Conformation: What to look for and why it matters
By: Lynne Wahlstrom
Hooves are important because this is where the horse carries his weight. There is an old saying which says, “No hoof, no horse.” A horse with bad hooves will cost more to keep because he will need hoof supplements to keep his hooves strong and frequent farrier visits to reset shoes and trim the hooves. You want to see a hoof with no cracks, that is well rounded and looks in proportion to the rest of the body. A big hoof is better than a small hoof because the horse’s weight is spread over more ground.
When looking at a horse’s front legs, we want to be sure to look at them from both the front and sides to be sure the horse's legs are straight. As you can see from the pictures, there are many ways the horse’s legs can be incorrect. This can cause extra stress on the horse’s legs, making them sore and causing the horse to limp. A horse with a limp is called “lame”. If the horse goes lame, it costs the owner a lot of money in vet bills, farrier bills, medicines, and time to make the horse better. He horse may be injured permanently and will have to kept as a pet or put to sleep, so we want to be sure to buy a horse with good legs in order to be able to afford to keep him a long time.
You also want to take a close look at the horse’s hind legs from both the back and sides. You can drop an imaginary line from the point of the hip down to the ground. From the back, the line should go straight down the back leg of the horse, splitting it in half, like the pictures show. Cow hocked horses are common, especially in the stock and draft breeds. This does not affect the horse much, unless it is very pronounced. Still, a straight legged horse should be chosen over a cow-hocked one, if they are equal in every other way because a cowhocked horse is prone to spavins, which are growths on the backs of the legs.
Next, we want to look at the horse’s body. Is the horse well muscled and not underweight? Does he have any obvious tumors or deformities? His body should look like it fits well together and all the parts are the right size. His body should be well rounded out with a deep chest, rounded withers, and a rounded hip. If the horse’s chest isn’t very wide, there will be less room for his lungs so he will become winded more quickly and need to rest often. Remember, the horse pushes himself forward with his hind legs, so this is his motor. A well rounded hip, which hides the pelvic bones, tells us the horse’s motor is powerful, so he can carry us easily for long distances. The horse’s back is also important because this is where you will be sitting. A moderate length, wide back is preferred because it will be stronger and still allow the horse to be flexible.
The head and neck should be the last thing you look at. The head should look like it is in proportion with the size of the body. The jaws should meet properly so that the horse doesn’t have an overbite, called a parrot mouth, or an under bite, called a monkey mouth. This ensures the horse can eat without problems. The other main concern is the horse’s eyes. They should be moving around to look where the horse’s ears are pointing and they should look clear and sparkly. Don’t be fooled by a horse with blue eyes, called “watch eyes” or “wall eyes”. These horses often have a face that is mostly white and the horses are not blind. The horse should be narrow where the head meets the neck called the throatlatch or throatlash. This allows him to tuck his head and balance properly to carry a rider without injuring his back. It is nice for the horse to have a pretty face with a wide forehead, large eyes, delicate ears, and a small muzzle, but this is not essential to the usefulness of the horse, so don’t get fooled by a horse with a pretty face.
The way a horse moves is very important. Movement is controlled by the way the horse is built. For example, if the horse has a steep shoulder, this will inhibit the forward motion of the shoulder, making the horse’s stride shorter. You want to be sure the horse is not limping, and that his legs move forward with as little sideways movement as possible. You also want to be listening to see if the horse is clicking his hooves together because he will likely hurt himself by doing this. The horse’s movement should look effortless and his short run should not leave him breathless. Be wary of a bobbing head because this can indicate that there is discomfort when the horse is moving. The horse’s movement should be smooth and not jerky or stiff. He should be picking his feet up far enough to not trip while he is moving.
Go farther:
To see an example of a horse moving correctly, visit http://youtu.be/Iy4-cJR6GHk
To see examples of horses who are moving incorrectly, visit http://youtu.be/LZnJu5Azsvw, http://youtu.be/XQSlN9tYudc, http://youtu.be/ib0K9rQ1aIg, and http://youtu.be/E6a7Cfrq_H4.
(These are very obvious examples of poorly moving horses. Many times evaluating movement is much more subtle.)
You can find more information about horse conformation by reading the USPC Guide to Conformation or reading the 4-H Horse Judging Handbook.
Please remember that this is a primer. There’s much more to judging horses than just straight legs. If you want to check out a horse judging practice, look at the youtube video posted below.
I got my information from years of competing in 4-H Hippology, Horse Judging, and Horsebowl.
Horse Judging Practice: http://youtu.be/ovQVqLum5is