Here it is! Not everything is included since I can’t upload that many pictures, but here’s the basics. The last two horses are examples of horses with perfect/almost perfect conformation.
Long back: With the back measured from peak of withers to peak of croup, exceeds 1/3 of horse’s overall body length. Usually associated with long, weak loins. Especially seen in gaited horses, Saddlebreds, Thoroughbreds, and some Warmbloods.The horse’s ability to engage back depends on its ability to elevate the back and loins, requiring strong back and abdominal muscles. A long back is flexible, but harder for horse to stiffen and straighten spine to develop speed or coil loins to collect and engage the hindquarters to thrust rear limbs forward. This then affects upper level dressage, cutting, reining, barrel racing, and polo: sports that require rapid engagement of the hindquarters. Reduced flexion forces the horse to jump flatter with less bascule. It is difficult to develop a long back’s muscle strength, so a horse is more likely to fatigue under the rider and to sway over time. The abdominal have more difficulty in compensating, so they are also less likely to develop. Loins and hindquarters may swing more than normal, increasing the occurrence of sore muscles which leads to a stiff, rigid ride. Cross-firing or speedy cutting likely at high-speeds from a horse with a long back. Movement of the back is flatter and quieter, making a more comfortable ride and is easier for horse to change leads.
Sway back: a horse that is sway backed has a dip in it’s back. Normally horses that are sway backed are usually older or have been ridden a lot in their lifetime, some younger horses will be sway backed to due to being ridden a lot and too hard at a young age. Some sway backs are fixable with muscle and weight gain.
Short backed: The horse’s back measures less than 1/3 of overall length of horse from peak of withers to peak of croup. Can be seen in any breed, especially in American Quarter Horses, Arabians, and some Warmbloods The back may lack flexibility and become stiff and rigid. If vertebral spines of back are excessively small, the horse may have difficulty bending and later develop spinal arthritis. This adversely affects dressage and jumping performance. If still in back and torso, the stride will become stiff and inelastic. The horse may overreach, forge, or scalp itself if the hind legs do not move straight.The horse may be handy and agile, able to change direction with ease. Good for polo, roping, cutting, reining. If the horse has good muscling, it is able to support weight of rider with rare occurrence of back pain.
Downhill horse- A horse that is downhill-built will have a harder time rocking back on its hindquarters to work off of the hind end rather than the forehand. A horse naturally carries itself more on the forehand, so as riders we have to teach the horse to start carrying itself properly, on the haunches.
Uphill horse- Uphill horses are usually favored in English riding disciplines, jumping being an example. Being uphill often means that the horse can move from underneath himself, therefore has better impulsion.
Flat backed horse:Flat-backed horses are generally harder to find a saddle for. They don’t flex as easily and tend to be harder to collect. Though they are super comfy to ride bareback, it’s like riding a moving couch.
Short pasterns-Short pasterns have less shock-absorption, leading to more a jarring ride and amplified stress on the lower leg. The concussion is felt over the navicular apparatus, so the horse is more at risk for navicular disease, high or low ringbone, and sidebone. Also windpuffs and windgalls occur from chronic irritation within fetlock or flexor tendon sheath. The horse has reduced mechanical efficiency for lifting and breaking over the toe, so it may trip or stumble. Best for sprint sports like Quarter Horse racing, barrel racing, roping, reining, and cutting
Dropped pasterns-Horses with dropped pasterns have very weak pasterns. Sports such as jumping and racing would put extra stress on the already dropped pastern and is not a desirable trait in any horse. Horses with dropped pasterns could also have DSLD (http://www.horseshoes.com/anatomy/esad/information/dsld/dsld.htm.)
Long sloping pasterns-This defect affects long-distance and speed sports. Long pasterns have been favored because they can diffuse impact, giving a more comfortable ride. However, excess length puts extreme tension on the tendons and ligaments of the back of the leg, predisposing the horse to a bowed tendon or suspensory ligament injury. The suspensory is strained because fetlock is unable to straighten as horse loads the limb with weight.The pasterns are weak and unable to stabilize fetlock drop, so the horse is predisposed to ankle injuries, espescially in speed events where the sesamoids are under extreme pressure from the pull of the suspensory. This can cause sesamoid fractures & breakdown injuries.Best for equitation or dressage.
Ideal chest- Perfect muscling and ideal “v” shape.
Wide/bull chest-decrease the efficiency of stride and swing of shoulders, hastening fatigue. Also spreads riders’ legs apart uncomfortably and apply stress to the riders’ knees.
Narrow chest-Narrowness in the chest may be from immaturity, poor body condition, inadequate nutrition, or under-developed breast muscles from a long time in pasture and lack of consistent work.The horse usually has undeveloped shoulder and neck muscles.The horse may tend to plait, and is more likely to interfere, especially at the trot.
Ewe neck-A neck with internal structure that causes it to bend upward instead of down in the normal arch. This fault is common and seen in every breed, especially in long-necked horses. The fault may be caused by a horse who holds his neck high (stargazing). Stargazing makes it difficult for rider to control the horse, who then braces on the bit and is hard-mouthed.The ewe neck is counter-productive to collection and proper transitions, as the horse only elevates the head and doesn’t engage its hind end. The horses loins and back may become sore.
