he's standing on. Neck set and carriage can very much affect whether the horse is going to appear uphill or down hill.

[IrisGreen]

Originally Posted by Palogal
Are ya'll saying uphill b/c her withers are higher than her hips? It thought that was downhill.
When she is backing up maybe.

:hysterical: I about spit my coffie out when I read that!!!

Muffin is down hill. His butt is up in the air because he is growing making him look like he is walking down a hill. His withers are lower then his big butt up in the air. lol All his wieght is on his front end mostly.

She is a nice looking horse Palogal. Where did you get her? I don't think I have ever seen pictures of you on a horse?

[WashingtonBay]

:hysterical: I about spit my coffie out when I read that!!!

:D That is my goal! Always! :D

[vicklynn]

Frankly, I dont care, I like the horse, and would like to see better and more pics of her. If ya cant do that, then bring her over, Ill do it while she lives here in my pasture.....LMBO
I love her stockiness, that is soooo nice.

[IrisGreen]

Just for giggles.

Up Hill:
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/DesignersPet/Muffinonpatiosmall.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/DesignersPet/King3.jpg

Down Hill:
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/DesignersPet/MuffinBath022.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/DesignersPet/MuffinBath016.jpg

Normal:
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/DesignersPet/Blanket001.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/DesignersPet/TieRing008.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/DesignersPet/Blanket008.jpg
Muffin is growing so he goes through stages of up/down/normal.

[IrisGreen]

Wouldn't uphill be better for barrels anyways? I mean I would think so? That way they could get there hind end under themselves and power out of the turns? Or would being uphill cause them to bounce on there front end more and not get down into the turns?

[vicklynn]

Yup to that last question.

Love the pics, cracked up on that step one..lol
Hey, I know that blanket. Looks good on my boy, cant see it even trying to fit yours as big as he is now..lol
He sure is butt high in his growth stage, wow. How old is he again? How many more of those are going to happen.

[IrisGreen]

ohh, I have no idea about how big he is going to get!! ohh brother.... He was normal last week then this week his butt shot up in the air again and he looks like that down hill picture above! He is 2 1/2 now and getting another big growing spurt. I really need to measure him and see how tall he is...I think I will do that today :)

I got a rain sheet from the same company, same color and everything. It's a 78 and now that I got it on him I should have ordered an 80 but it's fine for this year. I might be selling it to you this summer;) if he keeps growing. lol

[IrisGreen]

I measured Muffin. Just with a measuring tape and eye-balling it. I think hes only 15.2 but his butt is 16 hands. lol It's hard to measure with out a stick to level it off. Last time I measured he was just at 15 hands and that was a few months back. He's not getting taller for the most part it's more thicker, wider and filling out. But, that's the growing stages and maybe this is a getting taller growing stage? I have no idea how tall he will get but I can't imagine over 16.2 at the most. My question is how wide is he going to get :eek:

[42many]

Maybe he'll get to be 16.2... both ways!! :D

My kids ask me if I am done growing - I always say I'm done growing up, but I mentally add that I have to slow down on growing OUT!

[Palogal]

Either way - she's in HEAT. Gah! The nasty witchy, squirting, broncy kind. Oh well, the tree doesn't mind. It just took us a little longer to get things accomplished.:cowboy:

[IrisGreen]

Maybe he'll get to be 16.2... both ways!! :D

My kids ask me if I am done growing - I always say I'm done growing up, but I mentally add that I have to slow down on growing OUT!

:hysterical:Ohh, don't say that!!! 16.2 wide!!:eek: He is already going to be hard to saddle fit!! lol :p

Yeah, I think no matter what your age you always have it in the back of your mind to watch out how wide you grow;). They always say...Ride a Draft horse, It makes your butt look smaller:p

Either way - she's in HEAT. Gah! The nasty witchy, squirting, broncy kind. Oh well, the tree doesn't mind. It just took us a little longer to get things accomplished.

Well, did you like my pictures? I hope it helps show the difference and the down hill look opposed to the uphill.

