The purpose of ranch conformation is to preserve the ranch horse type selecting well mannered individuals in the order of their resemblance to the breed ideal and that are the most positive combination of balance, structural correctness, and movement with appropriate breed and sex characteristics and adequate muscling. Knowing about horse conformation, movement and soundness is important to any horse owner, whether you are selecting a ho. A horse with poor conformation for a grand prix show jumper could have excellent conformation for a world champion dressage horse, or to be a champion endurance horse. Evaluating athletic potential in dressage, jumping and event prospects by christian schacht isbn.
Evaluating sport horse conformation, part 2 dressage today. To submit a photo of your horse to be evaluated in our conformation clinic, send us a leftside view photo of your horse for digital phots. Sport horse conformation the british horse society shop. However, i use breeding only to confirm thoughts or feelings that i already. With a welltrained eye, you can see his strengths and his weaknesses, and therefore determine how you train him, on which areas to focus, the techniques best chosen to improve his skills, and methods that should be used or avoided in order to maintain the.
This video gives a brief introduction to evaluating the horses overall conformation. Miniature horse breeders strive to breed horses with excellent conformation because wellconformed horses are typically more healthy and beautiful. May 05, 2017 no horse is perfect, but many athletic horses can perform up to their potential with proper shoeing. Feb, 2017 in assessing movement, we judge only the walk and trot, and the purity of these two gaits is the most important quality. Bay horse standing side view conformation horse conformation photo. A horses conformation determines how well it can perform the functions asked of it.
Conformation analysis is the another and all horses to an ideal type for the breed or athletic purpose. Horses with good conformation move fluidly, experience less wear and tear on joints, and are more apt to stay fit and sound during. Conformation of the miniature horse unicorner farm. Evaluating athletic potential in dressage, jumping and event prospects riding clothes. There are innumerable books on horse conformation, but this one. Ranch conformation alberta ranch horse versatility association. Although a horses basic body conformation will vary by breed, all horses should have basic athletic structural attributes.
In sport horse conformation youll have a chance to. Quite common and seen in all breeds and in all equestrian sports. The horse conformation handbook by heather smith thomas. The term horse conformation describes the lines, muscling and characteristics of a horse s body. Horses with good conformation move fluidly, experience less wear and tear on joints, and are more apt to stay fit. The way a horse is physically built, his conformation, tells a lot about the riding sport or discipline for which he is best suited.
The way a horse is physically builtohis conformationotells a lot about the riding sport or discipline for which he is best suited. Structure, soundness and performance 1st lyons press ed by equine research isbn. One conformation analysis system is known as bsmqtt. Read the uspc guide to conformation, movement and soundness by susan e. The better a horses conformation how the animal measures up to. It covers acceptable differences in conformation of differing breeds or types and also what trade offs may be made for a specific discipline. With a welltrained eye, you can see his strengths and his weaknesses, and therefore determine how you train him, on which areas to focus, the techniques best chosen to improve his skills, and methods that should be used or avoided in order to maintain the horses health and soundness. The horse conformation handbook by heather smith thomas, jo. The 10yearold arabian gelding with 600 lifetime american endurance ride conference miles is standing a little uphill in this photo, so it looks like hes leaning forward. 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. There are innumerable books on horse conformation, but this one stands out. The book covers everything from the basics of structure of each area of the horse to what specific problems may arise.
The photographs, many in colour, examine al points of conformation and show both good and bad examples alike. The selle francais sf is a breed of sport horse from france. In this excerpt from sport horse conformation by veterinarian and german fncertified breeding and horse management expert christian schacht, find out what to look for in a jumper prospect when it comes to frontend conformation. I wrote in my own book living and working with the horse. The way a horse is physically built his conformation tells you a lot about the riding sport or discipline for which he is best suited. Study the physical ideal and geometrical factors for determining the horses athletic potential. It looks good and creates an efficient lever for manouvering. As the horse walks away from the judge on the small triangle, she sees the view from behind. Points on horse conformation are quite a detailed subject if they are to be of any use to you and should be studied separately. Equine conformation and biomechanics home facebook. Announcing the new book from veterinarian and conformation. Although there are several universal faults, a horse s conformation is usually judged by what its intended use may be.
