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Conformation Clinic Part II

The Body

The next area I would like to focus on is the body of the horse.  The three areas in particular are; the barrel, which is the whole belly and rib cage, the horse’s top line, which refers to an imaginary line running across the length of the horse from the bottom of his mane to his tail, and the bottom line, which refers to an imaginary line running under the barrel, parallel to the top line.   Some of the names and terms may vary from one riding discipline or one country to another, but I hope to lay it out in a manner that everyone can follow and understand.

Proper conformation in the barrel is important because it houses all the internal organs and must hang unsupported from the backbone.  “Slab sided” is a term that refers to a horse’s ribs not having enough spring to them.  This makes his sides seem narrow and flat. This is a conformational flaw because it restricts the area for the lungs and heart.  Remember that good conformation is not just looking pretty, it is about form equaling function.  The opposite conformational flaw is too wide in the barrel, or sprung ribs.  Sprung ribs or big barrels put additional strain on a horse’s back.

  A very serious unsoundness can sometimes be detected in the barrel region.  The unsoundness is called “heaves.”  Heaves affect the horse’s respiratory system.  A horse with heaves is like a person with emphysema or asthma.  If left untreated it becomes more and more difficult for the horse to breathe (like emphysema) but it also has allergic triggers (like asthma).  As the horse works to get the air in and out of its lungs you will see the muscle contract along the bottom of the barrel, below the last few ribs and back toward the coupling.  This muscle tightening is referred to as a “heave line.” 

The top line is easy to see and very important, especially in riding horses.  The base of the neck, at the end of the mane, is the withers.  If the bone here is very prominent, the horse is said to be “sharp in the withers.”  If, however, that bone is recessed and the area is flat then the horse is said to be “mutton withered.”  The ideal conformation is right in between.  When a saddle sits on a horse with proper conformation, the withers help hold the saddle in place.  Ponies are very often mutton withered and it is sometimes very hard to keep the saddle from slipping around on them.  On the other hand, if the withers bone is too prominent it sticks up into the saddle and rubs sore spots.

“Fistulous Withers” or “Fistula of the withers” is an unsoundness that is very much like the “poll evil” we discussed last month. Like poll evil, it is an inflammation of the bursa, only at the height of the withers instead of at the poll. The bursa is the cushion around the vertebra.  This inflammation may become infected and result in foul-smelling discharge.

There are three sections to the back.  The actual back usually refers to the area that supports the ribs. The area from the last rib to the hip bone is called the coupling (or sometimes loin) and from the hip to tail is called the croup (or sometimes rump).  The withers and hip should be the same height, with the back only slightly lower.  If the center of the horse’s back sinks down, he is called “sway backed.” A sway back is weak and commonly seen in older horses and broodmares.

The length of the back and coupling will determine how supple a horse is.  A horse with a very short back may find it difficult to do round, bending dressage movements.  However, a back that is too long will be weak.  A horse  that is “loose in the coupling” (that is very long from the last rib to point of hip) may seem a bit uncoordinated and certainly have a hard time doing things like herding cows or running around barrels in tight turns.

If someone says a horse is “steep in the croup” it means that the line from point of hip to the base of the tail drops off too sharply.  A flat croup, or one that rounds gently down to the tail allows greater range of motion for the hind legs.  It also makes the hindquarters more powerful.

The underline of the horse should also be predominantly straight, with a gentle slope up toward the coupling.  The soft, thin skin at the bottom of the coupling is called the flank.  A conformational flaw called “wasp waisted” means that the underline cuts up too sharply, giving less space to the stomach and intestines.  The ideal depth to the coupling differs only very slightly from breed to breed.  Weight can have some effect the underline, but most of it would be an optical illusion.  A horse will not get a steeper angle to his underline (giving less depth to the croup) as a person would get a skinnier waist.  When evaluating the underline, be careful to look only at the actual angle of that line, without being influenced by the thickness of the coupling.

An unsoundness that can be detected in this area is a hernia.  Yes, horses can get hernias just like people.  A hernia can sometimes be seen as a protrusion under the barrel, close to the midline.  By the way, you can also find the horse’s belly button here.

So there you have an overall look at the body of the horse.  The fact that the horse allows us to add our weight onto his back, which is already supporting most of the internal organs, is one of the most disregarded sacrifices our horses make for us.  Proper conformation in this area allows him to do this with a minimal amount of discomfort.