EQUINE CONFORMATION How do the equine skeleton system relate to function in the horse?

CONFORMATION  The physical appearance of an animal determined by its arrangement of muscle, bone, and other body tissue

WHAT IS “IDEAL”?  Each breed association defines its ideal horse  Evaluation should be consistent

SYSTEMATIC APPROACH  Track the horse for soundness, structural deviation and way of going  View horse at a distance, in profile, from head to rear end  View horse from front and rear

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE HEAD  Short, well set ears  Large bold eyes  Short distance from eye to muzzle  Large nostrils  Refined muzzle with a shallow mouth  Sex characteristics and “breediness” of the head

MORE OF THE HEAD  Observe position of the eyes  Well-defined jaw (larger, deeper jaw on stallions)  Breeds vary, but mouth should not have overshot or undershot muzzle

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NECK  Look for trim and refined throat latch  Observe slope of shoulder

IMPORTANCE OF BALANCE  Forms the basics for movement, length of stride and performance  Determined by skeletal structure  Short topline and long underline are ideal  Horses with differing sizes should not have the same length of body or underline

SHOULDER CHARACTERISTICS  Ideal slope of 45 to 50 degrees  Angle of pastern should correspond to angle of shoulder  Legs approximately the same length as depth of heart

TOP LINE CHARACTERISTICS  Includes withers, back, loin or coupling and croup  Higher at the withers than at the croup  Withers: sharp, prominent and well-defined  Short, strong backs relative to a long underline  Well-muscled, strong loin  Croup should be long and gently sloping

HINDQUARTERS CHARACTERISTICS  Should appear square when viewed from the side  Hindquarter that is as full and as long from across the horizontal plane of the stifle as it is from point of hip to point of buttocks

BARREL CHARACTERISTICS  Spring of ribs  Depth of heart girth  These indicate reproductive capacity and athletic performance

MUSCLE CHARACTERISTICS  A balanced athlete is uniformly muscled throughout  Long, clean, well-defined muscling is preferred in all breeds

BREED & SEX CHARACTERISTICS  Some traits may be unique and characteristic to a particular breed  Ex. Body type, color, gaits  Male horses should have prominent jaw and heavy muscling  Female horses should have femininity and refinement  Geldings are in-between

SKELETAL STRUCTURE  Includes bone and ligaments  Correct leg structure is necessary for performance athletes  Movement is determined by structure

FRONT LEGS  Straight line from the point of the shoulder should bisect the entire front leg all the way to the toe  2 equal parts  Toes and knees should point forward  Width of the toes on the ground should equal their origin in the chest  Cannon bone should be centered on the knee and fetlock

REAR LEGS  Rear View  Imaginary line from the point of buttocks to the ground should bisect the gaskin, hock and hoof  Side View  Line from the point of buttocks to the ground should touch the hocks, run parallel to the cannon and be slightly behind the heel

SUMMARY  Structural correctness ultimately determines a horse’s value and usefulness