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The hock is perhaps the most complex-and most important-joint in a performance horse's body. This backward-pointing "knee" is actually the anatomic equivalent of a human's ankle. You can see this if you look at yourself sideways in a mirror, and bend all joints of your leg, resting your big toe on the floor. A horse stands on one toe (concealed in the hoof); your foot is the lower leg or "cannon bone" and your backward pointing heel is like the horse's hock. (The horse's true "knee" is the stifle joint, which points forward just like yours.) Like your ankle, the hock is made up mostly of bone and tendon; the muscles that flex and extend it are in the upper leg.

Since horse's main motive power comes from the hindquarter, the thrust developed by those big muscles must be transmitted through the hock to the hoof. The hock must be big enough, massive enough, to take that thrust without injury. Look at a picture of a jumper starting a jump-you can see the thrust that must come from the hindquarter through the hock to push the horse off the ground. Look at a picture of a dressage horse in collection-again you can see the thrust that enables short, elevated strides.

Some horses (one of mine included) have undersized hocks, and develop strains and even tendon ruptures in the hock because they develop more power in the hindquarter than their hock can handle. No matter how powerful the motive muscles are, if the hock cannot handle the strain, the horse cannot run, jump, suddenly change direction, or do collected movements without risk of breakdown. Undersized hocks can result in back problems, especially in the loin coupling, as the horse tries to reduce hock discomfort by using its back inefficiently. If you're looking for a horse for performance riding-jumping, endurance, eventing, mountain riding, any speed or agility work-look for a horse with excellent hocks (as well as the other qualities.)

From the rear, a good hock appears rectangular, bony, and large enough for the size and weight of the horse, without lumps or swelling to either side. It should be distinctly wider than the cannon below, rather than wedge-shaped (narrowing downward.) From the side, it appears clean, bony, with no lumps above or below it. One good test of a hock's current function is to lift the hind hoof and flex the leg snugly for a few seconds, then let the leg down and immediately ask the horse to trot forward in hand. If the hock is sore, the horse will "gimp" a few strides, often with exaggerated

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