Wither redirects here. For the comic character, see Wither (comics). Wither ( Kevin Ford) is a fictional character, a mutant in the Marvel Universe, a member of the student body at the Xavier Institute

For the family name, see Withers (surname). Withers (earlier variants Wither, Wyther) is an English Surname of Anglo-Saxon origin

The location of the withers on a horse. The horse ( Equus caballus) is a hoofed ( Ungulate) Mammal, one of eight living species of the family Equidae.

The withers is the highest point on the back of a non-upright animal, on the ridge between its shoulder blades. In Anatomy, the scapula, omo, or shoulder blade, is the Bone that connects the Humerus (arm bone with the Clavicle (collar

Horses

The withers in horses are formed by the dorsal spinal processes of roughly the 3rd through 11th thoracic vertebrae (most horses have 18 thoracic vertebrae), which are unusually long in this area. The 12 thoracic vertebrae compose the middle segment of the Vertebral column, between the Cervical vertebrae and the Lumbar vertebrae. The processes of the withers can be more than 12" (30cm) in height on the average horse. ^[1]

Since they do not move relative to the ground (as does the horse's head), the height of a horse is measured from the ground to the withers. Horse sizes are extremely variable, from small pony breeds to large draft breeds. The height of the withers on an average Thoroughbred is 16 hands (5' 4"). The Thoroughbred is a horse breed See also Hand A hand (or handbreadth) is a unit of length Measurement, originally based on the breadth of a Male Human hand

Conformational issues

The withers of the horse are considered in evaluating conformation. Generally, a horse should have well-defined withers, as they are considered an important attachment point for the muscles of the torso. Withers of medium height are preferred, as high withers make it difficult to fit a saddle and are often associated with a narrow chest, and low withers (known as "mutton withers") do not provide a ridge to help keep the saddle in place.

More importantly, the dorsal spinal processes provide an attachment for the muscles that support the shoulder and neck. Horses do not have a clavicle, so the shoulder can freely rotate backwards. If the vertebrae of the withers are long (front to back), the shoulder is more free to move backwards. This allows for an increase of stride length (and so it can increase the horse's speed). It is also important in jumping, as the shoulder must rotate back for the horse to make his forearm more parallel to the ground, which will then raise the animal's knees upward and get the lower legs out of the way. Therefore, the withers have a direct impact on one of the most important points of conformation: the shoulder. Equine conformation refers to the correctness of a horse's bone structure musculature and its body proportions in relation to each other

Dogs

In dogs, the height of the withers is often used to determine the dog's jump height in various dog sports. Dog sports are activities that involve Dogs There is much discussion about what exactly defines a Sport for dogs It is also often a determining factor in whether the dog conforms to the show-quality standards for its breed. A breed standard (also called bench standard) in Animal fancy and Animal husbandry is a set of guidelines which is used to ensure that the animals

Medical problems

Inflammation of the bursa in this region is called fistulous withers by veterinary surgeons. A bursa (plural bursae or bursas; Latin: Bursa synovialis) is a small fluid-filled sac made of white fibrous tissue and lined with Synovial