Horse Talk

[Peaches Lee]

Exactly what Forrest Gump said. Horses are anatomically designed heavier in the front. Also, many people ride their horses on the forehand, leading to more wear and tear on the front feet.

 

[ChickenLover200]

Exactly what Forrest Gump said.  Horses are anatomically designed heavier in the front.  Also, many people ride their horses on the forehand, leading to more wear and tear on the front feet. 

to add, also. If you notice the contour of the horse's body, the larger part of the stomach/chest is toward the front. The heart alone weighs up to 10lb. Or more.

 

[Peaches Lee]

to add, also. If you notice the contour of the horse's body, the larger part of the stomach/chest is toward the front. The heart alone weighs up to 10lb. Or more.

True! And horses heads are really heavy too!!

 

[Bunnylady]

Quote: But let's not confuse volume with mass - a lot of what is in that stomach/chest area is lungs, and the lungs are mostly air. A large percentage of the muscle mass is in the rear, and as tissue goes, muscle is pretty dense.

I'm not arguing that horses are heavier at one end or the other, what I'm musing about is wear, and there is more involved in that than just weight distribution. (which I am told is more like 60/40 than 67/33, and that's while standing still)

See, we have highly organic soil around here, and when it is wet, it doesn't hold weight well. At its worst, it can turn into mud several feet deep. There is a particularly muddy section in my big horses' paddock that they avoid when it is really bad. When I see my big horses crossing that section, if it is muddy, their back ends are always lower than their fronts. If they are indeed heavier in the front than in the rear, weight alone can't account for that - based on weight distribution, the front end should sink more than the rear. Apparently, the force of trying to move that big body forward more than makes up for the extra weight on the front feet, and the back feet sink down more than the fronts do - which I'd think could translate into at least equal opportunity for damage from wear.

 

[ChickenLover200]

 

Exactly what Forrest Gump said.  Horses are anatomically designed heavier in the front.  Also, many people ride their horses on the forehand, leading to more wear and tear on the front feet. 

to add, also. If you notice the contour of the horse's body, the larger part of the stomach/chest is toward the front. The heart alone weighs up to 10lb. Or more.

But let's not confuse volume with mass - a lot of what is in that stomach/chest area is lungs, and the lungs are mostly air. A large percentage of the muscle mass is in the rear, and as tissue goes, muscle is pretty dense.

I'm not arguing that horses are heavier at one end or the other, what I'm musing about is wear, and there is more involved in that than just weight distribution. (which I am told is more like 60/40 than 67/33, and that's while standing still)

See, we have highly organic soil around here, and when it is wet, it doesn't hold weight well. At its worst, it can turn into mud several feet deep. There is a particularly muddy section in my big horses' paddock that they avoid when it is really bad. When I see my big horses crossing that section, if it is muddy, their back ends are always lower than their fronts. If they are indeed heavier in the front than in the rear, weight alone can't account for that - based on weight distribution, the front end should sink more than the rear. Apparently, the force of trying to move that big body forward more than makes up for the extra weight on the front feet, and the back feet sink down more than the fronts do - which I'd think could translate into at least equal opportunity for damage from wear. 

Very well said!
I guess I never pay attention much to when my two are walking through the marshy areas here. I just know that usually when I clean hooves, the fronts are the most packed and the backs usually never have anything in them.

 

[abigalerose]

I'm still just baffled that their hearts can weigh 10 pounds... That's huge! No wonder they're so full of love

 

[Peaches Lee]

But let's not confuse volume with mass - a lot of what is in that stomach/chest area is lungs, and the lungs are mostly air. A large percentage of the muscle mass is in the rear, and as tissue goes, muscle is pretty dense.

I'm not arguing that horses are heavier at one end or the other, what I'm musing about is wear, and there is more involved in that than just weight distribution. (which I am told is more like 60/40 than 67/33, and that's while standing still)

See, we have highly organic soil around here, and when it is wet, it doesn't hold weight well. At its worst, it can turn into mud several feet deep. There is a particularly muddy section in my big horses' paddock that they avoid when it is really bad. When I see my big horses crossing that section, if it is muddy, their back ends are always lower than their fronts. If they are indeed heavier in the front than in the rear, weight alone can't account for that - based on weight distribution, the front end should sink more than the rear. Apparently, the force of trying to move that big body forward more than makes up for the extra weight on the front feet, and the back feet sink down more than the fronts do - which I'd think could translate into at least equal opportunity for damage from wear.

I don't think anyone is confusing volume or mass, it's quite simply horses carry 60% of their weight on the forelegs. Your example of the muddy paddock could really only translate to wear and tear if the horses were to always live in that environment 24/7. To me, that is different than training wear and tear.

 

[Bunnylady]

I'm still just baffled that their hearts can weigh 10 pounds... That's huge! No wonder they're so full of love

Secretariat's heart wasn't weighed, but based on its measurements and the known weight of smaller hearts, it was estimated at 22 lbs. Now that's a pump!


(and a pretty impressive package for it, too)

 

[abigalerose]

I cantered on June today! This was her first canter under saddle, and my first canter in saddle. We didn't go very long, and it was a little terrifying, but it was awesome. I watched some Clinton Anderson videos and decided to have my grandpa lunge her while I was on her, and it worked perfect! We had a really good day, this is the first time I've worked her since her hoof started getting tender, so I brought her up and did some basic ground work and she did good, then I lunged her, she did good again, then saddled her up, she acted a little silly when I did that, she just walked off, so I took it off and did it again and she stood still, she was just really wanting to go stand by my grandpa, and then we did our cantering. She was so wonderful. And after we cantered I just rode her around for a few minutes, she did pretty good, at first she wanted to throw her head, but once she realized I wasn't going to let her stop and do what she wanted she quit doing that, and actually seemed pretty happy to listen to me. I was so proud of her, I know after a ride you're suppose to tie them up and let them think, but I couldn't help it, I gave her some grain and loved on her. The only thing she ever does that bothers me, is every time she sees my grandpa it's like her brain falls out, I don't know what it is about him, but she thinks if he's out there that she needs to be standing right beside him and touching him with her nose at all times. All the animals do it. They just really want to be near him/touching him 24/7. Strange lol.

 

[ChickenLover200]

I cantered on June today! This was her first canter under saddle, and my first canter in saddle. We didn't go very long, and it was a little terrifying, but it was awesome. I watched some Clinton Anderson videos and decided to have my grandpa lunge her while I was on her, and it worked perfect! We had a really good day, this is the first time I've worked her since her hoof started getting tender, so I brought her up and did some basic ground work and she did good, then I lunged her, she did good again, then saddled her up, she acted a little silly when I did that, she just walked off, so I took it off and did it again and she stood still, she was just really wanting to go stand by my grandpa, and then we did our cantering. She was so wonderful. And after we cantered I just rode her around for a few minutes, she did pretty good, at first she wanted to throw her head, but once she realized I wasn't going to let her stop and do what she wanted she quit doing that, and actually seemed pretty happy to listen to me. I was so proud of her, I know after a ride you're suppose to tie them up and let them think, but I couldn't help it, I gave her some grain and loved on her. The only thing she ever does that bothers me, is every time she sees my grandpa it's like her brain falls out, I don't know what it is about him, but she thinks if he's out there that she needs to be standing right beside him and touching him with her nose at all times. All the animals do it. They just really want to be near him/touching him 24/7. Strange lol.

great job! There's nothing like the feeling of accomplishment that you get after cantering a horse.