The illustrations give clear examples for use during evaluation. Conformation and soundness daniel marks, vmd conformation should be judged in light of the horses discipline. The head should be in proportion to the rest of the horse. A narrow chest can lead to interference with the front legs. The front legs should be well muscled through the forearm and a good length of the upper front leg is essential for speed. Conformation icelandic horse an analysis by lee ziegler horse one although the typically luxurious mane hides a good deal of the shoulder and the top of the withers, making it a little difficult to find these points, i have marked where i think they may be on this picture. Improve knowledge of conformation and performance traits of various breeds of horses. Knees should be broad and flat with no puffiness or lumps. When choosing a horse, one should be able to recognize standard conformation and conformation faults and match the purpose of the horse with the conformation that is best suited for that purpose. The better a horse s conformation how the animal measures up to, or conforms, to the ideal standards of its breed or type, the better it will be able to perform. Test your eye for horse conformation expert advice on. As you work through judging horses, you will accomplish these objectives.
Mar 14, 2016 when examining horses for conformation, either when considering a purchase or competing in horse judging contests, it is important to break things down into key principles to avoid becoming overwhelmed when putting the overall picture together. The role of conformation in musculoskeletal problems in the racing. Grooming 66 corrective trimming and shoeing on some horses improves or corrects inherited faults in conformation. Balance, structure, muscling, quality, type and travel. Feb, 2017 if the mane is uneven or the legs have excess hair, especially around the fetlocks, it can obscure the conformation. However, they would only be eligible for color division held within each class. Judging horse leg conformation equimed horse health. Of the many basic tenets of ideal horse conformation, how many exist. In addition, different breeds and horses with different jobs to do may be compared to slightly different ideal conformation standards. Horse conformation head, neck and shoulders equimed. Equine conformation evaluates the degree of correctness of a horse s bone structure, musculature, and its body proportions in relation to each other. So in order to identify the difference, the question what defines posture and what defines conformation. If youve spent any time around horses or horse people, youve heard this word or.
Evaluating horse conformation kylee jo duberstein, equine specialist department of animal and dairy science w hen examining horses for conformation, either when considering a purchase or competing in horse judging contests, it is important to break things down into key principles to avoid becoming overwhelmed when putting the overall picture. American paint horse association, 2800 meacham blvd. Here are explanations and drawings for the bsmqtt conformation analysis. In short, posture is how the horse organises itself, or stands, whereas conformation is. When examining horses for conformation, either when considering a purchase or competing in horse judging contests, it is important to break things down into key principles to avoid becoming overwhelmed when putting the overall picture together. This fact sheet will outline criteria that can be used to evaluate conformation of horses. Evaluating sport horse conformation, part 2 dressage today. If youve spent any time around horses or horse people, youve heard this word or related words used again and again.
Sporthorse breeder and judge julie winkel, who critiques readers horses in the practical horseman conformation clinic each month, explains her fits in a box judging system. Variation in conformation of swedish warmblood horses and. Mar 15, 2005 heather smith thomas has written extensively on animal health care, authoring thousands of articles and 24 books on the subject. A horse s conformation and structure can limit or expand his options as a performance horse. Conformation is viewed in relation to the whole horse, not only at rest, but when moving. The best approach for correcting a gait fault is to examine the animals conformation and footflight pattern. The horse conformation handbook, by heather smith thomas. This horse has a rather long functional back in relation to. Test your eye for horse conformation expert advice on horse.
If the mane is uneven or the legs have excess hair, especially around the fetlocks, it can obscure the conformation. An introduction to functional conformation horse council bc. The mystery of the hunters bump 396kb pdf horse sport, october 2005. Heather smith thomas has written extensively on animal health care, authoring thousands of articles and 24 books on the subject. A horses conformation determines how well it can perform the functions asked of it. Body proportions depend primarily upon the underlying skeletal structure. Mission and vision statement world conformation horse. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multitoed creature into the large, singletoed animal of today. Conformation is defined as the correctness of bone, musculature, and proportions.
