Saturday, August 9, 2008

The Measure of a Horse: Dennis Lane Equine Back Profiling System, Take One

Meet Ripple Effect.

This 2006 Jack Slade granddaughter by Jack's Legacy out of Alternating Current (aka Acey) is 25 months old, so she's a couple years away from needing her first Stonewall saddle. All the same, I wanted data on her back so I can observe how it changes over time; also, the information may be valuable to those who are compiling details about how Spanish Colonial horses' conformation compares to that of other breeds.


Ripple stood nicely for measuring and photos. I'm new to the Dennis Lane system, so I appreciated her patience while I drew chalk lines on her back, experimented with notched cards, re-read directions, mopped my forehead, started again.

Here are the results:

A: S4 (This means that if I were to order a custom saddle for Ripple today, the tree would, at the withers, match the narrowest profile in the Dennis Lane system.)

B: S7 (Again, a fairly narrow measurement at the lowest point of Ripple's back, the base of her withers. However, after talking with Fenaroli of Stonewall Saddle Company this evening about how to use the profiling cards properly, I wonder if this ought to be an even narrower S6. I'll have to double-check.)

C: S5 (This, too, is a narrow measurement near the 13th and 14th vertebrae, where the back of the saddle would rest.)

R: Flatter than R6 (The Dennis Lane system measures "rock" with a set of cards designed to determine the shape of the sides of the horse's back, horizontally, where the saddle's bars will rest. As a maturing horse, Ripple's back is flatter than the card with the least "rock."

S: 8 inches. (This is the distance between the lowest point of Ripple's back and the rearmost edge of her scapula.)

If the above makes no sense to you, but you're curious, visit the Dennis Lane website and scan the instructions. Or, just stay tuned to The Barb Wire blog for more profiling photos and results.

Sculptor Lynn Fraley of Laf'n Bear Studio will return to In the Night Farm later this morning to take more photos and video of the Barbs. A dedicated student of equine anatomy, she'll also join me in profiling at least one Barb's back.

By the way, I'm considering making Ripple Effect available for sale to the right person. If you're interested in this sweet filly, feel free to contact me via the email address in the sidebar at right.

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Related Posts

Upward in the Night

It's Here!: Dennis Lane Equine Back Profiling System

Dennis Lane Equine Back Profiling System, Take Two

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