Evaluating Horse Conformation Pt 7

As the horse has its knee bent and its leg brought back behind it, it must swing its lower leg to the outside of a straight line to place it back in front of itself. This is due to the natural angle that the horse's legs are set at due to the pigeon toes. It is not, however, as serious a problem as the mature horse that toes out. These horses will "wing in" as they move forward. This causes the horse to potentially interfere and hit its other leg as it is moving one leg forward. (Side note—toeing out slightly in foals will often not persist into adulthood as the foal ages and fills out muscularly). Horses that are base narrow tend to "rope walk," or cross one front leg over the other when moving, and also have a tendency to interfere (Figure 18). In addition to watching the horse from the front and rear to determine its footfall, it is also important to watch the horse move from the side to determine stride length and quality. In some disciplines and breeds, such as Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds, the horse should have a long, smooth stride that is very flat with very little knee action (Figure 19-A). For certain breeds such as Arabians, Morgans and Saddlebreds, the horse should have more knee flexion and raise its legs higher (Figure 19-Bb). It is important for all horses to bring their hind legs well underneath themselves to power their movement. It is also important when watching the horse move from all angles to be sure that the horse does not "interfere" or hit its legs together at any point in its stride. Evaluating Muscling Quantity and quality of muscling can be another important consideration when evaluating conformation, though not to the same extent as balance, structural correctness and way of going. It is important to recognize that degree of muscling is largely determined by breed, with some breeds naturally being more heavily muscled (e.g., American Quarter Horse) than others (e.g., Thoroughbred). Points on the horse to evaluate muscling include the chest and forearm, loin, stifle and gaskin. In these areas, quantity and quality of muscling can be evaluated. A deep pectoral "V" is desirable in the chest (Figure 20). On the hindquarters, the muscling over the stifle and gaskin should also be well defined but not bunchy. The muscling around the stifle should be the widest part of the horse when viewed from behind (Figure 22). The muscling around the inner and outer gaskin should also be wide and well defined. In general, it is desirable to have a smooth, well-defined muscle pattern over the entire horse. It is also desirable for the forearm and gaskin muscling to have definition and be long and smooth versus short and bunchy. When examining the horse from the side, the muscling over the back and loin area should be smooth and defined rather than weak. The back should tie smoothly into the hip without severe angles or bumps. The muscling over the entire topline should be smooth and flow together seamlessly. Evaluating conformation involves analyzing a particular breed and type of horse for balance, structural correctness, way of going, muscling and perhaps breed and sex character. Breed and sex character were not discussed in this publication, as they are typically the least important consideration in evaluating conformation and can vary greatly between breeds. Essentially, breed character simply refers to how well an individual horse represents the ideal standard for its breed. Pictures of ideal breed individuals can typically be found on breed organization websites or brochures. Breed characteristics should not take precedence over balance, structural correctness or way of going. There are exceptions to every rule, and there are definitely horses with poor conformation that go on to be great performers, and horses with crooked legs that never take a lame step. However, looking at conformation is one of the most reliable predictors of both athletic ability and soundness in the majority.