I am the first person to admit that I know little about what is good conformation with a dressage horse. :no: I’ve always ridden whatever hunter jumpers were provided by my barn and have only owned my dear of a paint that’s quite a bit downhill and was just my 4H horse growing up. I need help understanding what makes a good dressage horse though. I know a high croup is/can be an issue. What else?
Legs are important. There should be four. The hard bits go at the bottom.
[QUOTE=Kaeleer;4140908]
Legs are important. There should be four. The hard bits go at the bottom.[/QUOTE]
haha… not that clueless
For $6 used, this book is great: http://www.amazon.com/Conformation-Movement-Soundness-Equestrian-Library/dp/0876056397
Conformation and Performance is also good: http://uspcbooks.stores.yahoo.net/coandhe.html
I am also curious to hear what others look for… To me I hear alot about uphill build. I get confused with the leg confirmation straight vs angled. I found a great summary from a confirmation clinic given by Conrad Schumacher and Dr. Hillary Clayton: http://www.woodsdressage.com/conformation.asp
[QUOTE=joiedevie99;4140962]
For $6 used, this book is great: http://www.amazon.com/Conformation-Movement-Soundness-Equestrian-Library/dp/0876056397
Conformation and Performance is also good: http://uspcbooks.stores.yahoo.net/coandhe.html[/QUOTE] Thanks so much!
[QUOTE=Dressage_Julie;4140965]
I found a great summary from a confirmation clinic given by Conrad Schumacher and Dr. Hillary Clayton: http://www.woodsdressage.com/conformation.asp[/QUOTE] That’s very helpful, thank you!
There is also an excellent video by Hilda Gurney called “Selecting the Dressage Horse” (or something like that…don’t remember and I don’t know where my copy is). If it’s still available, I’d highly recommend it.
There are plenty of photographs about. LOOK at them.
[QUOTE=Equibrit;4141100]
There are plenty of photographs about. LOOK at them.[/QUOTE] That’s fantastic, but unless one knows what they’re looking at, it’s a moot point. A description with the photos… great. Looking at photos on their own… not so helpful, to me at least. But if you have any photos accompanying conformation information I’d love to see the resource, like the videos and the articles above.
I’d definitely get a book or two and also start looking at some of the top dressage studs out there (because they usually have nice conformation shots and video), and also look at the top dressage performance horses.
Most people want to see good bone (pretty standard for all sport horses though). A good set to the neck (comes out of the withers high, but not saddle seat horse high) is also important, and a little bit of natural arch is nice. You want a slightly more uphill horse for dressage because it makes collection easier. Not as necessary for a hunter. I also really like a horse with a fine clean throatlatch. If they are thick in that area, collection in the upper levels can be more challenging.
You generally want a short-ish back. Too short isn’t good, but it’s often better than too long. A long back can make collection and proper work over the back challenging). Legs should obviously be straight = ) Straight from the front and straight from the side. Over at the knee is usually better than behind the knee. You want a nicely angled pastern with some length. Too much length and slope (like a lot of those delicate-looking race TBs) can cause weakness as the horse gets older - but some horses built like this are fine through old age. A straight short pastern will not provide as much shock absorption, and those horses are often prone to things like ringbone or other injuries over time from the impact. Plus their gates are usually a bit rough. Also, a shorter cannon bone relative to the forearm is a good thing.
A long sloping shoulder is a very good trait. Gaits are smoother and freer and more expressive. Straight shoulders create a rough ride and don’t make for pretty movers. You also want a powerful hind end. No motor - no horse. This is a good place to look at pictures because there are specific angles and lengths that indicate strength. The horse should not be “camped out” in his hind end. If you drop a string from the point of his buttocks to the ground, his hind legs should not stand behind it (back of the leg should be even with or in front of that line). This type of build allows a horse to get his hind end up underneath him instead of out behind.
Ummm, a straight flat croup area is desired in some show horse breeds, but you want a little more slope for sport horses - just tends to indicate a stronger hind end more built for this type of work. Narrow chests or butts are not good, and feet angles should match pastern angles (that can often be addressed with shoeing though).
What else… I like a well defined wither too, helps keep the saddle in place = )
Anyway, a lot of horses can not meet these standards and make up for it with guts or brains.
Honestly, I’m just regurgitating what every good conformation book will tell you. You should also be able to do some crafty googling and get some nice illustrations of these things. Even the wikipedia entry is pretty decent (some of the pics aren’t great though). That’s quite easy to find = )
Thanks so much! That really helps me get an idea about what to look for. I’ll definitely get some books as well.
A good neck set: one that is not too low out of the shoulder. It’s not impossible to ride a giraffe (I’m looking forward to riding mine tonight 
) and you do learn a lot, but it is easier with a good neck set.
Having somebody TELL you what you are looking at is not going to help. They cannot teach you to USE your eyes. For instance; “A good neck set: one that is not too low out of the shoulder.” What does that mean ? What’s a good neck set ? What is too low out of the shoulder ? There are no rules. Horses can defy all these opinions and be brilliant anyway. If somebody is telling you what to see, you tend to see it through all their prejudices and preferences. It’s not so much the different pieces, as it is the way they all fit together.
[QUOTE=Equibrit;4141343]
Having somebody TELL you what you are looking at is not going to help. They cannot teach you to USE your eyes.[/QUOTE]I’m sorry… but as a teacher this is absolutely WAY too broad of a generalization. I can WATCH a video of someone riding and USE my eyes to see it, but that doesn’t mean I can go ride a test if I’ve never sat on a horse. I can’t tell you what goes into a structurally sound house by simply looking at a picture of a completed house. Simply looking at random pictures of horses will not teach someone about conformation. These are just basic principles of education here…
This is the reason I recommend Gurney’s video…it not only shows different types of conformation (those that are suited to dressage, but also those that may have drawbacks).
Additionally, it demonstrates …in motion…how conformation affects function for this particular discipline. For instance, a “straight” shoulder that can be considered a conformational flaw, is not one, should the horse have a very free elbow.
Lots of nuance and better than looking at a flat picture and reading only about biomechanics without actually seeing it any day. Yes, read, read, read…but you have to look at the horse in motion.
[QUOTE=sid;4141362]
Additionally, it demonstrates …in motion…how conformation affects function for this particular discipline. For instance, a “straight” shoulder that can be considered a conformational flaw, is not one, should the horse have a very free elbow. [/QUOTE]
Yep, that’s exactly what I want to see! Not just (although very helpful to learn still!) “a horse should look like this this and this”, but “SEE this horse moving like this, which is because of this”. Sounds great. Thank you.
People can look at illustrations/videos of UPPER LEVEL DRESSAGE horses and examine their conformation. Just using the basic principles of vision !
[QUOTE=Equibrit;4141374]
People can look at illustrations of UPPER LEVEL DRESSAGE horses and examine their conformation. Just using the basic principles of vision ![/QUOTE]
If you are not grasping the simple principles of education and logic using the examples provided, then it’s not worth arguing the case. Nowhere did I say that anyone asked me to build a house so your red text is a pointless attempt at making a point. I’ve received plenty of other useful help. The fact remains that my examples are a clear reason of why looking at something does not simply teach you about it. “Just using the basic principles of vision!” doesn’t work for everything in life.
Using inappropriate examples, that do not apply to an argument you are trying to make, doesn’t help.
