What Impacts a Horse's Performance?

In this episode of the 'Mad About Horses' podcast, Dr. Chris Mortensen discusses the factors that influence equine athletic performance, including conformation, stride rates, confirmation, and gait. He delves into stride length and frequency in thoroughbreds and quarter horses, explores how horses' basic anatomy enables their varied athletic abilities, and discusses how equine conformation relates to their athletic performance. Dr. Mortensen also notes the need for defining traits based on specific disciplines and mentions upcoming topics that will highlight the importance of factors such as age, gender, behavior, diet, and breed in equine performance.   Podcast Timeline 00:00 Introduction to Horse Perception and Bonding 03:24 Understanding the Equine Athlete 04:00 Exploring Various Horse Competitions 05:47 The Impact of Confirmation on Horse Performance 06:00 The Influence of Horse Behavior on Performance 06:12 The Effect of Diet on Horse Performance 07:00 Understanding Horse Anatomy and Biomechanics 12:15 Gaits and Impacts on Horse Performance 12:35 Review of Gaits of Horses 25:15 Gait Evaluation for Sport Horses 28:12 Poor Confirmation in Sport Horses 30:13 Factors in Sport Horse Ability 32:45 The Importance of Stride Length and Frequency 41:00 Age and Gender Impacts on Horse Performance 43:13 Conclusion: The Fascination with Horses  You can learn more about Gaits by going ==>⁠HERE⁠<==  You can also watch the video ‘Horse in Motion’ ==>⁠HERE<== Visit https://madbarn.com/mad-about-horses/ to learn more about the Mad About Horses podcast. --------------------------------- Mad Barn Academy is dedicated to supporting horse owners, handlers and practitioners through research, training and education. Visit us to learn more at https://madbarn.com You can also find Mad Barn at: ⁠Instagram @madbarnequine⁠ Facebook @madbarnequine TikTok @madbarnequine ⁠YouTube @madbarn We would love to hear from you! Please send any questions or comments to ⁠[email protected]