justintime said:
The real discussion should be about the angle of the shoulder rather than the amount of the shoulder. I also think that in order to determine whether a bull has too much shoulder, you have to learn what the proper angle of this region is supposed to look like. It could well be that what you think is too much shoulder is just an indication of a bull with better than average muscle.
thanks for the discussion JIT. one thing i think i see in leroy is that where his whithers come together, they are pretty well back there compared to some bulls where they are centered above the front feet. if i'm thinking correctly, since the scapula is therefore more angled, which i can't ever see real well on bulls, this angle will allow more extension and cushion in walking. if the scapula is relatively straight up and down, this limits travel. now, couple this with the rear end and the femur bone, if these are not "matched", they will walk discombobulated, ie the front will be a different length stride than the rear, and it will be practically physically impossible for an animal to step in his tracks. even when both ends are matched and they are too straight, they will seem even strided, but they still can't step in their tracks. the kadabra female that won CA state fair last year was like this. she couldn't step in her tracks. i guess with a more sweeping scapula, one could have a longer humerous bone that comes after the scapula, again, giving more cushion.
in thinking about calving, if my front legs can't stretch foward because i'm too straight, i can see how this might pose a problem, both in getting over the hole in the pelvis, and getting the body over that if my legs are too straight.
am i on the right "track" or do i need to focus more on the scapula?
thanks