COMPETITIVE LONGE LINE

By Gord Wadds

Lesson 1

Selection, Conformation, Movement and Bloodlines

I. Selection

An exciting new competition…Longe Line…is sweeping the horse show world and will soon become a standard at most breed events.

Longe line competition is a way of showing the exceptional movement of an individual and is really the result of several decades of selective breeding which has produced a very nice selection of good moving western pleasure, hunter under saddle and all-around performance horses.

The Longe Line class for yearling performance prospects is exciting not only from the stand point of being a new discipline, but also because it has created a showcase to market the most popular equine commodity: the naturally pretty moving, slow legged performance horses of today.

As I walked out of the show arena with the now immortal ‘A Certain Vino’ and The Tom Powers Open Longe Line Championship in hand, I had a gentleman ask, “How do you train youngsters to move like that?” I thought for a brief moment and responded by saying," You breed the right mare to the right stallion.”

Breeding for that perfect horse is an imperfect science; selecting and training a prospect that will excel and achieve greatness is an art.

In this lesson you’ll learn that in order to develop a competitive performance prospect you must be able to analyze a young horse in depth for the necessary characteristics.

The word that is the common denominator in the whole process of selection is BALANCE.

Let’s see how your yearling stacks up!

We want mental balance in our disposition, attractive balance in our conformation and balanced, cadenced strides in our movement.

The analysis of a yearling begins with observation of every reaction and response to all areas of distraction.

Distractions come from any combination of three elements: sound, light and movement.

We want a prospect to show us normal and moderate response to our movements, to other horses and to any other close or distant distractions. From the horse’s responses you can see whether or not you are going to have a quiet and sensible disposition that will lead to one of the most important requirements and that is TRAINABILITY.

If a horse possesses trainability, he’ll show us that his responses are relaxed and that understanding comes easily. A horse with those qualities has the disposition necessary to becoming a competitive longe line yearling.

If a horse doesn’t have TRAINABILITY, then you don’t have a good prospect.

II. Conformation

The first concern in selecting a longe line horse is conformation. The longe line prospect must be “balanced.”

Conformation is the structure of the horse which is expressed physically as the “relationship form has to function”.

What we are seeking is “balanced movement”, and such movement begins with skeletal balance. The skeleton is the framework upon which soft tissue is built. The skeletal framework—the foundation-- must be correct if overall balance is to be achieved. Click here for a picture of the equine skeleton.

When we look at a balanced individual we can visually divide the horse into three parts that are relatively equal. The three divisions are: neck length, back length, and hip length. Click here for a diagram of the parts of the horse.

Too short a neck may make it difficult for the horse to regulate his balance in movement and his top line may not be able to show the level appearance necessary for both an attractive and balanced position.

Too long a neck can make it difficult for the horse to keep its head and neck still while it moves, especially at the lope.

If a young horse “bobs” its head and neck when it’s loping at its own natural, relaxed speed on a longe line, it is very likely it will have an “offensive” head and neck “bob” later in life when it is asked to optimize slowness and still maintain good movement.

The back should be a medium length, equal to the neck and hip.

Most horses with a short back are not going to move as fluid, smoothly or as slow-legged as the horse with a medium length back.

Since the strength of the horse’s back is an extremely important element in the ability to maintain good movement, a long back is also undesirable. The longer the horse’s back, the weaker his movement may become, especially as he begins to tire.

Although the length of the back is important in determining strength, the depth of the entire loin muscle group is a major factor affecting that strength.

The drive and depth of stride that is so fundamental to that very important slow and strong hind leg movement in all three gaits begins with a strong back and loin.

The hip length must be virtually equal to the length of the neck and the length of the back. The length of hip allows for the deep muscling that provides the strength for balanced movement. The strength from the hip is complimentary to the strength from the loin.

To me, the most valuable conformation asset is withers at least as high, if not higher than the hip.

To put the advantage of the higher withers into proper perspective, understand that a horse carries 65% - 70% of its weight on the forehand. Theoretically, the higher the withers, the lower the percentage of total body weight is on the forehand. Since we know that the less weight transfer to the forehand there is in each stride, the better movement there can be. (i.e.) lighter on the forehand and deeper, stronger drive from behind.

Click here for the conformation profile used in this lesson.

The angle of shoulder, correctness of legs and pastern and angle of hip are also factors in selecting conformation which indicates the horse may have very good movement.

As our conformation profile shows, the angle of the shoulder and the pastern need to be close to equal in order to facilitate that “flat” (i.e. minimally bent) knee and ankle movement.

