# Conformation for a Jumper - What to Look For?



## BlueSpark (Feb 22, 2012)

I recently announced for a local show, and it got me thinking about jumpers.

I know sturdy legs, a laid back shoulder and the desire to do it are needed, but what else? Pretty much any horse can clear to 2'6", but after that fewer and fewer seem to do so well and/or safely.

I have learned so much from the knowledgeable people here, so I thought I would post a few confo pictures of horses I know and work with personally, and see what people think. Who would make a jumper? why or why not?


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

Subbing...


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## BlueSpark (Feb 22, 2012)

I can provide height/breed/age/history on them, but I thought it was unnecessary.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

Attitude plays a huge part in jumping - probably the best horse we ever had could stand looking like he sagged in the middle with his legs all going in different directions but we took him as a rescue project - the jump was a surprise bonus
If I was looking for a horse that would jump based on conformation I'd aim at something that looked like Arko III or Diamant - both stallions that jump and have produced offspring that are successful too


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## Tryst (Feb 8, 2012)

Good article on this topic at: http://www.jwequine.com/download/jumpers/BuiltToDoTheJob-ShowJumping.pdf and more info at 
http://jwequine.com/jwequine/pdf/conformation101-jumper.pdf


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

Interesting articles
I posted the pics above to try to get a benchmark of what a known to be successful jumper looks like and probably the 3rd horse down looks the most like that sort of shape
Yet I've just bought a mare that looks not unlike the 2nd horse down though she's now got more weight on her and she has a terrific jump in her.


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## silverxslinky (Jul 23, 2013)

I'm not an expert but, for a Jumper, I'd rank the horses you posted: 4, 2, 3, 1

4 Looks to me like she has the nicest hind end with a decent hock angle. This is what sets her apart from 2 and 3 for me. She has a nice high point of shoulder a long forarm and her neck tie in seems ok. She also has good overall balance and good bone. Her back is a little short and horses with a longer back may tend to have a little more scope, however a shorter backed horse will be easier to collect which can be advantageous in the jumper ring.

2 and 3 both have short overly sloping croups (they are goose rumped) this will limit their power and scope. They both have pretty decent front ends, with nice shoulders and forelimb proportions. I like 2 a little better because his neck ties in a little higher and he is a leggier type.

1 would not be my pick for a jumper. Her low point of shoulder, low neck tie in, light bone, downhill balance and sickle hocks will limit her ability.

I'd love to hear what others think!


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

4 looks to have a very set back croup which makes her back long behind the saddle and so a potential weakness - it can also be indicative of a past sacroiliac injury
1. Hard to tell if she has sickle hocks from that pic but I do think with more condition and topline on her she'd present a very different picture


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## BlueSpark (Feb 22, 2012)

Looking at them initially I thought:

1)too low point of shoulder, would not do well over anything above 2'6"
2)could be a decent prospect over all, but I questioned her back end.
3)hunter more than a jumper, but maybe only for lower levels?
4) past sacro iliac injury possible. Shoulder is steep, but should be able to do moderately well over all.

I need to find the program that lets me draw lines so I can mark up the photos and evaluate like those(very informative) articles suggested...


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