Beware of Horses with Long Backs!

We've been talking about things you should notice about horses. The overall structure of a horse is called it's conformation. It's sounds the same as a special religious ceremony, but it's spelled differently. Today we're going to discuss a horse's back and why it should be short and compact. Seasoned horseman, like my dad, would look at a long-backed horse and say, "I don't want that one. His back is too long. It would take a lot of groceries to keep him fat." Of course, that meant it would be expensive to keep him looking good. But that's not the only reason why you should choose a horse with a nice short back. Horses with long backs seem to be rather uncoordinated. For instance, it you jump your long-backed, ravenous horse, you'll be pleased that his front feet clear the fences. But the hind legs seem like they belong to another animal! It takes him a long time to plan a strategy for getting those rear legs clear of the jump. It feels like they're from a different zip code! Now you know reasons why short-backed horses are a wise choice.