Thackerville, ok may 3, 2019 the world conformation horse association wcha is thrilled. The proportion of the body conformation, as compared to the limb conformation, may determine whether or not. Structure, soundness, and performance equine research, sherrie engler on. The head should be in proportion to the rest of the horse. Aug 07, 2010 equine conformation evaluates the degree of correctness of a horse s bone structure, musculature, and its body proportions in relation to each other. For example, darko produced some wonderful offspring. Evaluating athletic potential in dressage, jumping. The crest is convex or arched with proportional development of all muscles. The throatlatch shou ld be clean, trim, well defined and capable of horse conformation analysis l. Scott morrison, dvm, of rood and riddle equine hospital, discusses a variety of hoof and conformation problems and shoeing solutions. If the horse is a stallion or mare, it matters a little bit. Explaining how conformation relates to structure and function, heather smith thomas shows you how to identify a horses desirable attributes and potential faults.
Feb 20, 2008 this is a great book, conformation and performance by nancy s. Mar 22, 2014 neck the head shou ld attach to the neck in a m anner th at provides am ple m ovem ent and flexion withou t im pairin g of th e air passages. Equine conformation evaluates the degree of correctness of a horse s bone structure, musculature, and its body proportions in relation to each other. Depending on context, a pony may be a horse that is under an approximate or exact black pony horse looking at camera. The ideal conformation of a young horse for any competition or sound family mount. Whether your horse has good or bad horse conformation depends really on what breed your horse is since each breed is different their horse conformation is different and you ll be looking for. Lawrence former extension equine specialist washington state university great flexion. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
Balance, struc ture, muscling, quality, type and travel. The book concludes with realworld applications of the principles of good conformation, including helping a horse succeed by matching him with the right job and what the conformation of the aging horse can tell you. This excerpt from sport horse conformation by christian schacht is reprinted with permission from trafalgar square books. Veterinarian, judge, and sport horse breeding authority christian schacht presents a new and easytouse system for evaluating the conformation of the sport horse, with special attention on dressage, jumping, and eventing prospects. In athletics as in architecture, form follows function, and nowhere is that truth more important than in equestrian sports. Veterinarian, judge, and sport horse breeding authority christian schacht presents a new and easytouse system for evaluating the conformation of the sport horse, with special attention on dressage, jumping and eventing prospects. The uspc guide to conformation, movement and soundness ebook. She goes through all the parts of the horse, explains the conformation, why it is a good thing or a bad thing, and what the horses uses would be, what they might be good at or should stay away from.
Heather smith thomas has written extensively on animal health care, authoring thousands of articles and 24 books on the subject. To properly evaluate a horse s conformation you must know the common names associated with horse anatomy. Horses registered with the stud books must undergo inspections which judge their conformation, gaits and performance. Evaluating form and function expert howto for english riders. A profile photo of a thoroughbred horse pony female horse with cub. Facebook is showing information to help you better understand the purpose of a page. However, a horse s form is related directly to function. It is not a system of fault picking, and breeders must avoid the overanalysis of minor flaws in conformation. Some horse judges support fads and are more forgiving of certain faults than others. Horse neck conformation the ideal equine neck local riding. Evaluating horse conformation the masterson method. The horse conformation handbook heather smith thomas. The aim of this book is to assist in that study by providing a detailed guide to the horses anatomy followed by over 300 specially taken photographs with an informative and expert commentary by top show producer, robert oliver. To the experienced horse expert, the eye signals nervousness or physical condition, writes veterinarian and breeding and horse management.
Understand the modern demands on todays dressage, jumping, and event horses. Sport horse conformation trafalgar square books blog. Sport horse conformation by christian schacht hardcover. Horse conformation stock photos download 156 royalty free. On a horse with perfect conformation you know the ones you see them in textbooks, but theyre usually drawn in rather than photographed because theyre so hard to come by, you could draw a straight line from the points of their shoulders down to the ground, and that line. Evaluating athletic potential in dressage, jumping and event prospects schacht, christian, reinhold, stefanie on. A sport horse or sporthorse is a type of horse, rather than any particular breed. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new books every 1, 2, or 3 months new customers receive 15% off your. Managing sport horse conformation faults through shoeing. The term is usually applied to horses bred for the traditional olympic equestrian sporting events of dressage, eventing, show jumping, and combined driving, but the precise definition varies. Oct 24, 2019 a few aspects of conformation particularly impact the horses feet.
How horses are put together and why they can run so fast. In this set of videos, kathy anderson and libby lugar provide. Conformation judging is a process of observation which can determine whether a horse will move well, carry weight and stay sound. An important ratio to consider when evaluating a horses conformation is the ratio of the top of the neck to the bottom of the neck. Undesirable conformation can limit the ability to perform a specific task. Start your conformation analy sis by becoming familiar with the parts of the horse. The neck appears as if it is flowing into the back. Test your eye for horse conformation expert advice on horse. If it is on the large side, the horse will be very difficult to raise off the forehand. An outstanding horse will exhibit superior conformation whether it is a halter horse, pleasure horse or racehorse.