The legs (quality of legs) of the icelandic horse should be such that the horse has dry sinews, and strong, thick sinews on the legs. There should be appropriate space between the sinew and the bone, the bones should be strong looking, the pasterns should be with an appropriate slope and well made. The whole front leg should be straight when you look at the horse from the side, but the back leg should have a bit of a forward slope. The leg should have much fetlock. Much of this is best evaluated by measuring the perimeter of the leg, and feeling the quality of sinews and bones with your fingers.
What are considered faults are mainly:
Wet sinews (swellings around the sinews)
Little space (unclear seperation) between sinew and bone on the front legs
Thin/narrow joints on front feet (especially the knee) or back feet (especially the hocks)
Too sloping pasterns or too vertical back feet
Much deviation from straight feet when the horse is standing still, for example cowhocked, behind at knee, over at knee, knock-kneed, base-narrow
BACK TO BREEDING GOALS
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