The shoulder and pastern should be a little on the straight side. The horse in our conformation profile may be a too straight at 58 degrees, but more than likely has a nice “flat” front leg movement. A 55 degree angle might be considered ideal, since a reasonable amount of angle is necessary for good “shock absorption”.

I have found conversely, that a horse with excessive slope and length to the pastern and shoulder will have too much knee and ankle action.

Looking at the hind legs, our example horse shows a relatively straight pastern angle of 65 degrees, and a hock angle of 25 degrees.

Once again, to avoid any predisposition to unsoundness, a 60 degree hind pastern angle with up to a 30 degree hock angle might be considered ideal; anything straighter than a 25 degree hock may lead to skeleton injury resulting from concussion. Any angle more 35 degrees (i.e. sickle hocks) may lead to stress related problems in the hock joint.

The hock is probably the weakest link in the ‘chain’ of equine structure. This is confirmed by the fact hock pain is the most common of all performance horse problems.

The longe line prospect must be structurally correct in front and hind legs.

I like to drop a plumb line from the center of the shoulder (from a front view), and have it remain centered as it runs through the knee, cannon bone, fetlock, pastern and hoof. Any great degree of variation compromises the support structure and can lead to soundness problems.

The same theory applies to looking at the horse from behind. The plumb line should run from the center point of the buttock through the center of the stifle, through the hock, cannon bone, fetlock, pastern, and hoof. I don’t mind a horse that sets out slightly behind as long as they are correct and centered through the hock. A horse that is even slightly bow-legged or cow-hocked is exhibiting very undesirable traits.

An extremely important factor in analyzing predisposition to soundness in a performance horse is the conformation of the foot itself.

An unfortunate result of several decades of selectively breeding for a combination of size and refinement is that many horses have too small a foot. When we consider the number of pounds per square inch of force that the foot is required to support, it becomes obvious we need a wide foot with a large frog and a deep, concave sole. A small foot will easily prove itself to be unable to support and withstand the increased concussion that even a light training program places on a yearling longe line prospect.

The horse’s head and neck is the final conformation factor. As we consider the conformation of the head and neck in each prospect, we begin to realize that a pretty horse becomes a functional horse.

We want the head to be attractive, even pretty, with small ears and a large prominent eye. The large eye gives the horse more awareness in a larger field of peripheral vision.

Although we want a small muzzle from the “pretty” or appearance standpoint, we do want a larger nostril to optimize oxygen intake.

We have already talked about a medium length of neck being functionally advantageous. Click here to see a video of a yearling longe line prospect with a desired length of neck.

I want to point out here that our profiled conformation horse has a neck that is, in fact, slightly too short. I want to add that a slender and “scopey” neck with a sculptured, narrow and slightly curly throat latch is not only very attractive, but functional as well. This type of conformation allows the young horse to flex at the poll more easily when asked to yield to bridle pressure during saddle training.

It is important we analyze our prospect’s natural head and neck carriage both standing still and as he moves through all three gaits. Since a relatively level top line is desirable, we don’t want to see a natural high head carriage.

For example, if the horse in our conformation profile was to be objectively analyzed, I would be a little concerned that the head and neck carriage is too high. (Such a high head and neck carriage is confirmed when the horse is working all three gaits.)

And I caution you that a many horses carry head and neck relatively low and correctly at both the walk and trot, but may lift it too high at a lope. The lope is the real test. Click here for a video of Krymsun N Gold as a yearling. Notice he lifts his head very little at the lope.

Before we leave the subject of desirable characteristics, I have one very important factor to discuss.

That is, over the years, I have observed many horses with one or more of the undesirable characteristics mentioned, and yet they have become world class competitors in both longe line and later as pleasure or all around performance horses. When a prospect has an undesirable characteristic, the question becomes: “How severe does a fault have to be before we decide not to invest time and money in a prospect?”

While you now know what is desirable, do not be afraid to seek the counsel of a professional that has the knowledge and objectivity to give you an unbiased analysis of a prospect. You should expect to pay for this service, since it is a service that can save you from making a costly mistake.

A good example might be a horse with an uneven top line, or, more specifically is lower at the withers than at the croup.

Since many yearlings (due to growth spurts) are not yet as high at the withers as at the croup, you might want to overlook this undesirable conformation characteristic with the reasonable expectation the horse will “grow into itself”.

If the example yearling has the very attractive balanced movement, swing and cadence that we are seeking, then I do not recommend rejections due to the uneven top line.

III. Movement

The longe line prospect absolutely, positively must be a good mover.

Movement is what Longe Line competition is all about. Without good movement you don’t have a show prospect, even if the horse has an outstanding disposition and perfect conformation!

What is good movement?

Let’s look at it first. Click here to watch video.

