I have been looking at the Conformation pictures that people post and have a question that has always bugged me… is it a problem when you see the horse “leaning forward” where they do not seem to be standing with their front legs down beneath their shoulders? Some horses seem to leaning forward even though they are standing with their 4 feet square and not off-set? So what I really need to know is, is leaning forward a problem? Can it be fixed?
You are correct, the horse should not be leaning forward. It should be standing balanced on all four legs, usually in an offset “open stance” with near legs square on the vertical, and far legs set slightly behind/in front so all four fetlocks and feet are visible. Leaning forward tends to make the horse look heavy on the forehand (and possibly strung out behind, depending on how the hind legs are placed).
Leaning is often caused by the handler “baiting” with a treat to get the horse’s attention and elongate the neck. The horse stretches forward, often making the neck look nice, but at the expense of the overall picture. The trick is to encourage the horse to lengthen the neck while planting all four feet equally. It might take some time and patience, but it can be done (I’ve had to hold million-dollar TBs for sales photos with a big-time pro photographer). There is a lot of “half-step forward” or “half-step back” over and over and over again; shaking the reins or lead shank to get the horse “off” the handler (not leaning); and use of treats to relax the neck for high-headed ones. A guaranteed trick to get pricked ears is to play an audio recording of a horse whinny (go to Youtube on your phone, or use a kid’s stuffed horse toy with a fake neigh).
Taking a good conformation photo is an art, but it’s possible for anyone to do if you have good help and plenty of time to get it right.
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Yes, leaning forward can indicate a problem. Leaning forward might mean the horse is trying to take weight off the hind end and that there is pain somewhere back there. Could be back pain, hock, stifle, large muscle pain, and even hoof pain. Another reason the horse might lean forward is if the hind hooves are not trimmed correctly for his hind leg conformation.
Is it a problem for the horse to be leaning forward? If you’re trying to accurately assess confo, yes, it can easily be, depending on what else is going on.
Does it mean a problem with the horse? I would never say that 1 picture of him leaning is indicative of an issue. Many horses routinely lean into the handler, which is why a good handler is important in setting up a proper conformation stance. That’s why you see that a lot in posed conformation pictures.
But if every picture you take of that horse, at liberty or otherwise, he’s leaning over his front end, yes, I might look to something strange.
Some horses lean forward and some just have their legs set on further back (I had such a horse who, otherwise was a beautiful conformation horse On the line he would get moved back a lot because of it). If a horse is leaning forward, a viewer of that picture might skip over the horse without trying to pick it apart to see WHY the legs are back underneath the horse.
The natural assumption in viewing a conformation photo is that the handlers have done everything in their power to get the horse to stand square. So if he is still leaning forward, If the horse can’t stand up square without leaning forward, or if leaning forward is his natural, preferred stance, that is going to suggest several kinds of problems to viewers.
This means that if you want to post a useful conformation shot, the horse should be squared up.
Also, a useful tip is to stand back a ways from the horse, and then zoom in a bit to take the photo. Aim at the ribcage of the horse, and make sure the horse is completely level with the photographer. and of course that the horse is on level ground, and the camera is level.
The zoom in helps counteract the tendency of cheap camera lenses (most point n shoot electronic cameras, and all phones) to warp or distort proportions.
I have seen so many sales photos of horses that may or may not be cute IRL, but the photo is warped and the horse looks jugheaded or slab sided or just wrong.
IME, there are so relatively few people who can set a horse up properly for a good confo shot, and so relatively few people at the camera end, that I never assume a horse’s off stance has anything to do with anything other than how he was set up or where the person taking the pic was standing LOL
So for me, I never assume a handler has done everything to make the horse stand up properly. It’s not just about standing square. It’s about getting the near cannon bones vertical, while standing on pretty darn flat/level ground.
I never judge a horse by a conformation photo. Video tape or seeing him in person tells so much more.
