To wrap up the September magazine deadline, I’m finishing my work on Conformation Clinic. This department in the magazine is my duty each month. Despite having talked to a lot of judges about conformation, I’m amazed at how I learn something new each time I work on this handy little Practice Pen department. This time around, I learned some interesting tid bits about the conformation of young horses, particularly Quarter Horses, and how they have to “grow into” their croup.

While Conformation Clinic is a pretty straight-forward section of the magazine, as far as writing goes, working on it has really provided me with a wealth of knowledge. If I ever get to be in the happy place again in the future where I’m in the market for a horse, I think I’ll be pretty equipped to assess the potential for soundness and function based on a horse’s build. The judging classes I took at Texas A&M with Dr. Clay Cavinder built the foundation for my interest in conformation. You can build your horse-judging skills by visiting TAMU’s Online Horse Judging Site.

If y’all never have, consider getting out there and taking a picture of your horse to submit to this department, especially while the weather is “nice” (100 degrees is nice to some) and your horses have a nice slick coat. We welcome (actually, desperately want) all breeds. September’s issue will also have some helpful photography tidbits. There are also “Confo Clinic” instructs at HorseandRider.com.