The Equinist: Articles and Commentary by Susan Kauffmann

No Perfect Horse: Three Knee Problems As we mentioned in the last installment in this series, the knee of the horse is a complex structure that is subject to a great variety of conformation faults. Today we’ll take a look at three knee deviations, all of which are best observed from a lateral (side) view. Back at the Knee (aka calf or sheep knee) This is a serious fault in which there is a slight to marked ‘bowing’ backwards of the leg from a lateral view. A plumb line would fall closer to the front of the knee and further behind the heel bulb. This puts similar strain on the limb as if the horse were continually traveling downhill. Such conformation can put excess strain on various parts of the limb, including the flexor tendons, inferior check ligament, and suspensory ligament.  Horses with this fault may not move well and may be prone to stumbling, as well as bone chips in the knees and soft-tissue injuries such as bowed tendons. Working these horses in deep footing should be avo

No Perfect Horse: Three Knee Problems As we mentioned in the last installment in this series, the knee of the horse is a complex structure that is subject to a great variety of conformation faults. Today we’ll take a look at three knee deviations, all of which are best observed from a lateral (side) view. Back at the Knee (aka calf or sheep knee) This is a serious fault in which there is a slight to marked ‘bowing’ backwards of the leg from a lateral view. A plumb line would fall closer to the front of the knee and further behind the heel bulb. This puts similar strain on the limb as if the horse were continually traveling downhill. Such conformation can put excess strain on various parts of the limb, including the flexor tendons, inferior check ligament, and suspensory ligament.  Horses with this fault may not move well and may be prone to stumbling, as well as bone chips in the knees and soft-tissue injuries such as bowed tendons. Working these horses in deep footing