Conformation

Question 1

What are the 6 conformation horse types?

Answer 1

• SPORT HORSE
• HUNTER
• STOCK
• SADDLE
• DRIVING
• DRAFT

Question 2

What is conformation?

Answer 2

Physical appearance of an animal due to the arrangement of:
— muscles, bone, & other body tissue

Question 3

Improved conformation = _____ _____

Answer 3

increased athleticism

Question 4

What are the 5 conformation qualities?

Answer 4

1. Balance
2. Structural correctness
3. Quality
4. Muscling
5. Breed and Sex Character

Question 5

What confomation quality is the most important?

Answer 5

Balance

Question 6

Structural correctedness looks at which part of the horse?

Answer 6

Lower end (legs)

Question 7

Balance looks at which part of the horse?

Answer 7

Body

Question 8

Quality looks at which part of the horse?

Answer 8

Head

Question 9

Overall balance looks at which parts of the horse’s body?

Answer 9

Neck, Shoulder, Topline, Hindquarters, and Muscle (proportional)

Question 10

Which 3 parts of a horse’s body should be equal to each other?

Answer 10

Shoulder, barrel, and hindquarter

Question 11

Shorter top and a longer body means what for the horse?

Answer 11

Longer strides and more athletic

Question 12

Height at the hind quarters =

Answer 12

height of the withers

Question 13

Height at the withers=

Answer 13

length of the body

Question 14

heartgirth=

Answer 14

length of front leg

Question 15

The length of which 5 parts are equal to each other?

Answer 15

Head=Neck=Shoulder=Waist=Hip

Question 16

What kind of slope is critical for balance?

Answer 16

Shoulder slope

Question 17

What angle should the shoulder slope be at?

Answer 17

45

Question 18

What is the desirable head shape?

Answer 18

generally triangular (side view and front view), pleasing length from ear to eye to nostril

Question 19

What is the desirable size?

Answer 19

balanced with the body, a large head weighs a lot

Question 20

What is the desirable ear shape?

Answer 20

clean cut, alert

Question 21

What is the desirable eye shape?

Answer 21

large, set wide apart on the forehead

Question 22

What is the desirable nostril shape?

Answer 22

large, pliable, horse cannot breathe through the mouth

Question 23

What is the desirable lip shape?

Answer 23

thin, more responsive than thick, loose, short mouth

Question 24

What is the desirable teeth shape?

Answer 24

meet in front, without overshot or undershot jaw

Question 25

How should the muscling of the chest, heartgirth, and ribs look like?

Answer 25

Chest deep & moderately wide, Rib cage well sprung, Deep heart girth

Question 26

How should the withers look?

Answer 26

Prominent, medium height, clean

Question 27

How should the back look?

Answer 27

Short & strong, muscled

Question 28

How should the loin look?

Answer 28

Short & strong, blends smoothly into croup

Question 29

How should the croup look?

Answer 29

Short & strong, muscled

Question 30

The muscle of the hindquarters and hip should look like what shape?

Answer 30

Bell

Question 31

Color distortions can affect which 5 ways on how the horse looks?

Answer 31

shoulder slope, neck length, neck thickness, and height

Question 32

What is the Structural Correctness of the Front legs

Answer 32

* Front column of bones = appropriate slope and angle of shoulder * Correct line from center of scapula to front edge of knee and bisects hoof

Question 33

What does "Buck-kneed" mean?

Answer 33

Knee set too far forward in relation to leg

Question 34

What does a "Calf-knee" mean

Answer 34

Knees back behind the vertical of leg - hyperextension

Question 35

Extra weight on the outside of the hoof causes:

Answer 35

Ring bone, side bone, and heel bruising

Question 36

What is side bone?

Answer 36

ossification of lateral cartilage (Ca accumulation)

Question 37

"Base Narrow" is

Answer 37

Predisposed to landing on outside of hoof wall

Question 38

"Base wide" is

Answer 38

Feet wider at ground than at their origin in chest - Usually accompanied by feet that are toed-out

Question 39

What is "Bench Knees"

Answer 39

Cannon bones set too far to the outside of knee

Question 40

What is a splint?

Answer 40

Bony growths in the groove formed by splint and cannon bone

Question 41

What are "Knock Knees"

Answer 41

Entire knee set to inside of straight line from chest to toe

Question 42

What is a "Bow Leg"

Answer 42

Presents entire knee in an outward deviation

Question 43

Describe pigeon-toed vs. splay-footed

Answer 43

Pigeon toed: toes pointed in Splay footed: toes pointed out

Question 44

What is “Sickle-hocked”? What is it predisposed to?

Answer 44

Too much of an angle in the hock joint - Predisposed to curbs: Swelling below point of hock (ligaments, tendon sheath, skin)

Question 45

What is "Post-Legged"? What is it predisposed to?

Answer 45

Too straight in back - Predisposed to stifled: upward fixation of patella - Predisposed to spavins

Question 46

What is "Cow-Hocked"?

Answer 46

- Bowed in at hocks and cannon bone - Hocks set too close together, feet widely separated - Tend to be weak in work off of haunches

Question 47

Long, trim necks & clean throatlatches lead to

Answer 47

balance, agility

Question 48

Well set hocks lead to

Answer 48

ability to work off hocks

Question 49

Depth of heart & spring of rib lead to

Answer 49

lung capacity & endurance

Question 50

Long muscles lead to

Answer 50

moves a limb further

Question 51

Long forearms, short cannon and relatively long pastern lead to

Answer 51

long strides

Question 52

Sloping shoulders & sloping pasterns of front leg lead to

Answer 52

graceful, elastic stride

Question 53

Toe straight ahead in front lead to

Answer 53

truer action