Evaluate and place these reining mares. Then see how your choices compare to our expert judge’s.
I’m judging these 2-year-old mares based on their suitability for reining careers. 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’s shorter in relation to the underline, well sloped shoulders and hips, and clean legs with appropriate angles. In young horses such as these, I am forgiving of hip-high toplines, taking into account natural growth patterns.
I do like to see femininity in mares, but it can’t be traded for balance, structural correctness, substance, and strength. Reining is a highly demanding sport, and nowhere in the job description does it say the horse’s head must be pretty, so I’m judging these mares on their potential to perform in a very physically demanding discipline.
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The Placings
🥇 Mare B
Though this mare’s topline is smooth with a nice turn over the croup, it is also the least developed topline in the class. She’s low behind her withers and that may or may not improve with age. I’m giving all these mares a break on being hip high because of their youth, but this mare has the highest hip of the three.
She has a pleasant expression and kind-looking eye. Her long, well-shaped neck ties in nicely to her chest and is her best feature. Her shoulder is of adequate length and angle, and she shows good depth of heartgirth and even muscling throughout her body.
From the side, her front legs look correct with good alignment through the knees and pasterns matching her shoulder angle. However, she is very straight through her stifles and hocks behind, her most notable flaw. A reining horse must have proper angles in the hind leg to be able to reach underneath and drive forward off those legs, and this mare appears to already be carrying fluid in the front of her hocks, a sign of strain.
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🥈 Mare A
This mare has some nice features, but lacks Mare C’s overall balance. Her topline is longer in relation to her underline, with a longer back. Her croup is also much shorter and she’s shorter from the point of her hip to the point of her buttock. She is hip high, but that’s due in part to her age.
Her refined head shows femininity and her throatlatch is clean. Her well-shaped neck is longer than Mare C’s, but that often goes along with having a longer back. Her neck ties into her chest nicely and her shoulder is well sloped. Though it’s well balanced from front to hind end, her muscling is more immature than Mare C’s.
Her front legs look good from the side, with proper alignment through the knees and pasterns that match her good shoulder angle. Her hocks are better angulated than Mare C’s, but they are very high in relation to her knees. A reining horse can get away with having a longer back, but they must have low hocks to be able to do the job well and stay sound.
🥉 Gelding C
This gelding also lacks the balance of our class winner, as he’s long in his middle and shorter in his shoulder and hip. His back appears to have dropped, which may indicate age or simply weakness in his topline. His croup is quite short, and his dropped back gives his underline a pot-bellied appearance.
His average head shows a pleasant expression, and his throatlatch is trim. Though his neck is long enough, it appears heavy on its underside and could tie into his chest higher. This is often a trait of horses that are heavy on the forehand. His shoulder angle is adequate and he has good depth of heartgirth. He could use more overall muscling, though he has more than Gelding A.
His front legs are flat through the knees with pasterns that are shorter and sturdier than Gelding A’s, but he appears to toe out noticeably with his right front leg, which could lead to unsoundness. His hock angle is acceptable, and his hocks are fairly level with his knees.
Karen Baniste owns and operates White Harvest Farms, a boarding and training facility in Brighton, Colorado. As a trainer, Baniste produces world champion horses and riders on AQHA, APHA, and USEF show circuits. As a judge, she holds AQHA, APHA, ApHC, PtHA, and NSBA cards, and is sought after around the world, having judged in Canada, Mexico, Australia, Israel, Italy, France, Germany, and Belgium, as well as throughout the United States.
To submit a photo of your horse to be evaluated in Conformation Clinic, send us a left-side profile photo of your horse (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!