Conformation: Form to Function
By
Don Blazer, with Instructor Eleanor Blazer
Lesson
Three
When selecting a performance horse,
you want to be sure he moves naturally in a manner consistent with the standards
established by the rules for the event.
For example: a western pleasure horse
should move lightly, with flat knees and a very slow cadence. His conformation will, of course, contribute
to his movement, so if his conformation is perfect for efficiency, his movement
may not be the most desirable for this event.
A horse with a straight shoulder, short arm, back at the knees and an
upright pastern will have no reach—not efficient, but perfect for the movement
of western pleasure.
After evaluating a horse’s
conformation and pedigree (lesson two) for a particular performance, you want
to evaluate his movement for that performance.
Many conformational deviations from the standard for efficient movement
are acceptable. There are also many
conformational deviations that are not acceptable.
COMMON CONFORMATION DEVIATIONS OF MOVEMENT
Brushing: When a horse is trotting or galloping, the
front foot on one side may be extended backward while the back foot on the same
side is moving forward. If the front
foot comes in contact with the rear coronet band, pastern or cannon, then the
horse is said to “scalp”. Any light form
of scalping in which there is no injury, is considered brushing.
No injury occurs with brushing, but
the hair on the hind leg can be worn away from persistent brushing.
Cocks head to one side: There can be any number of reasons for this,
and all possibilities should be considered.
If the horse is supposedly well schooled, then poor training in which
the horse has suffered consistent pulling on the bit should the primary
concern. You should secondarily be
concerned about the possibility of a neck injury. If the problem lies here, it can often be
corrected, but takes considerable time and re-schooling.
If the horse is young, he may be
suffering from some dental problem which could be easily corrected. He may have ticks or other insects in his
ears, which can also be quickly corrected.
You must be sure the horse has no
nerve damage before accepting him as a possible performance prospect.
Cross-firing: The horse hits the inside part of the front
hoof (usually at the quarters) with the diagonal hind foot.
Daisy cutter: This horse barely lifts his feet above the
ground. If the horse is an efficient
mover and appears agile and willing, then this can be a real asset. But if the horse has weak and lazy movement,
then he will be very prone to stumbling.
Drags toes: Toe
dragging is most often seen in the hind foot. It is generally associated with a very lazy
horse which is not well conditioned. It
is also very common if the horse’s rider has weak legs and fails to drive the
horse’s hindquarters forward. Before
considering this a naturally poor movement by the horse, ask to see the horse
ridden.
Forging: The
toe of a hind foot hits the sole of the front foot on the same side. This is most often the movement of a very
lazy horse, a horse with a long front foot, or a young horse just under saddle
and not yet quite sure how to carry his rider forward.
Gaiting: All gaited horses actually walk (a four-beat
gait). The differences between an amble,
the running walk, the fox trotting and single-foot (rack) are all simply
differences of speed. The single-footing
horse is said to walk so fast that only one foot is actually on the ground at a
time—a single-foot. Gaiting is not considered
a “deviation” for some horses, as it may be a desired trait.
High action: This refers to the horse which lifts his
knees into the air with the appearance of a “snapping” action. Parade horses and carriage horses with
natural high action are desirable. The
action can be trained into the horse’s movement.
High motion behind: The action is high behind and is considered
by some to be very flashy. Most of the time such action is the result of conformation
weaknesses such as cow hocks or sickle hocks.
Interfering: One hoof swings inward to strike the inside
of the opposite leg. The horse can hit
anywhere below the knee or hock. It is a
condition common with horses that toe-out.
Injury from interfering can be minor or very serious. A horse that interferes frequently and with
strength can damage the bones of the opposite leg. The sesamoid bone or splint bone may be
fractured. It is a condition to be
avoided.
Over-reaching: A long stride from behind is usually the
cause, but it can sometimes be the result of the front foot simply not getting
out of the way in time. When a horse over-reaches, the hind foot strikes the front foot at
the coronet band or above. Severe
injury can occur to the bulb of the heel or the back of the fetlock joint. (If the hind foot strikes the bottom of the
front foot, then the horse is forging.)
Overstep or over-striding: An efficient moving horse will always stride
far enough with a hind foot at the walk to over-stride the footprint of the
front foot. Horses which do not
over-stride at the walk are lazy, or should be suspected of having a weak back,
weak loin, or generally poor hindquarter conformation.
