Thank you for this example!
i see more of an upright shoulder than i expected and also a longish ilium which i would expect. (for dressage discipline)
There are some articles out there from the rider who is at GP now with an ASB (not naming as I donât feel like I should?) But she went over the conformation challenges - part of it is the croup - not being too flat. And I enjoy reading about functional conformation for the various sports. But obviously, the brain is most important. If the horse is generally balanced/athletic, their attitude can overcome so much!
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Wow! I rode a Saddlebred occasionally back in the 70âs. They were common in the Midwest and used as hunters and in dressage. I loved their temperaments. Your mare is an example of a well-conformed horse who looks athletic and fit for the job! I would seriously look for this type of Saddlebred for dressage any day.
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What a nice, correct horse.
On the topic of conformation, I used to always read the conformation clinics in another magazine growing up, and I had a few books. I found this presentation pretty helpful as well: https://www.hcbc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/2018-Functional-Confirmation-draft-revision.pdf
While I enjoy evaluating conformation, I also read a review of a clinic with Charlotte Dujardin about her tactics for buying prospects and she commented she doesnât even really look at it that closely. To me, itâs one piece of the puzzle, maybe a tiebreaker? I also am NOT Charlotte (shocker), but I have spent so many years with horses with issues, I want one with the best potential to excel I can afford and enjoy - hence the brain matters most.
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I found this interesting - comparing photo collages of TBs and ASBs doing dressage. I think the point is that if you get the right brain/body for you as a rider, both can excel!
Thoroughbreds:
Saddlebreds:
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Itâs hard. There are so many counter-examples to the general principles. Iâd highly recommend the book Sport Horse Conformation by Christoph Hess for a general overview of things that lend themselves to dressage. He gave a lecture on it for Dressage4Kids many years ago that was excellent.
To me, it always helps to relate conformation traits to what we seek. Over the course of the dressage journey, weâre asking the horse to transfer weight heâd naturally carry on the front legs to the hind legs. His conformation decides how hard to easy that ask is. Youâd rather not see an elbow well below the stifle, or a big giant shoulder paired with a light hind end. Youâd rather see a short, strong loin to carry the energy from the hind legs forward over the back. Youâd rather see a point of hock that falls below the point of buttock than one that sits well behind the horse.
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Which breed you end up with when you are looking at âoffâ breeds for dressage depends a lot upon availability, preference, and ability/willingness to retrain.
So personally, I would be very careful about a dressage prospect with any level of SS training as that can be âbaggageâ for dressage training. (And of course avoid those whose brains have been fried by bad training and overuse of âanimation devicesâ) I suspect those who are still calm and not sparky enough for SS disciplines and wash out of a good program early would be ideal.
As far as conformation, balance is my biggest criteria. Without being an expert on conformation you can still see that some horses stand and move more naturally balanced. I have found that more horses I looked at were lacking in the hind end than the front. This seemed especially true of the breeds primarily used in SS. Then I was shown an old fashioned big butt downhill QH! No, not that either!
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Thank you @sparkygrace and @sophie. 
Bulk of the credit goes to Captive Horizon Saddlebreds in Kentucky - Crystal is an amazing person who truly has her priorities straight when it comes to breeding and really wants all of her horses to go to the best homes possible, regardless of discipline. I bought my mare sight unseen off a bunch of different videos and after multiple hour-long conversations with the breeder, shipped her from Oregon (where she was based 4 years ago) to Ontario as a coming 2 yr old and my girl was everything Crystal said she was. Her temperament is even more beautiful than her exterior, she is a giant puppy dog who constantly begs for snuggles, and I (AOT mom in her 40s) backed her and got her going under saddle myself - she never put a foot wrong. In fact, she is now coming 6 and i am proud to say I have never come off her, not even close. I can have my trainer put her through her paces and sheâll bend over backwards for him, and i can plunk my young daughter on her back for a leadline session and sheâll happily pack her around as well. She is truly a diamond, worth her weight in gold.
And her May 2022 foal is going to be specTAcular. 
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I would argue that Charlotte Dujardin, looking at prospects, is likely only going to be looking at extremely well-bred, top quality Warmbloods, so at that echelon you donât have to concern yourself with conformation too much either, these are pretty close to perfect specimens generally speaking. 
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Fair but interestingly, they apparently avoid the young horse stars - too flashy. They only paid 5,000 euros for Valegro, so he was not an heir apparent⊠She was really clear that they buy low but buy nice potential. Not off breed, to be sure, but even within WBs, there are plenty of mere mortals:)
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Ahh, but i wasnât talking about movement - I was referring to conformation. Anything theyâd be looking at would be a product of a proven, approved/inspected mare and a rigorously tested/inspected stallion. They wonât license a stallion for breeding or approve a mare if they display glaring conformational faults. 
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At the time they bought Valegro, he had been acquired from his breeders by van Olst - even their rejects are likely to be the top of what European breeding has to offer.
While they stay away from big young horse winners, theyâre still shopping from top top sources.
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How bad do you want to win?
How bad do you want 60 vs 70 %?
Are you trying to get scores?
If I was on the kentucky/Ohio line I would be looking for a fresian or dhh.
I think some of those other breeds might really hamper your resale price or ability to âeasilyâ get scores (not saying it canât be done). But do you really want to drop 1k a weekend on shows with a Azteca with a mediocre 6 trot when you can get the friesian or dhh coming in with the 7? Just a thoughtâŠ
I donât focus on competition. I enjoy the training process, just want a horse physically and mentally more suited to the training. Iâd be perfectly happy if I could ride like the old pics we see of TB-type horses doing a piaffe/passage that would not have enough flash to get a decent score today.
I do plan to show a bit, but more about gauging my progress in the training than accruing accolades at the highest levels. Precision of the rider and the submission of a well-trained horse can do a lot for the score to help make up for the gaits being less impressive. Now, the same precision and submission in a horse with better gaits will win, obviously, and Iâm fine with that.
All that said, I have a budget, and within that budget, I want to buy the best horse I can. But if the horse at the top of my budget is not clearly better for dressage than a horse in the middle or lower end of my budget, obviously I donât need to waste the money. The other issue with buying horses for me is I will NOT buy without sitting on it. So some fancy horses within my budget may appear, but sell off video in the first hour. I realize that may mean the absolute best horse my money could buy will slip through my fingers, but I just know I want to sit on the horse first, and I accept the consequences of that.
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If you are open to different breeds I believe you need to cast your net widely to find the most suitable individual regardless of breed.
IME a lot of the horses that were originally bred for driving can push but have difficulty sitting with the hind legs. It can make going beyond first level more difficult. I see a fair number of Freisians also who"fake it" by curling the neck but hollowing the back. So different challenges that require trainers knowledgeable with this type of horse.
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I have seen these pics before (especially Borealis) and sent them to friends who were worried I lost my mind for considering horses of his breed. I know the story of him at DaD, but lost track of his competition levels/scores? Or did he focus more on breeding? Just curious - but both are stunning examples of why people are missing out on some amazing horses if they donât even look at them!
Borealis suffered an injury as a foal that stopped me from ever putting him into serious work under saddle. I did do a bunch of ground work with him, and he had a fabulous mind, although he did have his opinions. The other horse was a whole lot of fun to both ride and drive. I miss them both every day.
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