British And American Whippets

[zafonic]

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As a novice, my understanding is that whippets should have a daisy cutting action - as required in show ponies for instance - and good front extension. They need to have their hocks under them to drive the movement foreward from behind - again something that is needed in horses. I know that I'm certainly looking for the same impulsion in a whippet as I am in a horse moving correctly - so I feel there are many similarities. I think they would track up - but someone more knowledgable could answer your question in greater detail.

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Mustn't forget though that different action is required in different breeds of horses and differs in some breeds of dogs so cannot always make straight comparisons.

Pauline

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I just want to clarify that I do agree with Fable about the similarities between the action of a daisy cutting show pony and the whippet but wished to point out that you couldn't compare say a Min Pin with a show pony, it would have to be likened to a hackney pony action, so you can't generalise accross the breeds. As different breeds of dogs will have varying degrees of limb angulations so do different breeds of horses.

Pauline

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as an international judge of the show pony i am always looking for a long low action with true drive from behind. the show pony is a distinct breed in the uk and is not just a "pony to show" of any breed, a supremely elegant animal with no jarrs or exagerations. In whippets i look for the same thing and true movement is always affected by conformation. not only the shoulder and hind end, but also the topline, where and how the neck fits in, where the fallaway starts and where the hip joints are in relation to the rest of an animal. The lay of the pastern is also a factor and obviously muscle tone!! so many things go into making our beautiful breed o

 

[maggie217]

As a novice, my understanding is that whippets should have a daisy cutting action - as required in show ponies for instance - and good front extension. They need to have their hocks under them to drive the movement foreward from behind - again something that is needed in horses. I know that I'm certainly looking for the same impulsion in a whippet as I am in a horse moving correctly - so I feel there are many similarities. I think they would track up - but someone more knowledgable could answer your question in greater detail.

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Mustn't forget though that different action is required in different breeds of horses and differs in some breeds of dogs so cannot always make straight comparisons.

Pauline

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I just want to clarify that I do agree with Fable about the similarities between the action of a daisy cutting show pony and the whippet but wished to point out that you couldn't compare say a Min Pin with a show pony, it would have to be likened to a hackney pony action, so you can't generalise accross the breeds. As different breeds of dogs will have varying degrees of limb angulations so do different breeds of horses.

Pauline

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as an international judge of the show pony i am always looking for a long low action with true drive from behind. the show pony is a distinct breed in the uk and is not just a "pony to show" of any breed, a supremely elegant animal with no jarrs or exagerations. In whippets i look for the same thing and true movement is always affected by conformation. not only the shoulder and hind end, but also the topline, where and how the neck fits in, where the fallaway starts and where the hip joints are in relation to the rest of an animal. The lay of the pastern is also a factor and obviously muscle tone!! so many things go into making our beautiful breed o

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Absolutely agree :thumbsup:

Pauline

 

[dessie]

As a novice, my understanding is that whippets should have a daisy cutting action - as required in show ponies for instance - and good front extension. They need to have their hocks under them to drive the movement foreward from behind - again something that is needed in horses. I know that I'm certainly looking for the same impulsion in a whippet as I am in a horse moving correctly - so I feel there are many similarities. I think they would track up - but someone more knowledgable could answer your question in greater detail.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

Mustn't forget though that different action is required in different breeds of horses and differs in some breeds of dogs so cannot always make straight comparisons.

Pauline

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​

I just want to clarify that I do agree with Fable about the similarities between the action of a daisy cutting show pony and the whippet but wished to point out that you couldn't compare say a Min Pin with a show pony, it would have to be likened to a hackney pony action, so you can't generalise accross the breeds. As different breeds of dogs will have varying degrees of limb angulations so do different breeds of horses.

Pauline

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as an international judge of the show pony i am always looking for a long low action with true drive from behind. the show pony is a distinct breed in the uk and is not just a "pony to show" of any breed, a supremely elegant animal with no jarrs or exagerations. In whippets i look for the same thing and true movement is always affected by conformation. not only the shoulder and hind end, but also the topline, where and how the neck fits in, where the fallaway starts and where the hip joints are in relation to the rest of an animal. The lay of the pastern is also a factor and obviously muscle tone!! so many things go into making our beautiful breed o

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I get very twitchy when people start talking about fallaways in Whippets, they are not Borzois. There is NOTHING in our breed standard that mentions a fallaway and, as far as I am concerned, they shouldn't!!! Fall away that is.

 

[vado]

I don't speak their language well and I believe that I don't understand many of the concepts written in this interesting debate well, I believe that the movement is a crucial part in our race it is of American or British line, I also have horses, of Spanish race, and always intent that my products have an appropriate movement, the good morphology always goes together to the good movement. I show them some pictures I believe that you must move my horses of how, I try that my whippet moves in a same way, but it is difficult.

Forgive me if I have not expressed myself well. :sweating: :sweating:

 

[zafonic]

As a novice, my understanding is that whippets should have a daisy cutting action - as required in show ponies for instance - and good front extension. They need to have their hocks under them to drive the movement foreward from behind - again something that is needed in horses. I know that I'm certainly looking for the same impulsion in a whippet as I am in a horse moving correctly - so I feel there are many similarities. I think they would track up - but someone more knowledgable could answer your question in greater detail.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

Mustn't forget though that different action is required in different breeds of horses and differs in some breeds of dogs so cannot always make straight comparisons.

Pauline

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​

I just want to clarify that I do agree with Fable about the similarities between the action of a daisy cutting show pony and the whippet but wished to point out that you couldn't compare say a Min Pin with a show pony, it would have to be likened to a hackney pony action, so you can't generalise accross the breeds. As different breeds of dogs will have varying degrees of limb angulations so do different breeds of horses.