Pacing: A lateral gait where the legs on the same
side move forward together, while the legs on the other side move back. The horse’s body is supported by legs on one
side, and then switched to the opposite side, resulting in a rolling
motion. The pace is common to some
Standardbreds - a breed used in harness racing.
A pacing horse will not have the balance of a trotting horse, making the
pacer not as sure-footed. Not considered
a “deviation” for some horses, as it may be a desired trait.
Paddling: The hoof in flight twists outward, giving the
impression the horse is “paddling in water.”
This condition is most often seen in horses which toe-in. Also called “dishing”.
Plaiting: As the horse moves forward, each front foot
swings to the outside and then completes the arc by landing directly in front
of the centerline of the horse. Watching
the horse from the front, it appears the horse is walking on a single line
extending forward from the center of its chest.
Plaiting is sometimes called “rope walking.”
Short-strided/short
behind: A horse with a steep
shoulder and upright pasterns will often take a short, choppy stride with the
front legs. This is called short-strided. When the
movement is short and choppy behind, the horse is said to be “short
behind.” Horses which are short-behind
take short steps. In both cases, the
horse should be tested for soundness.
Many horses become short-strided or short
behind due to sore feet. When they are
sore in both front, or both hind, or all four feet,
many owners never recognize the horses are unsound, instead thinking that is their
natural movement. Unsoundness
(especially due to sore feet) should always be suspected in short-strided horses.
Stiff to one side: Horses which have difficulty bending to one
side or the other often have pain in the mouth, neck, shoulder or back. If there is no pain evident, consider the
horse to be resisting poor riding, which is generally the case.
Scalping: The toe of the front foot scrapes the
coronet, pastern or even the fetlock joint of the hind foot, scalping the
hair. These injuries can be severe.
Speedy cutting: Interference from any limb to any other limb
while the horse is traveling at fast speeds is considered speedy cutting.
Stringhalt: An exaggerated lifting of the hind limb from
one or both hind legs. This is an
involuntary flexion which is most often the result of an injury, but can be
caused by toxic problems resulting from the eating of certain plants.
Winging:
Toed-out or splay-footed horses wing their feet inward, then outward to
placement. Because the horse is
“winging-in” damage can be done to the opposite leg.
EXAMINATION FOR SOUNDNESS
Don’t be fooled into thinking only a
veterinarian can determine the general health and soundness of a horse. The veterinarian and his diagnostic tools
can be an aid to you when needed.
However, in too many cases veterinarians err on the side of caution—they
frequently see problems where none exist as they attempt to protect themselves
from “what might happen,” and the resulting possibility of a law suit.
Make your own soundness
examination. If you have questions or
are unsure about certain things you see, by all means get further advice and
assistance.
Understand that any examination for soundness
can only apply to the hour at which it is made.
Horses, just as all animals, are subject to disease and injury at any
moment. No one can predict what may or
may not happen in the future. If there
are signs of potential problems, it is up to you to evaluate the risks and the
consequences, and then make your decision.
Once again, conformation, way of moving, and soundness are all relative
terms to the performance expected. It is
not necessarily the physical abilities of the horse as much as it is the
“heart” within the horse.
Gather as much information as you can
about the horse’s past health and injuries. Ask when and how often the horse has been
dewormed and if the horse has had most common vaccinations.
Be sure the horse has a negative
Coggins test certificate issued within the past 6 to 12 months, depending on
your state regulations.
Ask exactly what the horse has been
eating, and ask to see both forages and grains.
Note any supplements which are being fed.
Begin your soundness examination by
observing the horse in his stall or pen.
Look for signs of vices, such as weaving, stall walking, digging,
cribbing. Note how the horse stands—is
he square with weight on all four feet?
Does he point one front foot or the other? Has he built a little mound of shavings
under one front heel? Does he look happy
and interested or is he listless and disinterested?
The next step is to see the horse
outside where you can easily view his overall conformation. Make notes so that you can go back to areas
of concern and reevaluate according to the performance needs.
Before asking the horse to exercise,
be sure to take his temperature, pulse, and respiration at rest. Listen to his heart and lungs.
Now you will want to watch the horse
walk and trot both in a straight line to you and away from you, and then in a
tight circle on hard ground. Note all
the deviations in foot flight, notice if the horse strikes the ground evenly
and with equal weight on all four feet.
Does he appear to travel soundly?
If the horse appears sound on hard
ground, ask to have the horse longed in a 30 meter circle on soft ground. You will want to see the horse walk, trot and
canter. It is a good idea to work the
horse at least 10 to 15 minutes on the longe line in
order to elevate his heart rate and respiration. Now listen to the horse’s heart of uneven
sounds. Check the respiration rate and
note how quickly the horse recovers.