What did you get accomplished? Tie training? Poor tree has to deal with a moody mare :p

Do you think an uphill horse would be better for barrels? Have you trained a horse for barrels before?

I think an uphill horse might be better but I'm no trainer and I barely know how to ride in the first place. :rolleyes:

[Palogal]

Yes IG - they were funny.

I have no idea what's desirable for barrels, I only know that my neighbor who won the Ammy APHA World in Barrels last year thinks she could do it. So, WTH I'll give her a shot. Yesterday we went through our lunging routine as usual squirting and all and added turn on the forhand to our repitoire. Then it was tree time.

[ownedby7horses]

She's really pretty Palo, and I'll bet she could haul ass in barrels! Have fun with her!

[Palogal]

I'm a little disheartened. Today she would not let me on her. Yesterday she was completely fine and today she bucked when I tried to mount. I think her back is sore. So, I'm going to rest her for 2 days and reassess. I have a call into the chiro for next week if she does not shape up by then.

[Tiz]

Cute mare. I'm happy to see you don't age discriminate, palo. It's refreshing.

Downhill is wither high, not butt high.

[Palogal]

Cute mare. I'm happy to see you don't age discriminate, palo. It's refreshing.
.


:) Even my 13 year old dressage horse gets the tree pretty often!

[WashingtonBay]

Downhill is wither high, not butt high.

Which direction do you go up and down hills? Forwards or backwards? A horse who is higher in front than in back can be said to be going uphill. A horse who is higher in back than in front is headed down hill.

This makes the most sense to me instinctively... but don't take my word for it...

8 The Horse's Overall Balance (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equine_conformation#The_Horse.27s_Overall_Balance_ and_Bone)

Others :)

horse downhill conformation - Google Search (http://www.google.com/search?q=horse+downhill+conformation&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a)

[IrisGreen]

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/DesignersPet/King3-1.jpg
^ Up Hill, Looks like he is walking up a hill.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/DesignersPet/MuffinBath016-1.jpg
^ Down Hill
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/DesignersPet/MuffinFirstRide092-1.jpg
^ Normal

Hope that helps.

Edit: All 3 of these pics were taken on level ground. I just cut the legs off so you would only focus on the top line.

[Palogal]

Downhill is wither high, not butt high.

That's what I thought too. The butt is "downhill" from the withers.

[Peggy Sue]

You two have it backwards when a horse is downhill they travel downhill meaning front end heavy ... which means their hiney is higher then thier front end and I don't think it is a desired trait for any disciple... except maybe QH halther it seems ...

[Tiz]

Geez, I don't like it when I'm wrong. Or maybe most of you, and all those crackpots on the internet are wrong. Yeah, that's it.

I stand corrected.

[Palogal]

Me too.

[Peggy Sue]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equine_conformation

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dd/Quarter_Horse%28REFON%29.jpg/150px-Quarter_Horse%28REFON%29.jpg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Quarter_Horse(REFON).jpg) http://upload.wikimedia.org/skins/common/images/magnify-clip.png (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Quarter_Horse(REFON).jpg)
A "croup-high" horse.


Withers Lower than Croup/Rump High/Downhill Balance [46] (http://www.ophb-tcf.org/images/nonpro_yearling_colt.jpg)

The peak of the croup is higher than the peak of the withers. This is less desirable than a horse with higher withers.
Seen in any breed but especially in Thoroughbreds, Standardbreds (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standardbred), and Quarter Horses.
Young horses are usually built this way.
More weight is placed on the forehand, reducing the front-end agility. Muscles must work harder to lift the forehand, leading to muscular fatigue. It is difficult to raise the forehand at the base of a jump for liftoff. At speed, more work of loins, back & front end is needed to lift the forelimbs.
Increases concussion on the front legs, so the horse is at greater risk of front-end lameness. Greater jar on the rider.
Tends to throw the saddle & rider toward the shoulders, leading to chaffing, pressure around withers, & restricted shoulder movement.