WHAT BRUCE LOOKS FOR: HOCKS AND STIFLE [horse-first thinking] When it comes to the hind end of a performance horse, two areas draw Bruce Falk's attention. The hocks and the stifle. And as with much of his assessment approach, experience teaches nuance over rigid rules. #Equestrian #Horse #Equine
"Yeah, with the showjumpers, we certainly, it's interesting, we don't want them to be stickle-hocked where the hocks, the hocks have got such a bend on them that they sort of weaken them, look like they might be flexible or weaken the hock. But again, there has been some really good showjumpers who are what they call low in the hock, so they are a little bit like that. So long as they have enough strength through the stifle, that's a tricky one. It's always hard when you're buying young horses to test that strength in the stifle. The top showjumpers breeders tend to say that the stifle is the key to the whole process, and if you've got a horse with a weak stifle, you run into problems with a horse, they don't have the ability to push themselves up."
💬 Discussion
WHAT BRUCE LOOKS FOR: HOCKS AND STIFLE [horse-first thinking] When it comes to the hind end of a performance horse, two areas draw Bruce Falk's attention. The hocks and the stifle. And as with much of his assessment approach, experience teaches nuance over rigid rules. #Equestrian #Horse #Equine