Here we see the walk, a fluid, relaxed four beat gait. Watching the walk you can see the horse continues with no hesitation in the stride. It is a relaxed, yet definite stride that eventually, under saddle, will be an appealing, deliberate walk stride seen in the western pleasure class.

In the transition to the trot, the walk should show no speed increase. The trot should immediately become a very specific two beat gait, as it does in this video. Watching either pair of ‘diagonal’ legs; (i.e. left front and right rear, or right front and left rear); you can see a very nice, slow legged, perfect cadenced (measured distance) trot. Each pair of diagonal legs lands at the exactly the same time--if this crisp and precise movement is not happening, you do not have a good mover at the trot.

To complete the definition to a good trot, you will see a very flat (i.e. minimal bend of the knee and ankle) front leg movement with a toe that “points”, as the leg straightens and extends. We add to that a hind leg movement that is “deep” (i.e. reaches forward, ideally to a mid-barrel point, as it straightens), and lands at precisely the same time as the opposite front leg.

The transition to the lope is also very precise and definite, and ideally, without two or three quicker trot strides preceding it.

Once this black colt completes his first stride at the lope, you can see a strong and driving THREE BEAT cadence which easily lifts the forehand within each stride.

If it isn’t a three beat rhythm, it is not a lope.

Watch the lope and observe once again a very flat and pointed foreleg with a relatively deep and flat hind leg movement.

The same definitions of ‘deep’ and ‘flat’ apply for the lope just as just did for the trot.

The lope must be easy, slow-legged and fluid with a deep driving hock (i.e. hind leg) and a light, slow front leg.

A great loper appears to move effortlessly.

The lope is the most important gait of all three, often called the “money gear.”

In the lope, the off lead hind leg (in the left lead this would be the right hind leg) begins the first beat. This is really the driving leg, the one providing the impulsion. The next beat comes when the off (or non-lead) foreleg and the lead hind foot hit the ground at the same time, leaving the lead or near foreleg to become the final third beat.

To simplify, watch the lope to see if the lead leg behind hits the ground at the same time the non-lead foreleg hits the ground. If it does we have a true three beat lope. If it doesn’t, we don’t.

Why does a four beat lope occur? The four beat lope is the result of the lead hind leg being out behind the horse too far. In that position it cannot hit the ground at the same time as the off lead foreleg. The lead hind leg hits the ground after the off foreleg has grounded and before the lead (near) foreleg hits, creating a four beat gait which is not a true lope.

A horse that four beats is not a good mover—period, end of story!

IV. Bloodlines

Certain bloodlines (because they have already produced great ones) can provide us with ‘clues’ to discover greatness in a prospect. But no matter how great the bloodlines, the most important factor in the selection process is still the individual and his or her characteristics.

Although we are in an era where most individuals are very ‘well bred’, a good working knowledge of how certain bloodlines have proven to cross well with others is an advantage.

But once again, this is just a clue or aid; the individual is the absolute key to success.

We have many wonderful contributing foundation bloodlines that have crated the modern leading producers. They are, (but not limited to) Three Bars, Leo, King, Wimpy, and DocBar, just to name a few. These foundation bloodlines of the 40’s and 50’s created the current modern leading sires such as (again, not limited to) Zippo Pine Bar, Invitation Only, One Hot Kyrmsun, Bar Passers Image, The Investor, Zippos Mr. Goodbar, Zips Chocolate Chip, Scotch Bar Time, Impulsions, Hotrodders Jet Set, Principle Investment, Sonny Dee Bar and Impressive, (yes, Impressive); to name just a few.

I apologize in advance for any individuals that should have been included but were not; it is very likely that I have named their grand sires.

Assignments:

1. Write a brief and descriptive summary of the disposition of your yearling. Discuss your observations which indicate your prospect’s disposition may or may not lead to success as a show horse.

2. Elaborate on the conformation of your prospect. Discuss how each part of your horse’s conformation may or may not lend itself to a balance in movement, a pre-disposition to soundness (or unsoundness) and the overall prettiness of a performance/longe line prospect. Please include pictures taken from all four sides.

3. Watch the Krymsun N Gold clip winning the Reichert Celebration. Write a brief summary of Krymsun N Gold’s movement as it compares the black colt; “The Koolest Krymsun.”

4. Email video clips of your prospects (no more than four prospects). Write a report about your opinions of the quality of all three gaits. After I get a chance to review the videos, I’ll send you a critique and analyses.

Please send your pictures as attachments to an email, and videos to www.youtube.com - send me the links.

Email your reports, along with the links to the photos to gwadds1@aol.com

Here’s hoping together, you get a great one!