Recovery time for both heart and respiration should be short if the
horse has had any conditioning at all.
This is the time to check the horse’s
eyes. Be sure he sees well out of each
eye, and there are no blue spots or discoloration within the eye. Check the horse’s ears. He should allow you to touch both ears
without hesitation.
The horse’s nostrils should be as
clean after work as they were before exercise.
If there is any discharge, it should be light and clear.
Examine the horse’s teeth and
mouth. Note any cuts or scars to the
tongue, and determine if the horse needs to have his teeth floated. He should have no missing teeth unless he is
a youngster shedding baby teeth.
Your examination of the horse’s feet
should include using hoof testers to see if there are not sore spots.
Clean the horse’s feet and note any
imbalances between the medial and lateral sides when looking at the bottom of
the hoof. From the side, note any dorsal
to palmar imbalance. (Note how the horse
is shod. Is the shoe too short? Is the shoe tied in too tight at the
heel? Keep in mind the foot may actually
be well balanced, but the shoeing may be poor.)
When looking at the foot, examine for
contracted heels, for dips or flares in the hoof wall and for an uneven coronet
band.
If you have any question at all about
lower leg joints, you may wish to do flexion tests. Most of the time flexion tests are of little
value if you have not seen uneven or poor movement when the horse is being
worked. Be careful with flexion tests
that you do not create “soreness” by over-stressing the joint while doing the
test.
When flexing the fetlock joints,
simply lift the horse’s leg by the toe.
Hold the toe of the hoof with your fingers so that the joint is flexed,
but not stressed. Do not push the
horse’s toe toward his knee. Hold the
joint in a flexed position for two minutes, and then trot the horse off.
When flexing the hind leg, hold the
hind leg forward by the fetlock joint.
Hold the leg in the flexed position for 2 to 3 minutes, then trot the horse off.
In both cases, the horse should trot
soundly after the second or third step.
If you have questions about the
horse’s soundness after your observation, call in a veterinarian and bring on
the technology. You can go for X-rays of
the joints or foot, you can do nerve blocks,
endoscopic and ultrasound examinations.
If you are expecting to use the horse
for high performance events immediately, it is wise to run a blood panel so
that you have a good idea of exactly how well the horse has been
conditioned. Urine and blood analysis
will give you a clear picture of internal condition.
Stallions and mare to be used for
breeding will require special testing to determine their reproductive status.
Collect a stallion so semen can be
evaluated for sperm count, motility and viability. You may also want to see the horse collected
or bred so that you will know how easy or difficult he is to handle.
A mare will need to undergo rectal
palpation so your veterinarian can examine the reproductive tract for signs of
normal activity or structural problems.
A uterine biopsy and culture is
recommended to determine the health of the mare’s uterus for probability of
conceiving and carrying a health foal to term.
Final Analysis
When you have completed your
soundness examine you will recognize that no horse is perfect. Every horse has conformation defects,
deviations of bone or hoof which may have to be managed. It is up to you to decide to accept the
management problems or pass on them.
It is up to you to learn the
management options. Many times the
problems never seriously affect the horse’s performance. At other times you may not wish to assume the
risks.
If you are in doubt, get a second
opinion, and ask for advice from other horsemen, vets or farriers about the
possibilities of correcting certain problems.
When you are in the
business of horses-- whether training, trading, or breeding--choose horses
which make your work easier and more profitable. There are always plenty of horses.
You will make mistakes. Mistakes teach you. Do not allow the possibility of a mistake to
keep you from learning as a horseman.
Assignment:
1. Send a video, or series of short videos, of
you examining a demo horse for potential purchase: use your own horse or borrow
one. Follow all the steps in the section
“Examination for Soundness”. There is no
need to consult a veterinarian, unless you find a problem that needs to be
addressed. Load the videos to YouYube and send me the link or links. Make sure the setting is not for “private”.
2.
Write a detailed report about your demo horse, which covers the items you need
to check when examining a horse (age, sex, training level, health history,
feed, vices observed, condition of stall, etc.) Include in the report your
review of the video/s.
3. Your conclusion about the horse? In what
activity or event do you think the horse may excel? Remember to review the pedigree.
Please
check your spelling and grammar. Put
your full name on the document. Email
everything to: elblazer@horsecoursesonline.com