The Fauquier County Trailblazers Horse Club attended an equine conformation clinic hosted by the MARE Center in February.

Approximately 18 people attended the clinic where Shea Porr, superintendent of the MARE Center talked about the importance of correct conformation and how to determine whether various flaws in structure could be "forgiven" for a horse involved in a specific athletic event or for a particular purpose. Equine conformation refers to the alignment of a horse's bone structure, the patterns of musculature, and its body proportions in relation to each other.

Porr discussed how "form to function" refers to much more than just a "pretty" horse. She explained how form to function is the basis for judging conformation. A horse with proper conformation will be a stronger athlete and will tend to remain sound longer than one with poor conformation. However, there is no "perfect" horse, and some flaws can be overlooked for some athletic events. For example, a horse with poor form for a Grand Prix show jumper might still be used as an under saddle horse or trail horse. Porr talked about the external parts of the horse and showed how the skeleton of the horse affected what a person sees from the outside. She described five things that make a horse look good – balance, structure, muscle, quality, and character.

The Trailblazers listened intently as Porr explained how correctly balanced horses are more easily able to shift their weight and perform athletic maneuvers. She discussed how structure is the manner in which the bones of the skeleton fit together to produce angles and alignments. One participant asked what was meant by "shoulder angle" and how the angle actually affects movement. Porr explained that a more sloping shoulder allows for a longer stride. She talked about the importance of understanding how the angles of the shoulder will determine the movement of the arm bone. A 45 degree angle is considered the ideal for basic shoulder structure, but not very many horses actually have that degree of shoulder angle. In general, the more slope to the shoulder, or the more "laid back" the shoulder is, the longer and smoother the stride will be.

In discussing the conformation of the head, Porr went on to explain that important features include the distance between the eyes and both the length and width of the muzzle, forming a triangle between the eyes and muzzle, and flat or dished forehead. Some participants asked about how head conformation affected the horse's performance. Porr explained that wider set eyes allow for a greater visual field, that larger nostrils allows for sufficient air intake during exercise, and the placement of the jaw allows the bit to rest in the correct spot.

Porr talked about evaluating muscles of the horse's chest, forearm, shoulder, loin and hip, stifle, and gaskin and how this was another important component of equine conformation. Both the quantity (amount) and quality (appearance) of the muscle is important, and she explained how to see the difference between a fit, muscled horse and one that was fat.

According to Porr, quality or refinement of the horse is something to evaluate. This takes into consideration the attitude and presentation of the horse as well as the overall physical appearance of the animal. For example, a mare should look feminine while a stallion masculine, and the horse should possess traits that mark its breed. Their bone structure should be sufficient with the joints appearing coarse or heavy, and the horse should appear alert and attentive and move with grace and style.

After the discussion, Porr led the group outside to where several Virginia Tech Foundation Arabian geldings were waiting to be used for hands-on conformation demonstrations. After giving the participants a chance to evaluate the geldings, Porr pointed out what good and poor conformation looked like. She also mentioned that poor conformation in one horse would not necessarily remove a horse from consideration for purchase, and that conformation alone does not mean the horse will not perform well.

Virginia Tech's Middleburg Agricultural Research and Extension Center's mission is to advance the health and well-being of the horse through graduate education for equine professionals, nutritional and pasture management research, and community educational programs. Located in Middleburg, Va., the center is one of 13 Agricultural Research and Extension Centers located across the state that help serve the commonwealth's agricultural needs.