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Horses are sometimes measured in hands – one hand is 4 inches (10.2 cm). Horse heights are extremely variable, from small pony breeds to large draft breeds. The height at the withers of an average thoroughbred is 163 centimetres (16.0 hands; 5 ft 4 in), and ponies are up to 147 centimetres (14.2 hands; 4 ft 10 in).
The path this horse takes through the air is an arc. Bascule / ˈ b æ s k juː l / is the natural round arc a horse's body takes as it goes over a jump. The horse should rise up through its back, stretching its neck forward and down, when it reaches the peak of his jump. Ideally, the withers are the highest point over the fence.
Term may refer to an animal seven years old or older, [4]: 7 [5]: 18 nine or older, [6] or ten or older. [7] In horse racing and in some horse show s, an aged horse is one over 4 years. [1]: 5 In some contexts, an aged horse is older than 15 years of age. [1]: 5 aging The process of estimating a horse's age by inspecting its teeth. [1]: 5
Ideally, the length of a horse's back from the peak of the withers to the point of the hip should be 1/3 of the horse's overall body length (from the point of the shoulder to the point of the buttock, excluding head and neck). A horse's back is called "long" if the length exceeds 1/3 and "short" if less than 1/3.
The term may also refer to the horse's center of gravity. For the best performance by the horse, as well as for better balance of the rider, the rider must be positioned over the center of balance of the horse. The location of the horse's center of balance depends on a combination of speed and degree of collection.
The International Federation for Equestrian Sports, the world governing body for horse sport, uses metric measurements and defines a pony as being any horse measuring less than 148 centimetres (58.27 in) at the withers without shoes, which is just over 14.2 hands (58 inches, 147 cm), and 149 centimetres (58.66 in; 14. 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 hands), with ...
The ideal condition for most animals is between 4 and 6. [24] Scores of 7 to 9 are considered obese, although a certain lack of precision in assessments sometimes leads to a horse with a score of less than 7 being classified as obese. [25] The table below describes the different scores used to assess a horse's body condition.
On horses, the mane is the hair that grows from the top of the neck of a horse or other equine, reaching from the poll to the withers, and includes the forelock or foretop. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] : 247 [ 3 ] : 311 It is thicker and coarser than the rest of the horse's coat, and naturally grows to roughly cover the neck.