To obtain basic knowledge about selecting horses for therapeutic riding, the influence of equine conformation on rider oscillation and relationships between these factors and the evaluation on horses as the therapeutic riding were studied. Start your conformation analy sis by becoming familiar with the parts of the horse. Horses with poor conformation can be made to look good in photos through handler manipulation. The student should then read the chapter on conformation and the importance of a horse that demonstrates correct. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. Judging horse leg conformation horse health matters. Conformation analysis is the another and all horses to an ideal type for the breed or athletic purpose.
Some horse judges support fads and are more forgiving of certain faults than others. Good conformation is key to the intended performance of your horse. An additional nomination fee is required to be eligible for color classes within all wcha futurity programs. Each breed organization has identified its ideal horse. Horse judging helps in the development of a keen eye to evaluate the usefulness of a horse for a particular purpose. In the long run, whenever you sacrifice certain qualities of conformation, a limitation in ability will occur. However, many apparent conformational features are actually produced by posture the way the animal carries itself rather than. Wcha yearling nomination form world conformation horse. This is because we want to start with the xray structure conformation.
In athletics as in architecture, form follows function, and nowhere is that truth more important than in equestrian sports. If you have read articles or ebooks on horse conformation by judy wardrope. His hind legs show a very slightly longer femur than tibiafibula. Evaluating horse conformation uga cooperative extension. A horse that has balanced conformation with neck, back and hip of equal lengthwill generally be a good mover and that translates into good performance.
Conformation for the barrelgaming horse head wide distance between eyes large nostrils for increased oxygen intake short mouth as opposed to a long mouth, in which the bit can interfere with the teeth, also tend to be less. To truly judge a horse s conformation, the horse should be walked into position naturally and. How horses are put together and why they can run so fast. Equine vulvar conformation correction kayla smith, senior, animal science broodmares are a very important aspect to running an equine breeding business and in order to produce healthy foals the mares in return need to be healthy. The variation in conformation of 356 swedish warmblood horses is described, using a quantitative method of measuring horses. The selection should be based on the most positive combination of balance, structural correctness and move. When evaluating horses, the ideal will always be in demand. By contrast, most breeds seen in north america today. Start your conformation analysis by becoming familiar with the parts of the horse figure 1. If it is on the large side, the horse will be very difficult to raise off the forehand. Takehome message conformation is the study of body proportions.
The ideal conformation of a young horse for any competition or sound family mount. Horse conformation head, neck and shoulders horse with good neck conformation for dressage. Conformation plays an important role in the ability of a horse to perform. Conformation refers to the shape or structure of a horse, and it can impact a horses athletic ability.
Aug 07, 2010 a horse with poor form for a grand prix show jumper could have excellent conformation for a world champion cutting horse, or to be a champion draft horse. However, reproductive failure in mares is a common problem and can be accounted to many issues. This unsoundness is the faults in an animals conformation that lead to an inability of the animal to perform effectively in events or breeding. If you want to breed your mare and need to narrow the stallion choices, there is. The assessment of conformation is subjective, and different people will have different preferences, tolerances, and intolerances. Unlike most breeds, arabian horses have existed as a pure breed for thousands of years. Horses differ in conformation, which affects how well they can perform in different events. Conformation definition is the act of conforming or producing conformity. The arabian horse is known for its ancient bloodlines, which in many cases can be traced directly back to the desert. A nice hip for a reiner is not constructed the same as for an endurance horse page 8. Frequently there is a confusion in terminology, especially in the use of vernacular descriptions. Conformation includes type, muscling, balance and structural smoothness. Unlike livestock, which are judged for production purposes, horses are looked at in terms of their athletic performance ability. Every horse has good and bad points of its conformation and many horses including olympic caliber horses excel even with conformation faults.
