Your Horse’s Limbs: Does Form Follow Function?

We asked several leading experts for their take on the conformation-performance-soundness issue.
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No hoof, no horse is a time-tested adage. So, too, is the advice — given in countless books, articles, and videos — to scrutinize a horse’s conformation carefully before you buy. No doubt you’ve seen the photos and illustrations of "good" and "bad" conformation, and you’ve studied them carefully and tried to measure prospective mounts against the ideal.

But just what constitutes "ideal?" To some people, ideal might mean "prettiest" or "most pleasing to the eye." To others, it might mean "best suited to my chosen discipline," regardless of how it looks. To still others, it might mean "most likely to remain sound" or a combination of all three.

As anyone who has ever bought a young horse as a "prospect" can attest, at times there seems to be no relationship among so-called good conformation, performance success, and career longevity. Many is the sales-topper at the fancy Thoroughbred yearling sale which has gone on to accomplish zilch on the track, and the in-hand sport-horse champion two- or three-year-old which never makes a victory gallop in the jumping or dressage arena. Yet yearlings still bring big money at the sales, and the popularity of sport-horse breeding classes continues to increase.

We asked several leading experts for their take on the conformation-performance-soundness issue. We were surprised to learn that, despite the abundance of conventional wisdom in this area, the effects of conformation — in particular, limb conformation — on soundness and performance have received little scientific study. We asked our experts to share what they’ve learned in their years of treating and "vetting" horses. What they had to say might surprise you

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Written by:

Jennifer O. Bryant is editor-at-large of the U.S. Dressage Federation’s magazine, USDF Connection. An independent writer and editor, Bryant contributes to many equestrian publications, has edited numerous books, and authored Olympic Equestrian. More information about Jennifer can be found on her site, www.jenniferbryant.net.

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