Goose-rumped v. hunter's bump

[Juliette]

I know this has been discussed before, but curious as to what others think regarding one of my mares.
This is obviously not a good confo shot, she’s not stood up well and I apologize for the saddle, but this photo shows her back (and the bump) better than any other I have readily accessible.

Do you think she has a hunter’s bump or is just goose-rumped, and what would either mean for a future performance career?

Juliette Beauchamp

[netg]

I actually quite like her as a potential dressage horse - lovely expression, overall good balance, and while her neck is tied in a bit low in the bottom dressage work building uphill carriage would change that a lot, and a thicker base of the neck is not a problem.

I most definitely wouldn’t call her goose rumped. I see what you’re talking about, and it may just be tightness from how she carries herself or an injury causing it. Many times a lot of suppling and lateral work will loosen tightness and make things like that go away. Of course if she had any kind of injury (usually at liberty, not in work) it could also cause that. The other possibility is that it is conformational.

She looks like her SI joint may not be aligned with her point of her hips - ideally they are directly one above the other, which you can tell by feeling for the little dip along the spine which indicates SI joint and seeing if it lines up. In motion you’d be able to tell by seeing if her hip angle changes as she moves, and in still photos you can usually tell by seeing if her hip angle changes as she stands differently. Ideally the alignment is perfect and adds to athleticism in a horse, but if it’s not ideal sometimes a hunter bump will develop. Except for upper levels of the different sports, I tend not to be worried about that, and as I said I actually quite like her conformation. She has a nice long hip and good hind leg angulation which will help make up for it, too.

[Pipkin]

When my horse’s hocks need doing his hind end goes a tiny bit goose rumped. I think it is caused by not using certain muscles, and when he is stiff he doesn’t engage so much behind and the muscle drops off. I do know a successful eventer that is very goose rumped and definitely has no soundness issues, so perhaps it’s not always caused by injury, though I do believe it is caused by their general way of going and movement rather than being a purely conformational fault.

[Lady_Eboshi]

My understanding of “hunter’s bump” is ossification of the SI joint caused by wear and tear, usually after years of jumping. Most often it’s fused and considered a blemish more than an unsoundness.

Goose-rumped is conformational, more common in certain breeds, and while it may be somewhat performance limiting at the higher levels, is not considered an unsoundness either.

I frankly don’t notice either one looking at your horse in that picture–she looks like a PEACH!

[Juliette]

Thanks Lady E! She’s a sweetheart. Netg, she is my low-level everything horse (or will be once I actually have the time to really get her going). She’s super friendly, it’s like having a big red dog in the field.
I always think her hind end looks under muscled, but I’m hoping that regular work improves the issue.

[One_Two_Three]

I also agree with SI and stifles. When my mare’s SI is out, her ‘hunters bump’ shows up. One to two body sessions later and it’s gone again for another 8-12 months. Have a chiro/body worker take a look at her and do some work.

[beowulf]

[QUOTE=Lady Eboshi;7965989]
My understanding of “hunter’s bump” is ossification of the SI joint caused by wear and tear, usually after years of jumping. Most often it’s fused and considered a blemish more than an unsoundness.

Goose-rumped is conformational, more common in certain breeds, and while it may be somewhat performance limiting at the higher levels, is not considered an unsoundness either.

I frankly don’t notice either one looking at your horse in that picture–she looks like a PEACH! :)[/QUOTE]

This. Usually, a hunter’s bump is before/on the sacroiliac joint and is usually an indication of compounding trauma. Riding, training, jumping, etc. It is the ossification of the SI joint.

A goose rump is different, it is the way the horse is formed and is not a result of training or trauma. It is the angle of the sacrum where the sacral spines (S1-S5, IIRC) are steeply sloped in length. Here is a good picture for illustration, in which the second sacrum was likely belonging to a horse with a steep croup:
http://www.equisearch.com/content/content/20399/Figure-1-300x277.png

btw, your mare is friggin’ adorable. I would say she is goose-rumped, not a horse with a hunter’s back.