Equine conformation

Equine conformation evaluates a horse's bone structure, musculature, and its body proportions in relation to each other.

Breed standards frequently cite large eyes, a broad forehead and a dry head-to-neck connection as important to correctness about the head.

However, a study in 2000 which compared the intermandibular width-to-size ratio of Thoroughbreds with their racing success showed this to be untrue.

Many ungulates have a specialized network of blood vessels called the carotid rete, which keeps the brain cool while the body temperature rises during exercise.

[2] These factors suggest that the conformation of a horse's head influences its ability to regulate temperature.

"Short humerus" note: that is the shoulder is too angled (less than 45 degrees) then the horse's front legs will be stilted and stiff.

A horse that will do work requiring speed, power, or endurance needs as much room as possible for maximum lung expansion.

Steep Croup or Goose Rump Flat or Horizontal Croup Short croup Short "hip" Flat "hip" Jumper's Bump (also known as Hunter's or Racking Bump) [10] High Tail Set Low Tail Set [11] Wry Tail/ Tail Carried to One Side Wide Chest and Barrel/Rib Cage Pear-Shaped Ribcage/Widens Toward Flank Well-Sprung Ribs Slab-Sided Tucked Up/Herring-Gutted/Wasp-Waisted Good Depth of Back The Hindquarters Short Hindquarters Steep-Rumped Goose-Rumped Cat-Hammed/Frog's Thighs Thighs The Hips Narrow Hips Rafter Hips/Wide Hips One Hip Bone Lower/Knocked-Down Hip High Stifles/ Short Hip Low Stifle/ Long Hip The Cannon and Tendons Long Cannon Bone [12] Archived October 9, 2007, at the Wayback Machine Short Cannon Bone Rotated Cannon Bone [13] Archived October 20, 2007, at the Wayback Machine Bench or Offset Knees/ Offset Cannons Tied-in Below the Knee The Front Legs- The Knee Medial Carpal Deviation/ Carpus Valgus/ Knock-Kneed [14] [15] Bucked, Sprung, or Goat Knees/ Over at the Knee [16] Calf-Kneed/Back at the Knee [17][18] Archived April 28, 2006, at the Wayback Machine The Front Legs- The Fetlock Toed-Out/Lateral Deviation of Pastern from Fetlock/ Fetlock Valgus [19] Archived August 6, 2004, at the Wayback Machine Toed-In/Medial Deviation of Pastern/Fetlock Varus The Hindlegs Short Gaskin/Hocks High Long Gaskin/Low Hocks Hocks Too Small Cut Out Under the Hock Camped Out Behind [20] Sickle- or Sabre-Hocked/ Overangulated Long Hind Legs [21] Post-Legged/Straight Behind Bow-Legged/Wobbly Hocks Cow Hocks/Medial Deviation of the Hocks/Tarsus Valgus The angle of the pasterns is best at a moderate slope (between 50 and 55 degrees) and moderate length.

When a horse is ridden, the weight of the rider adds to the force absorbed by the legs and feet.

Poor conformation of the feet may lead to uneven or ineffective distribution of these impacts, in some cases increasing the risk of injury.

Toe-Out/Splay Footed Toe-In, Pigeon-Toed Base Narrow in Front: Toed-Out or Toed-In Base Wide in Front: Toed-In or Toed-Out Stands Close Behind/Base Narrow Behind The Hoof Feet Too Small [24] [25] Feet Large and Flat/ Mushroom-Footed [26] Mule Feet Coon-Footed[9] Club Foot [27] [28] Archived December 25, 2004, at the Wayback Machine Contracted Heels [29] Thin Walls Flared Hoof Wall [30] Insufficient Bone Light-Framed/Fine Boned [31] Coarse-Boned/Sturdy-Framed [32] Withers Higher than Croup [33] Withers Lower than Croup/Rump High/Downhill Balance [34] Too Tall or Too Short (in context to rider) [35] This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chambers, Ephraim, ed.