CONFORMATION

The horse is an athlete and conformation judging must relate to performance, or way of going, and the ability of the horse to stay sound as an athlete. Many factors affect the way a horse moves, but none are more influential than conformation. Some real differences exist because of the specialized use of certain breeds, but the fundamentals of good conformation of excellent performance horses are strikingly similar in all breeds. Therefore, it is essential to understand the concepts of good conformation in order to be a good judge. As a judge, you must evaluate the whole horse as a unit and not dwell too much on very fine points, however important.

The most important considerations in judging horses are structural correctness, balance, muscling and type. Major characteristics of a structurally correct horse (Figure 1) are long sloping shoulders (B); short, strong back (C); long underline (D); long, rather level croup (E); and straight legs (A and F).

Figure 1

If shoulders are long and sloping, they extend the stride, absorb shock, move the elbows away from the girth and raise the head. Prominent withers that extend well back­ward increase the stability of the saddle.

A short back and a long underline move the fore and rear legs farther apart and decrease possible leg interference. Also, a short back is stronger, it reduces the length of coupling and is usually more muscular.

A long, rather level croup accommodates more mus­cling and increases the leverage associated with long muscles. Leverage is also gained with maximum length from hip to hock and minimum length of cannon.

Straight legs distribute the shock of movement more uniformly through the bone structure and minimize the possibility of unusual strain and damage at any one point. Pasterns should be moderately short and set at about a 50-degree angle and feet should be medium size, round, open at the heel and showing enough depth to afford good traction (Figure 2).

The structurally correct horse should also have an intel­ligent looking head with large bright eyes set wide apart to increase vision. Jaws which are strong and clean; nostrils that are large and flared, and a throat latch which is trim and clean assure maximum air intake to a working horse. The mobility of the head and balance of the horse is­ increased by a long and slightly arching neck with a high shoulder attachment. These factors that contribute to structural correctness facilitate the overall balance and movement of the horse and enable him to remain service­ably sound over a longer period of time.

Another important point in judging horses for conforma­tion is to evaluate the overall balance of the horse. When viewed from a distance, the horse should look smooth and symmetrical. The body and legs should form an approxi­mate square, and all parts should blend in well with each other to enable the horse to move properly. Since the horse carries approximately two-thirds of his weight on his front legs, the pivot point of balance is directly under or slightly behind the shoulder. So the ideal conformation for bal­ance is one in which the weight is shifted to the rear legs (Figure 3). A well-balanced horse’s body can be divided into three parts. The long hip of the horse tends to carry a greater amount of weight directly on the rear legs, and the long, sloping shoulder tends to shift weight to the rear legs. With a relatively short back, the distribution of weight is ideal (Figure 4).

Although a horse may be structurally correct, the overall balance or symmetry of the horse may be undesirable. In general, a horse with good shoulders will have a short back and a long neck, and a horse with good hindquarters will have strong loins. But this is not always true, so it is essential that the judge evaluate the overall balance of an animal to determine its functional efficiency.

LEG DEFECTS

The good horse should be powerfully muscled to enable him to move quickly (Figure 5). He should be deep chested, big barreled, and have heavily muscled hindquar­ters. The chest should be wide and the muscling in the inner forearm should form an inverted “v” just below the chest. The arm and forearm should be bulging with muscles that are tied in high and extend well down into the knee. The back should be short and well-muscled, and the loin strong with muscling. There should be a great deal of depth of body and spring of rib in the well-muscled horse. The rear quarters should be deep, broad and heavy when viewed from either side or rear, and muscled so that they are full through the thigh, stifle and gaskin, and down to the hock. The hip muscling should be long, extending down into the stifle. The stifle should tie well to the gaskin, and the gaskin muscle should extend down into the hock joint, both inside and out. When viewed from the rear, the stifle should be the widest point of the horse. Muscling is important to working ability, but the value of muscle mass or bulging muscle has often been over-emphasized in the show ring. The good judge must realize that the length of muscle is more important than thickness, because long, smooth muscles that tie in low on the leg improve the efficiency of the horse’s movement in contrast to the short, bunchy muscling commonly found in the show ring.

Figure 3

Figure 4

Type is another factor that affects judging. Type is related to muscling and overall size of the horse (Figure 6). Thick, heavily muscled horses are generally considered the old-type horses. These horses were usually shorter­ legged, lower set horses. The modern type horse is a taller, longer bodied, longer muscled horse, more in line with the modern type race horse. The middle of the road type horse is probably the most ideal for horsemen and 4-H’ers. This type horse combines muscling and speed to produce a working type horse and gives a little more flexibility as to function than some of the other extremes. To summarize the primary points of concern when judging horses for conformation are structural correctness, balance, muscling and type. The oral reasons given on a class should emphasize these main points. Therefore, a good judge should place theirs emphasis on the length and slope of the shoulder, the shortness and strength of the back, the length of the hip, and the structural correctness of the feet and legs. This is placing primary emphasis on structural correctness.

Figure 5

Figure 6

Please check PDF for further information