Short neck-A short neck is often quite flexible despite appearing thick and muscular, and the function and range is rarely altered. May be slightly less flexible at the poll, but the horse’s maneuverability and agility is generally not affected. It does not shorten stride length, which has more to do with shoulder slope.
Long neck-Long necks are common, especially in Thoroughbreds, Saddlebreds, and Gaited Horses. It can make it hard to balance the horse, and the horse may fatigue more quickly as a result of carrying too much weight on the front end.Lengthy neck muscles are difficult to develop in size and strength. A long-necked horse needs broad withers to support the weight of the head and neck. It is easier for the horse to fall into the bend of an S-curve than to come through the bridle, which causes the horse to fall onto the inside shoulder, and makes it difficult for the rider to straighten.
Camped out-Cannon and fetlock are “behind” the plumb line dropped from point of buttock. Associated with upright rear pasterns.Seen especially in Gaited horses, Morgans, and Thoroughbreds.Rear leg moves with greater swing before the hoof contacts the ground, which wastes energy, reduces stride efficiency, and increases osculation and vibrations felt in joints, tendons, ligaments, and hoof. May cause quarter cracks and arthritis.Difficult to bring the hocks and cannons under unless the horse makes a sickle hocked configuration. Thus, the trot is inhibited by long, overangulation of the legs and the horse trots with a flat stride with the legs strung out behind.It is difficult to engage the back or haunches, so it is hard to do upper level dressage movements, bascule over jumps, or gallop efficiently.
Post legged- The problem is that this breeding has been taken to the extreme. Tension on the hock irritates the joint capsule and cartilage, leading to bog and bone spavin. Restriction of the tarsal sheath while in motion leads to thoroughpin. A straight stifle limits the ligaments across the patella, predisposing the horse to upward fixation of the patella, with the stifle in a locked position, which interferes with performance and can lead to arthritis of the stifle.It is difficult for the horse to use its lower back, reducing the power and swing of the leg.Rapid thrust of the rear limbs causes the feet to stab into the ground, leading to bruises and quarter cracks.
Sickle hocked- The hind leg slants forward, in front of the plumb line, when viewed from the side. The cannon is unable to be put in vertical position. Also called “curby” hock, as it is associated with soft tissue injury in the rear, lower part of the hock.Limits the straightening and backward extension of hocks, which this limits push-off, propulsion, and speed. There is overall more hock and stifle stress.
Back at the knee- The knee inclines backward, behind a straight plumb line dropped from the middle of the forearm to the fetlock.Usually leads to unsoundness in horses in speed sports. Places excess stress on the knee joint as it overextends at high speeds when loaded with weight. Backward angle causes compression fractures to the front surfaces of the carpals, and may cause ligament injury within knee. Worsens with muscle fatigue as the supporting muscles and ligaments lose their stabilizing function.Calf-knees weaken the mechanical efficiency of the forearm muscles as they pull across the back of the carpus, so a horse has less power and speed. The tendons and check ligament assume an excess load so the horse is at risk for strain. Often the carpals are small and can’t diffuse the concussion of impact. The horse should have good shoeing, eliminating LTLH (long-toe, low-heel) syndrome.
Over at the knee- Knee inclines forward, in front of a plumb line, when viewed from the side.Often a result of an injury to the check ligament or to the structures at the back of the knee. The column of the leg is weakened. Thus, the horse is apt to stumble and lose balance due to the reduced flexibility and from the knee joints that always are “sprung.”If congenital, often associated with poor muscle development on the front of the forearms, which limits speed and power. More stress is applied to the tendons, increasing the risk of bowed tendons.
Sloping-A sloping shoulder is common. It mostly affects jumping, racing, cutting, reining, polo, eventing, and dressage.The horse has a long shoulder blade to which attached muscles effectively contract and so increase the extension and efficiency of stride. It distributes muscular attachments of the shoulder to the body over a large area, decreasing jar and preventing stiffening of the shoulders with impact. The horse has an elasticity and free swing of its shoulder, enabling extension of stride that is needed in dressage and jumping. A long stride contributes to stamina and assists in maintaining speed.The longer the bones of the shoulder blade and arm, the easier it is to fold legs and tuck over fences. The laid back scapula slides back to the horizontal as the horse lifts its front legs, increasing the horse’s scope over fences
Upright-Upright shoulders are common and seen in any breed, particularly Quarter Horses. An upright shoulder affects all sports.The horse has shorter muscular attachments that thus have less ability to contract and lengthen. This shortens the stride length, which requires the horse to take more steps to cover ground, and thus causes a greater risk of injury to structures of front legs and hastened muscular fatigue.An upright shoulder may cause a rough, inelastic ride due to the high knee action. It increases concussion on front limbs, possibly promoting the development of DJD or navicular disease in hard-working horses. The stress of impact tends to stiffen the muscles of the shoulder, making the horse less supple with a reduced range of motion needed for long stride reach
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