In judging conformation, I always look at the four categories of overall balance, structural correctness, breed and sex quality, and muscling. I first notice which horses set themselves apart, then analyze what I like about them, asking myself a series of questions about each horse’s positives and negatives to make sure I’m correct in my initial impressions.
The quality category, judged on breed and sex characteristics, is an important consideration, especially for classes of stallions or mares. However, that category cannot override the categories of balance and structural correctness, since athletic performance is at the core of what I’m looking for. A mare’s femininity will attract the eye, but she must have balance and correctness as her foundation. I’m still looking for the overall best combination of all four categories.
In this class of mares, we will see that having the most feminine appearance cannot overcome a lack of balance and structural correctness.
The Placings
🥇 Mare B
This mare leads this class in overall balance and structural correctness, and is adequately deep and proportionate in her muscling. This mare is a touch long through her loin, but her topline is strong and level, with very little drop behind her well-defined withers and a smooth flow over her croup to a well-placed tailhead.
In the quality category, judged on breed and sex characteristics, she lacks femininity and refinement in her head, with a bit too much length from eye to muzzle and in her ears. Her neck is of appropriate length, with a trim throatlatch and high tie-in at her chest. Her depth of heartgirth is good, matching the length of her front legs.
Her good shoulder angle matches her front pastern angle to enable a reaching stride, and her hocks are nicely angled and set ideally under her with a plumb line to the ground through her hind cannon bones. Her muscling is appropriate for her and well distributed from front to hind end with good carry down from her hip. She should make an athletic performance horse.
🥈 Mare C
This well-conditioned mare shows conformation positives and negatives, putting her in second place. She lacks Mare B’s overall balance, with her middle third longer than her front and hind thirds, and her topline dropping off behind her withers and peaking more sharply in front of a shorter croup.
As with Mare B, her head could be more refined and feminine. Her throatlatch is adequately trim, and her neck is proportionate, though it ties in a bit low at her chest. She has a useful shoulder angle, ample shoulder and forearm muscling, and good depth to her heartgirth. However, she lacks the same volume of muscling in her hip and gaskin, giving a mismatched appearance.
From the side view, she’s straight through her knees. Her front pasterns may be sloped slightly more than ideal, but they’re acceptable. Her hocks sit a bit too high and show too much angle, which may cause strain when she’s worked hard. Her left hind leg should show a plumb line through the cannon bone, but her fetlock is slightly ahead of her hock.
🥉 Mare A
This mare has some positives, including leading this class in the “quality” category with the prettiest head and most femininity. However, this mare’s negatives in balance and structural correctness pose serious challenges to her potential as a performance horse.
Her hip is much higher than her withers, so she’ll struggle to lift and round her back and to reach underneath herself with her hind legs. Her middle third is long, and her topline is weak, dropping off behind the withers and rising dramatically over the croup.
Her neck is acceptable in length and shape and ties in nicely at her chest. Her depth of body is good, and her muscling is well defined and proportionate. Her shoulder is a bit too laid back, which relates to another serious fault in her front legs.
Her front pasterns are extremely long and sloped, predisposing her to strain and injury. Her hocks are well positioned under her and show suitable angulation, but with her hind end being so much higher than her front end, she’ll always have difficulty propelling herself from her hind end.
Clay Cavinder of Starkville, Mississippi, has a lifelong history of showing and judging horses. He’s currently the Extension Horse Specialist at Mississippi State University, where he educates about horse management practices and training to improve performance for showing and recreational uses. He holds judge’s cards with AQHA, APHA, and NSBA.
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How to Take a Good Conformation Clinic Photo
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