Short coupled

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hobgoblin

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Whatvis your definition of short coupled?
I'm very confused after taking my 15.1 1/2 hh 3 year old to a show, where I was told he would never be any good under saddle as he is too short coupled?!
He wears a 6'3 rug!?!? My 16.2 hh wears a 6'6 ??!?
Very, very confused horse owner, I would post a pic but sadly too dim to be able to do so :(
 
He's three years old and his spine wont stop growing until he is a minimum of 5 1/2 years old! Of course he looks short coupled at the moment! :rolleyes:
 
Thanks Faracat, that's what I thought but after getting a small lecture when I said that I didnt think he was, was seriously starting to doubt my own common sense x
 
That's weird, my horse is 15hh so only a little smaller and wears a 6'3 rug - she is definitely long!!

ETA she's also bum high, and I was told a few times that she'd be limited by this, but she's been great with everything I've asked of her. Ignore it! :D
 
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I was told my horse is short coupled (16hh, just turned 6), knowledgable instructor agreed but I have absolutely no clue what it means :rolleyes:
 
My 15.2 and a bit HH mare has 6ft rugs (unless they are horseware and then she needs 6ft3), so your horse doesn't sound terribly out of proportion anyway.

ETA. It just meant that the back is short.

I really must get this book. It's meant to be brilliant.

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Principles of Conformation Analysis by Deb Bennett.
 
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My 17.1hh only wears a 6'6 rug, and a 16 1/2 inch saddle. he's definitely short and has competed internationally - it's not caused him any problems at all.

Completely agree with above that at three there is plenty of growing to do so wouldn't worry about it for now.
 
Alf is 17.1hh and takes 6"6 rugs - and he has competed very successfully at Inter 1, training at GP. Short-coupled is good - although it does make them awfully capable of firing you into orbit!
 
My 3yo is 15.1 and wears a 6ft. She will be about 15.3 finished. Just what I want. And I'm sooooo happy to have a short coupled mare. It beats 16.2 and wears a 7ft all day long! That is my other mare. So much work and time maturing.

Terri
 
Same as others have said, my 17hh wears 6'6" rugs. He finds collected work quite easy but struggles to lengthen but apart from that he's fab to ride, can ping a 5' gate from a trot but can also put in quite a good buck too (very rarely thankfully!). Ignore them!
 
Lol you have nothing to worry about, Gem is 15.2 and wears a 5'9 - but fits into some 5'6's!! I love her shortness as it gives her a real pop over fences .. i don't want to show her so its not an issue :D
 
Auslander said:
Alf is 17.1hh and takes 6"6 rugs - and he has competed very successfully at Inter 1, training at GP. Short-coupled is good - although it does make them awfully capable of firing you into orbit!
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Reg says snap :D He takes a 17.5" saddle, but couldn't go any bigger. It's a big pro for us... Al is quite small for him (and he was her first horse!) and if he'd been longer he'd be much harder for her to keep together and wagon round :D

He shows, doing RoR stuff (and is up against the Queen's horse tomorrow... Poor lad doesn't stand a chance!), and because he's so big and well-made he is eye-catching. His short back only ever seems to be a positive...
 
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My 15.3hh int grade A mare fits comfortably in 5'9'' rugs, yes, she is short, but also has awfully powerful jump for a midget and never had a lame/sore day in her career. She takes 17.5'' saddle...just.
 
Another one with a short-coupled horse . . . Kal also has quite long legs so finds it very easy to overtrack, finds collection relatively easy but really has to work hard to extend. He has a ridiculously strong back and is an out and out jumper.

Only downsides are: he overreaches really easily and it's been a challenge to find a saddle to fit both him and my lardy arse ;). He takes a 16.5 and I wouldn't want to go bigger.

P
 
Gosh Op that doesn't sound that short at all?! What an odd comment from the judge - my 16.3hh sports horse is comfortable in a 6'3 from most brands!! He takes a 17 inch saddle fine. And as PolarSkye says about hers above he over tracks very easily and has a huge jump... But also he can't half flick his back end up and away over a fence...or just for fun sometimes ;)
 
My 15.2 wears a 5'9 rug. He comes from sj bloodlines so with what I know on the short coupled phrase being pingy over jumps that's possibly where it comes from??

No one has said anything bad about him and in fact its been pretty positive!
 
Thanks guys, was starting to doubt myself! He is a meat and compact little horse but I or no one else has ever thought/commented that he was freakishly short backed!
IMHO there was some pretty odd judging going on however I guess you pay your money and get their opinion! Lolo, how did Reg get on?
 
Just to point out that rug sizes bears little correlation to the length of the horses back as the measurement includes the part that wraps around the chest. If a horse is very wide but short backed it could well be in the same size rug as a longer narrower horse.
 
MegaBeast said:
Just to point out that rug sizes bears little correlation to the length of the horses back as the measurement includes the part that wraps around the chest. If a horse is very wide but short backed it could well be in the same size rug as a longer narrower horse.
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This really...

My mare is 15.2/3hh and wears a 6ft6" and is not particularly long in the back but is a chunky girl.

old warmbloodx weslh boy is 15hh and takes a 6ft rug...

But as others have said at 3 I wouldn't worry.. Plus if he does have a short back it's better than a weak long back!
 
I always thought that short coupled was a good thing - stronger back, better able to take weight, and more robust...
 
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