Jan 29, 2020 each breed has its own proper characteristics. Generally, a horse s neck should be one and a half times the length of the head. The horse conformation handbook download ebook pdf, epub. All horses with apha, aphc, phba, abra or arha registry are eligible for color divisions. Following are some characteristics of specific breeds such as draft horses, fine or society breeds, and stock horses. Any scars on the knees suggest that the horse isnt careful over a fence or has a tendency to slip or trip on roads. Apr 08, 2008 to obtain basic knowledge about selecting horses for therapeutic riding, the influence of equine conformation on rider oscillation and relationships between these factors and the evaluation on horses as the therapeutic riding were studied. Conversely, a horse with great conformation may appear poor in photos due to the photographers lack of knowledge. With the exception of showing a breed known for its flowing mane and furry fetlocks, breeders should present their horses as neatly as possible. The common observed abnormal conformation in the hind limbs were cow, straight and sickle hocks in animals of present study. The hoof conformation in this population of mongolian.
Similar findings have been reported in horses with less mean hock. Although there are several faults with universal disadvantages, a horse s conformation is usually judged by what its intended use may be. The student should then read the chapter on conformation and the importance of a horse that demonstrates correct conformation and breed characteristics. And that has also made such a huge difference to my decisions on what horses to buy, but also towards understanding why some of my horses have limitations and problems. One conformation analysis system is known as bsmqtt. Conversely, a horse with the wrong structure for a job may improve slightly with muscling, but he will never reach the top of that sport, while horses with the right structure can do that job fairly well even with. Pdf conformation should be judged in light of the horses discipline. Influence of equine conformation on rider oscillation and. Horses with poor conformation may be at higher risk of. Overall, few conformation abnormalities were observed, and hoof shape and size was within the normal expected range for horses of this size.
When im judging or evaluating a horse, the first thing i look for is overall balance. The purpose of the conformation horse class the purpose of this class is to preserve the ultimate, ideal conformation of stock type horses by selecting individuals in the order of their overall resemblance to the wcha conformation standard. A horse that exhibits correct conformation should be a natural athlete. Evaluating horse conformation 4 a cooperative extension bulletin 1400 how the neck ties in to the shoulder also tends to also influence the shape of the horse s neck. Evaluating horse conformation the masterson method. The poll is the bony prominence lying between the ears. There are five main criteria to evaluate when examining a horse s conformation. Conformation analysis is the systematic comparison of one horse to another and all horses to an ideal type for the breed or athletic purpose. All horses must be nominated as weanlings to compete as yearlings and older at all wcha sponsor events color nominations for weanlings.
Pdf the forelimb and hoof conformation in a population. Conformation and function in the riding horse by deb bennett, ph. An important ratio to consider when evaluating a horse s conformation is the ratio of the top of the neck to the bottom of the neck. The neck should tie into the horse s body fairly high to provide good chest space. The work should be done only by a person fully experienced in the structure of the foot and leg who has the knowledge of corrective measures. Conformation definition of conformation by merriamwebster. However, a horse s form is related directly to function. Horse fact sheet the horse is an oddtoed ungulate mammal belonging to the taxonomic family equidae.
Undesirable conformation can limit the ability to perform a specific task. Teaching youth an equine conformation judging system. A horse with poor form for a grand prix show jumper could have excellent conformation for a world champion cutting horse, or to be a champion draft horse. It relates directly to the horses ability to perform specific tasks. Bob mowrey extension horse commodity coordinator north carolina state university. Conformation refers to the structure or outline of an animal. This enables one to systematically compare among horses and with the ideal horse in that breed. Teaching youth an equine conformation judging system dr. There are five main criteria to evaluate when examining a horses conformation. Kylee jo duberstein, equine specialist, department of animal and dairy science.
Femalemale characteristics are noticeable in the correct sex of the horse. Action, balance, conformation performance or the inability to perform. Click download or read online button to get the horse conformation handbook book now. An ideal chest is deep and contains the space necessary for vital organs. With poor conformation, a horse may be best suited to quiet trail rides. Color horses have the option to pay only a color nomination. Balance, struc ture, muscling, quality, type and travel.
To evaluate a horses conformation you must know several common names associated with horse anatomy. Recent books include storeys guide to raising horses, storeys guide to training horses, the horse conformation handbook, stable smarts, beyond the flamesa family touched by fire, care and management of horses, understanding equine hoof care, good horsebad habits, essential guide to calving, and cattle health handbook. Pony conformation 752kb pdf horse sport, december 2006. Relatively speaking analyzing the conformation of three horses who have pedigrees featuring argentinus.