# Good VS bad conformation.



## riccil0ve

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has difficultly understanding correct conformation, so I figured I'd post this thread. =] I try reading articles and things on the internet, but I find it all so confusing, and they don't have anywhere near enough pictures. So could you post good and/or bad conformation pictures, and explain what it is that makes it good or bad? Like the consequences of it? I would greatly appreciate all your input, I'd love to be able to understand it all. =D


----------



## Brighteyes

You should check out the conformation game thread. Lots of education there.


----------



## smrobs

I love this site. They have lots of pictures (though most are drawings, not real horses) and do a pretty good job of explaining the result of said conformation fault.
FAQ Conformation Index

And not to bring up a long dead thread but.......
http://www.horseforum.com/horse-riding-critique/basics-horse-conformation-49094/


----------



## alexischristina

I'm slowly learning what good looks like and what bad looks like- but could I explain it? NOPE! Thanks for the links, smrobs, I hope they're as helpful as you claim.


----------



## Jacksmama

Gaited Horses Conformation Analysis Forum

This is aimed more toward gaited horses but it has some nice explanations of correct conformation. Scroll to the bottom to the articles by Lee Zeigler and Liz Graves.


----------



## New_image

Below are two horses. My four year old Appendix Quarter Horse, Image and another four year old Appendix Quarter Horse here for training, Melancholy. Or maybe the other way around, either way, theres two four year old Appendix Quarter Horses below 
Don't worry about using fancy names for things right now. BUT tell me which one has good conformation, which one has poor conformation and what you see different in the two horses or simply point out some good and some bad.




















You asked what makes it good or bad/"the consequences" of poor vrs good conformation. Which of the above two horses is most likely to excel in dressage, roping, halter or anything you choose? Which horse looks like it can carry more weight? Of the two, which horses gait would you guess to be smoother? If you saw these two horses in the pasture, both the same price, who would you choose and why? Even right down to which animal appears smarter and more spirited?


----------



## Alwaysbehind

New Image, is the chestnut horse really that down hill or is it a bad photo? Wow! If it is, that is scary.


----------



## New_image

Yes she is, she has literally no withers (It actually indents between her shoulders) and shes down hill. 

I thought they'd make a good beginner pair of horses to critique, one is flawless and the other is obviously lacking in the conformation department.


----------



## Alwaysbehind

Obviously lacking is such a polite way of putting it. Wow!


----------



## smrobs

I would give my right eyetooth for that buckskin. He is a stunner. I feel sorry for the sorrel, poor ugly girl LOL.


----------



## corinowalk

Wow, if I didnt know, I would have thought her to be our old horse Dani. She broke her wither in the starting gate when she was 4. It was almost completly gone! Your poor sweet girl...

I do love the buckskin though. What a looker!

BTW, thanks for posting those. I get very confused about the terminology but seeing it plain as day...it makes more sense


----------



## New_image

Thanks, Image is my baby and he knows far to well that hes handsome 

Hope this post helped! Some one put it to me in a similar way and it helps as a guide line of good/not good you can pull parts out and compare them to other horses.


----------



## mliponoga

Good comparison NewImage!

When looking at a horse to see its conformation you want to break it down into sections. Legs, neck, back, etc. Each section has it's perfect confirmation and from there they can each have several flaws. I would start with that link in one of the first posts to research confirmation. There's a lot of good information there. 

Again, the reason that confirmation is important is because of several reasons. Think of a person that is overweight let's say, they obviously can't do as much as an olympic runner. Also, not every person could be an olympic runner. So looking at that in the horse world, a perfectly conformed horse will be able to take you for a longer ride, jump higher, ride smoother, be more athletic, and the list goes on and on.


----------



## riccil0ve

Great pictures, it does help to see it side by side. So what I see in the chestnut is being clearly downhill, a lack of neck, and long toes. Am I missing something? I read people making comments about weak loins, steep shoulders, something about the croup, is any of that going on?


----------

