Conformation Question - Stifles

[Andraste]

What is the difference between a forward and backward stifle placement? I've tried comparing some of my horses with forward stifles with horses with backward stifles, but I think there's too many differences for me to determine if the differences I've seen are actually from the stifle placement or something else.

Thanks so much! I appreciate the help!

[vallers]

What is the difference between a forward and backward stifle placement? I've tried comparing some of my horses with forward stifles with horses with backward stifles, but I think there's too many differences for me to determine if the differences I've seen are actually from the stifle placement or something else.

Thanks so much! I appreciate the help!

A forward placed stifle is ideal for agility while a set back stifle is ideal for movement.

So from what I see is this if the stifile is forward you get bonus agility and backwards you get more movement bonus based on looking at several of my horses. So stifle in the middle gives bonus to both but not as high.

[Andraste]

Sorry, I think I asked the question wrong: I meant what does it look like visually? Does it have an effect on how long the belly appears? Or is it more like the angle of the thigh?

The reason I'm asking is less for the stats it exemplifies and more what anatomical effect it has so I know what standard to set while trying to make my Andalusian horses look Andalusian. Hopefully that offers a bit more clarity!

[vallers]

Oh ok I don't know

[BHR_Training]

It affects what the hip looks like. I had to scrap all my quarter horse mares because they were only producing backwards stifles, so even though they were maxed out in hip length they were still very short and ungainly looking. Basically, forward stifles=bigger looking butts which is basically what QH horses are known for haha

[BlackOak2]

What is the difference between a forward and backward stifle placement? I've tried comparing some of my horses with forward stifles with horses with backward stifles, but I think there's too many differences for me to determine if the differences I've seen are actually from the stifle placement or something else.

Thanks so much! I appreciate the help!

If you take what vallers said and look at the conformation for disciplines and pull up the champions of the disciplines for agility and for movement (nominally western disciplines and dressage disciplines respectively) and actually look at those top horses, you'll see what I'll describe here:

If you take a point of reference, the point of the hip (for instance) and use that as a guide, you'll notice that the stifle in the agility (a couple of the western disciplines) horses offer the stifle to be directly in line with or even in front of the line of that hip (if you were to draw an imaginary line straight to the ground from that point of hip), but for those in the movement (dressage disciplines) horses, you'll notice that those stifles appear behind the line of that point of the hip. So the forward stifle could be defined (at least that would be how I might do so) as 'forward of the point of hip line' and the backward stifle as 'behind the point of hip line'.
(I also noticed that you can have a flat or a rounded croup in both instances)

I hope this helps you further (I'd use my own horses as examples, but none of them are good 'drastic' emphasis for either and nor does their coloring help).

I'm sure I'm not completely accurate, but visually using the top horses on this sight, this is what I see.

[BHR_Training]

http://www.horseworldonline.net/forum/v ... 305#p38305

This is a link to a topic where I was asking a similar question. The top horses stifle is very backwards and the lower horses is in front of the hip as BlackOak says. By the way BlackOak, the visuals you provided were awesome. I had it somewhat figured out from the confo tab, but that will help a lot.

[BlackOak2]

thumbs up!


...we need a thumbs up smiley...

[Andraste]

I agree! Thank all of you so much, that was definitely helpful. Feels good to finally understand!