Pauline

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as an international judge of the show pony i am always looking for a long low action with true drive from behind. the show pony is a distinct breed in the uk and is not just a "pony to show" of any breed, a supremely elegant animal with no jarrs or exagerations. In whippets i look for the same thing and true movement is always affected by conformation. not only the shoulder and hind end, but also the topline, where and how the neck fits in, where the fallaway starts and where the hip joints are in relation to the rest of an animal. The lay of the pastern is also a factor and obviously muscle tone!! so many things go into making our beautiful breed o

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I get very twitchy when people start talking about fallaways in Whippets, they are not Borzois. There is NOTHING in our breed standard that mentions a fallaway and, as far as I am concerned, they shouldn't!!! Fall away that is.

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i dont quite understand why a whippet shouldn't have a fall away. I dont advocate a borzois topline, however a borzoi has a greater fall away than a whippet because it has a greater rise in the top line. if a whippet didnt have any fall away it would have a topline similar to most of the working breeds (in the greater part built for stamina and not for speed) rather than the curvacious animal that we all love. :- "

 

[patsy]

I agree with dessie, don,t like the term fallaway at all, whippets don,t have one, or should'nt. That lovely S shape of a top class whippet can not fallaway.

 

[Windsdream]

Whippet showing good front extension, and drive from behind.

Very interesting thread, thankyou everyone for shareing your knowledge. :thumbsup:

This picture is of one of my own dogs.

 

[UKUSA]

Iagree with Dessie and Patsy, no where in our standard does it call for a fall away. A fall away is very incorrect for a Whippet. If a Whippet is described as falling away it is not considered a compliment. As far as I am concerned, Iwas always led to believe that of all horses a Whippet should be compared to a Thoroughbred, long and low moving s

moothly over the ground.

Nicky

 

[jok]

I've very much enjoyed reading this topic too and have found it to be very informative.

Picture of one of my dogs on the move - long and low over the ground, driving from the rear and holding his topline.

 

[seaspot_run]

This has started to turn into an illustrated standard thread.

The description of gait varies very little between USA and UK standards, so one would assume that this is not a difference between countries. I think the style of handling and presentation of Whippets in the UK is to go a little slower than most of us do in the US if we are given a big enough ring.

But that doesn't mean that our movement should differ very much.

Where do people come down on the side of converging vs. parallel tracking?

I like a Whippet to converge slightly at speed on the coming and going movement at the trot, but not single track.

 

[maggie217]

Where do people come down on the side of converging vs. parallel tracking?
I like a Whippet to converge slightly at speed on the coming and going movement at the trot, but not single track.

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That is really interesting. Earlier on this thread whippet movement was being compared with the movement of horses, but it would never be considered correct for there to be any convergence in horses.

Pauline

 

[whippynit]

could someone pls explain ' converging'? :unsure:

 

[maggie217]

could someone pls explain ' converging'? :unsure:

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Well I may be wrong but I took it to mean when the front two legs come inwards towards each other at speed. that's how I understood it anyway.

 

[seaspot_run]

could someone pls explain ' converging'? :unsure:

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Well I may be wrong but I took it to mean when the front two legs come inwards towards each other at speed. that's how I understood it anyway.

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Rear legs, too.

 

[maggie217]

could someone pls explain ' converging'? :unsure:

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Well I may be wrong but I took it to mean when the front two legs come inwards towards each other at speed. that's how I understood it anyway.

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Rear legs, too.

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Cheers, I wasn't sure about that.

It would be considered a weakness in horses, as it would put undue strain on the limbs, muscles, ligament etc, UNLESS there is no convergance when the feet have touched down. I don't know if that is the case in whippets. I appreciate enlightenment

Pauline

 

[whippynit]

could someone pls explain ' converging'? :unsure:

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Well I may be wrong but I took it to mean when the front two legs come inwards towards each other at speed. that's how I understood it anyway.

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I used to have horses,would that be the same as in 'dishing' in horses, i think the term in dogs is 'plaiting' over here :unsure:

 

[maggie217]

could someone pls explain ' converging'? :unsure:

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Well I may be wrong but I took it to mean when the front two legs come inwards towards each other at speed. that's how I understood it anyway.

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I used to have horses,would that be the same as in 'dishing' in horses, i think the term in dogs is 'plaiting' over here :unsure:

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No, dishing in horses is when the legs swing outwards. An inward turning movement would be called plaiting in horses, but it seems to me that 'convergance' as 'seaspot' is referring to in whippets isn't so marked as plaiting. Plaiting would be almost a crossing over imo.

Pauline

 

[maggiemay2]

plaiting in horsey terms is the opposite of dishing where the horse tracks up with one hoof in front of the other, ao rhw hoof marks in the groud would be

like - - - -

rather than _ - _ - _ -

 

[seaspot_run]

Many breed standards as for converging at speed, so it's not correct to describe it as dishing, plaiting or any other unsoundness.

What it means is that as speed increases, the track of the pads tends to converge towards an imaginary center line right under the middle of the body. The straight line from elbow to foot or from hip to hock is maintained.

Karen

 

[maggie217]

Many breed standards as for converging at speed, so it's not correct to describe it as dishing, plaiting or any other unsoundness.
What it means is that as speed increases, the track of the pads tends to converge towards an imaginary center line right under the middle of the body.  The straight line from elbow to foot or from hip to hock is maintained. 

Karen

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I am just trying to understand, not give an opinion, but it would seem okay to me to converge whilst in the air, but unless the feet land directly underneath the animal [as they do when standing correctly] there would be undue strain on joints, ligaments etc. due to taking the weight of the body.

Pauline