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Broken Kneed

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Looking at the forelegs, they should be well muscled. Knees should be flat, large and an identical pair. Scars on the knees are not desirable as this could indicate the horse is prone to trips or falls – a horse with scars on the front of his or her knees is referred to as ‘broken kneed’.
When looking at the cannon bone it should be strong, short and fairly thick.
A measurement can be carried out to give an indication of the horse’s ‘substance’, the amount of bone a horse has to determine a horse’s weight carrying capacity.
A horse with insufficient bone will be risking injury within the joints, ligaments, hooves and skeletal structure.
Is the horse required for sports involving concussion impacts such as eventing or show jumping? – a horse with insufficient bone …show more content…

An excessive dishing action where one or both front hooves are thrown outwards is undesirable as this can put strain on the fetlock joint.
The pasterns have to cope with absorbing shocks. They should neither be too long or too short, if they are too long there is a potential structural weakness and will be prone to injury or strains. If they are too short they will not absorb concussion well.
They should possess a gentle slope, not upright with too little slope or showing too much slope. Pasterns often tend to be slightly shorter on the hind legs compared to the fronts.
Hooves provide traction, shock absorption and support. They contain structures that provide blood flow through the lower leg.
The hooves should be strong, well-formed and exact matching pairs. Facing forwards, not inwards (pigeon toed) as this will cause excess strain on the outer limb structures of the hoof, neither should they turn outwards (splayed).
Small boxy hooves can be prone to disease so this is

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