Conformation

Anastasia Kellogg

Head

• Facial characteristics and desirable head profile varies from breed to breed

Head

• A concave profile is called a dished face (i.e Arabian)

Head

• A convex profile is called a roman nose, and is faulted in most, but not all, breeds

Head

• Generally, a straight profile, (or sometimes a dished face) is preferred

Head

• Larger nostrils provide for intake of air at speed

Head

• An overbite is called a parrot mouth (lower jaw short)

Head

• An undershot jaw may be called a bulldog bite or monkey mouth (lower jaw long)

Head

• The pronounced bulging forehead of the Arabian is called the jibbah

Head

• Eyes should be bright, widely spaced, and prominent, but not bulging (bovine eyes)

Head

• Eyes that are too small are called pig eyes

Head

• The Exmoor pony is noted for “toad eyes,” and the Appaloosa is noted for a visible white sclera

Head

• Paints, Pintos, and some other breeds sometimes have blue eyes, called glass eyes, while most horses have brown

Head

• The ears should be slender and alert

• Ears that are too long are called mule ears

Head

• The Arabian is noted for ears that meet, or appear to meet, at a point in the center

Neck

• The length of the neck is said to have an affect on the horses stride– The shoulder actually has

more influence on stride length

• The throatlatch should be clean and trim, and the neck long and slightly arched (degree varies by breed)

Neck

• A neck is considered too long when it exceeds the length of the body

• The ideal neck is one third the length of the entire horse

Neck

• A ewe neck is one concave from withers to poll, and interferes with flexibility

Neck

• A fallen crest occurs when fat deposits in the crest of the neck become so excessive as to fall to one side or the other; most common in ponies, draft breeds, and Morgans, especially stallions

Neck

• A bull neck is short and thick, with a short upper curve

Neck

• A knife neck is extremely thin, with poor muscle development on the top and bottom

Forehand

• The shoulder should slope at a 45 degree angle from the withers to the point of the shoulder; a straight shoulder shortens the stride, causing a trappy, pounding gait

• The foreleg is attached to the body by the shoulder muscles, and there is no skeletal attachment

Forehand

• 60-65 percent of the weight is carried on the forelegs

• The forearm should be twice as long as the cannon bone, and its length influences the length of the stride

• The knee should be flat, wide, and clean

Forehand

• Tendons should be well defined, and should not be “tied in” behind the knee, as this indicates weakness

• Sprung forward at the knees is said to be buck kneed, or over at the knees

Forehand

• Sprung back at the knees is said to be calf kneed

• Calf knees are a serious fault and predisposes a horse to lameness

• Buck knees are a minor fault, and some racehorse trainers prefer a horse to stand slightly forward in the knees

Forehand

• A horse having medial deviation at the knees is commonly called knock kneed

Forehand

• In a bow legged horse, the knees are too far apart, or laterally deviated

• Bench knees are knees in which the cannon bone is off center, and they predispose the horse to medial splints

• The pastern should slope at a 45 degree angle to the ground

Forehand

• Short upright pasterns cause a rough gait and can lead to osselets, navicular disease, and other problems

• Excessively small feet predispose to navicular disease

• Large, flat feet predispose to sole bruises, corns and other foot problems

Forehand

• Toeing out is standing splay footed, and causes dishing, or winging in

• Toeing in is standing pigeon toed, and causes paddling, or winging out

Top Line

• The withers should be prominent; thick, meaty withers are called mutton withers

• Horses are measured at the withers

• The body should be deep, short, and have well sprung ribs

• Depth through the heartgirth provides room for the heart and lungs

Top Line

• The back should be short and strong

• Lordosis, or sway back, is a weakness causing extreme concavity in the back, and is sometimes associated with age, especially in broodmares

Top Line

• A convex bend in the back is called a roach back, and causes short stride and interferes with flexibility

• A long back can predispose a horse to spinal injury, and interferes with athletic ability

Top Line

• The loin, or coupling, is the connection between the back and the hindquarters (space from last rib to hip) and should be short

• A horse weak in the coupling will also be shallow in the flanks, and is called wasp wasted, herring gutted, or hound gutted

Top Line

• The croup should be level or slightly rounded, depending on the breed

• The tail setting also varies with breed, with a higher tail preferred in the Saddlebred, Arabian, and Morgan

• Too much slope in the croup is termed a goose rump

Top Line

• A smooth top line figures heavily in the judge’s first impression during a conformation class

Underline

• The underline should be smooth

• A horse that is tucked up below the flanks is said to be wasp wasted, herring gutted, or hound gutted, and usually is also weak in the coupling

Hind Legs

• The hock and stifle are dependent joints

• The hock is the hardest working joint in the body

• Impulsion comes from the hind end

• Hocks with excessive bend are called sickle hocks

Hind Legs

• Sickle hocks predispose to curb, or injury to the plantar ligament

• Hocks which point towards one another are called cow hocks

• A horse which is too straight in the hock is said to be post legged

Additional External Anatomy

• Chestnuts are natural horny growths on the the insides of the legs

• Chestnuts are found above the knees and below the hocks

• The shape of the chestnut may be used in identification

• The ergot is a chestnut like growth on the back of the fetlock joint

Additional External Anatomy

• The top of the head is called the poll, and is formed by the summit of the occipital crest (top of the skull)

• The six joints of the foreleg are the shoulder, elbow, knee, fetlock, pastern, and coffin joint

Additional External Anatomy

• The seven joints of the hind leg are the sacro-iliac, hip, stifle, hock, fetlock, pastern, and coffin

• Conformation faults named after mammals include: bulldog bite, monkey mouth, pig eyes, mule ears, ewe neck, mutton withers, calf knees, buck knees, hound gut, and cow hocks

Additional External Anatomy

• Conformation faults named after birds include: goose rumped, parrot mouthed, pigeon toed