Bone-Tendon circumference

A question in the Swedish blog in regard to Bone-Tendon circumference (BT-C) has brought about this posting - how do you go about calculating the load the horse has to carry?

The pressure that the horse's legs are subjected to consists of its own weight, the rider's weight and the weight of equipment and should  really be expressed as kg/square centimeter or pounds/square inch. The formula used in this case to estimate the weight the horse has to carry on his forelegs creates a relationship between weight and BT-C. (A way to construct a more handy mathematic formula that may not fully follow ingeneering standards and recommendations.)

total weight / (BT-C x 2)

The way to go is as follows

1. Sum up the weight of tha horse, rider and equipment. 
2. Measure the TB-C just below the carpus. You can, if you want take measures from both front legs, divide by to ang get the average BT-C for your horse.
3. Divide the total weight by the BT-C.
4. Divide the sum from paragraph 3 with 2.

The guideline is a sliding scale where below or close to 13.4 kg /cm (75 p/inch) is good and up to 14.3 kg  cm (80 p/inch) is acceptable but when it approaches and exceeds 15.2 kg /cm (85 p/inch), you have to be observant of the increased risk of injury.

This is to give a guideline to the rider, but should not be seen as a simple truth! On a long term basis you might be able to increse BT-C by low impact training. The weight can be adjusted. Some extra pounds on horse and /or rider can be dealt with, the equipment may be changed. The horse's conformation, hoof size and status, the work they are expected to perform a number of other factors also matter - and it is important to remember that.

The U.S. Cavalry's own measurements from the 20's and a study by the Kentucky Equine Research (2008) focused on how horses respond to load verifies the conclusion made by the cavalry, a horse should carry a maximum of 20% of its body weight. (NB: a measure calculated with the assumpion that the horse is not obese)

And a quotation that summon the upcoming summer in Sweden.

"Horses make a landscape look beautiful."
Alice Walker