I’m judging these teen mares based on their suitability for performance. Many qualities are required of performance horses, including a good mind, but good conformation and adequate muscling will make any performance horse’s job easier on mind and body, and help preserve soundness. 

I’m first looking for overall balance from front to back and top to bottom. A well-balanced horse will have front and hind ends that match with good angles, substance and muscling, as well as good depth to the body. I want to see a topline that is shorter in relation to the underline, well sloped shoulders and hips, and clean legs with appropriate angles. 

I do like to see femininity in mares, but it can’t be traded for balance, structural correctness, substance, and strength. Performance disciplines can be physically demanding, so I’m judging these mares on their potential to perform athletically and with longevity. 

The Placings

🥇Mare C 

This mare is the best balanced from front to back and top to bottom in this class. Her topline is strong and level, with prominent withers and a smooth turn over her croup. Her muscling is well defined and evenly distributed throughout. She has the appearance of athleticism. 

She’s long from eye to muzzle, but shows a lovely, bright expression. Her neck is a bit short, but ties into her chest adequately and shouldn’t impede her ability to work. Her shoulder shows enough angle to allow some reach in her stride. She has tremendous depth to her heartgirth and excellent substance to her hip. 

Her front legs show an ideal forearm-to-cannon-bone ratio, with good flat knees. Her pasterns are of good length and nicely sloped to help provide some cushion to her stride. Her hind legs show a lovely hock angle, which allows an imaginary plumb line through her hind cannon bone to the ground. Her hocks sit slightly higher than her knees, but she should still be able to reach under herself well and drive forward. 

LEARN MORE: Conformation Clinic | Young Performance Horse Mares

🥈Mare A 

This mare has some nice attributes, but lacks the overall balance of Mare C. One of the first things I notice is her uneven topline, low behind the withers then rising over the point of her croup, which sits much higher than her withers. She will have to work harder to lift her front end and drive from her hind end. 

Her head shows some femininity and a calm, business-like expression. Her shapely neck ties nicely into her withers at the top and into her chest at the bottom, and her shoulder has adequate length and slope for a reaching stride. Her depth of heartgirth is suitable to her proportions, and she shows good condition and muscling. 

This mare shows just a hint of being over at the knee in her front legs, though it may be just a moment caught by the camera with her knee slightly flexed. Her pasterns show the same suitable slope seen in her shoulder. Her hock angle is good, with a plumb line through her hind cannon, but her hocks sit higher than her knees.

LEARN MORE: Conformation Clinic | Young Performance Horse Geldings

🥉 Mare B 

This mare has a few more negatives than the other two in this class, but she does have nicely defined withers and a level topline. If divided into three segments—shoulder, midsection and hip—her midsection is longer than ideal, which is a detriment to her overall balance and a point of weakness. 

She’s a bit plain headed, and her neck, though long enough, ties into her chest lower than desirable. Her shoulder is very upright, which increases that long look of her midsection. Her heartgirth should be as deep as her front leg is long, but she comes up a bit shallow in that ratio, and she could use more substance in her hip. Her overall condition and light muscling could be improved. 

Her front legs show a good, straight column through flat knees, and pasterns of good length and adequate slope. Her near hock is stretched out behind her, but her offside hock is under her and positions her cannon bone on that side slightly ahead of a plumb line. She may be able to perform, but will have to work to overcome her weaknesses.

Karen Banister owns and operates White Harvest Farms, a boarding and training facility in Brighton, Colorado. As a trainer, Karen produces world champion horses and riders. As a judge, she holds AQHA, APHA, ApHC, PtHA and NSBA cards, and has judged in Canada, Mexico, Australia, Israel, Italy, France, Germany, and Belgium, as well as throughout the U.S.

To submit a photo of your horse to be evaluated in Conformation Clinic, send us a left-side profile photo of your horse (for digital photos: high-resolution, 300 dpi, in at least 3″ x 5″) to HorseandRider@equinenetwork.com with your contact info and your horse’s breed, age, gender, and height. (We welcome all breeds!)

How to Take a Good Conformation Clinic Photo

—H&R—