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Conformation Clinic Part 6

Does it all measure up?

Like everything else dealing with horses, learning to see good conformation takes a lot of practice.  Now it’s time to get out a tape measure, find some horses and have a little fun.  You could even incorporate these activities into a lesson plan for students using measuring, geometry, physics and good observational skills.  If you have difficulty with naming the parts of the horse or conformational terms, you can easily find and review information on that area of the body by looking at the corresponding conformation article already presented and saved in the Articles Stable. 

Begin by looking for geometric shapes.  If you look at the horse from the side, you should be able to make a perfect square beneath him.  The sides consist of the front and hind legs. The top and bottom of the square are made from the horse’s underline (across the bottom of the barrel from elbow to stifle) and the ground.  If the horse is too long in the back, the shape will look more like a rectangle.  If the horse is wasp-waisted, your square will have one side taller than the other.

You should also be able to make a perfect trapezoid on the horse from this angle.  The top of the trapezoid will go from the withers bone to the hip bone. One side of the trapezoid will connect from the withers to the point of shoulder, which is the point on the front of the horse’s body by the chest, where the shoulder bone ends.  The other side of the trapezoid will go from the point of hip to the point of buttocks, or the furthest point to the rear of the horse, below the dock of the tail, before it starts curving down into the hind leg.  The bottom of the trapezoid will connect the two sides through the middle of the horse’s barrel.  If the horse is steep in the croup or steep in the shoulder, the sides of the trapezoid will be too straight.

You should also be able to make a square inside of this trapezoid by taking the sides and making one side drop from the withers straight down to the elbow (top joint on front leg) and the other side drop straight from the hip bone to the flank (the soft, thin skin at the end of the barrel just in front of the hind leg).  If the horse is too short in the back, the shape may still look like a trapezoid.  If the back is too long, it may look like an upside-down trapezoid or a rectangle.

One of the important aspects of conformation is how well proportioned a horse is.  This gives us a good opportunity for estimating equal measures.  Take a tape measure and measure the horse’s head from poll to muzzle.  Estimate, and then actually measure the following areas to see if the horse is correctly proportioned.  The length of the head should be equal to: the length of the shoulder, the length of the heart girth (from withers to elbow), length of forearm (elbow to knee on the front leg), length of the back (the back starts at withers and ends before the coupling), length of the croup (hip bone to tail), and length from elbow to stifle (the top joint on the horse’s hind leg).

There are more measurements to consider which could also be represented as ratios.  Measure the horse’s neck from the throat latch (bottom of the neck where it meets the head) to where it meets the top of the chest.  Then measure the top of the neck from the poll to the withers.  The top of the neck should measure twice as long as the bottom.  When learning about conformation of the front and hind quarters, I was always taught to remember “long, short, long, short.”  In the front quarters, this refers to the length of shoulder (long) compared to distance between point of shoulder and front leg (short), then comparing the length of forearm (long) to length of cannon bone (short).  On the hindquarters this pattern refers to the length from hip to point of buttocks (long), point of buttocks to stifle (short), stifle to hock (long), and from hock down cannon (short).  There is no perfect ratio between these lengths, as long as they follow the long, short, long, short proportions the horse will be structurally sound.

One other fun measurement…if you are looking at a very young (2 years old or less) horse and want to estimate how tall he will be, measure from the ground to his elbow then take that measurement and start from the elbow and go up.  Where the measurement ends is a pretty good estimate of where the horse’s withers will be when he is full grown.  That is why foals look like they are “all legs!”

Keen observation skills are essential when looking at the conformation of horses.  Watch a horse walk directly toward you and directly away from you.  If possible, do this on a hard surface such as asphalt or concrete.  Listen for an even steady rhythm with each hoof landing with equal weight and equal time between each step.  Look to see that each leg swings along, and the hoof lands on, a straight line. The front and rear feet should land one right in front of the other in line.  You can apply some physics here.  A horse that is pigeon toed will swing his legs in a manner we call, “dishing out,” or “paddling,” arching away from the opposite leg with each step.  A horse that is toed out will swing his feet in toward the opposite leg in a motion called, “dishing in,” or “winging in.”    Winging in is more of a concern than dishing out because of the possibility of injury from the hoof hitting the opposite leg.  Some horses will swing their legs so that the hooves of the near side and hooves of the far side of the horse land on a single center line instead of two separate straight lines.  This is called rope walking and makes the horse very unbalanced.

There are very few horses in this world that have 100% correct conformation.  However, by understanding how the body structure supports the function of each area you can make better decisions about what type of work a horse may be best suited for, and what types of precautions to take in order to keep him sound, comfortable and able to perform well  in spite of some conformational flaws.  Some precautions may include adjustments in training schedules, special leg boots or wraps while being worked or special shoes or trimming methods.

Being kind to our horses must include being honest about the horse’s conformation and how it may relate to what we are asking him to do.  A horse with a neck that is short, thick and not measuring twice as long on top as it does on the bottom is not going to be able to have the head carriage of a top dressage performer, no matter how many different types of side reins, draw reins or bits you put on it.  A horse that is shallow in the heart girth, slab-sided, and long in the cannon bone will never be a top endurance horse.  A horse that is long in the back and loose in the coupling will never be good at herding cows or running around barrels.  Yet so often we see owners and trainers applying all types of training techniques and devices on horses to make them perform in a manner that is just too physically difficult for them to do well, easily and happily.  The owner may spend a lot of money on trainers, end up with a lot of frustration and possibly expensive vet bills.  The horse is at best uncomfortable, possibly in a lot of pain, and may end up sour or with serious behavior problems.    Now you have the skills to make good assessments so you can use sound judgment and provide the most humane treatment for the horse you already have or one you may want to purchase.  Understanding conformation makes everyone happier!