The Arabian Horse Conformation: Ideals, Theory and Observations

Rich Rudish and Dick Beck
drawings by Rich Rudish.

This article is not designed or written to appear as the ultimate word on horse conformation by the most authoritative specialist in the field. Rather, as the title indicates, it is a compilation of acquired ideals and theory mixed with considerable practical observation. Important sources include personal experiences, lectures and courses taught by Professor Byron Good, Professor James Kiser and Dr. Marvin Beeman, and the American Arabian Horse Society judges seminars. Not a little of the information has been gleaned from knowledgeable horsemen who had the ability and patience to explain why a horse works better when he is conformed in a particular manner. It is also most important to remember that this work is designed as a guide or reference to be helpful in appraising an individual horse for relative merit. The perfect horse hasn't been born yet and there have been numerous horses, handicapped by poor conformation, which went on to win the race or beat the competition with only "heart".

IDEAL - AND LESS THAN IDEAL CONFORMATION

Figure 1 illustrates what we would like to call the ideal. He is "on the square" - well balanced and capable of most any chore requiring athletic ability. His body trunk and legs fall into a square with level top line (top of withers to top of croup - not just croup as so many believe), correct hind leg (a line dropped perpendicular to the ground from the point of buttocks touches the back of the hock rear cannon and fetlock), feet squarely under body (a leg "at each corner"), and sound front leg which fits well into the shoulder. He has a well-laid-back shoulder and is deep in the heart (indicated by the mark from bottom of the sternum to the point where the bottom of the neck enters the chest). The mark above his back and the arrow at the loin show that he is strong in the loin and "close- coupled" (the proximity of the last rib and the point of the hip). In general, he follows the handbook ideal for conformation and type. The square may also be divided into three almost equal parts vertically: the point of shoulder to the back of the withers, from girth to hip, and from hip to the point of buttock.

The horse has good length of neck is clean in the throat latch, has well set ears, a good eye, a flaying nostril and fairly level croup with good length of hip. Our ideal, by the way, does not have a "table top" croup. To digress: though a good tail set and highly-carried tail are to be sought after, and the "apple- rumped" horse is not desirable, in relation to the croup, too level a pelvis often causes problems. Particularly in the mare, where the openings of the digestive and reproductive tracts are in close proximity, one can see that a very level croup throws the anus in such a position (directly above) that the exterior reproductive organs are contaminated with faecal material.

Our ideal horse is again illustrated in Figure 2. He is obviously pleased with himself and shows us that since he has such a good shoulder and hip, and is close-coupled, he can properly elevate both his fore and hind legs as well as rounding out or bending his frame (back) slightly as indicated by the dotted line. (Please note that his mane is not blowing in the breeze and he is not covering ground. He is merely lifting his legs and we wish to discourage anyone from thinking that we are making any comments on park action. We will leave discussions on park to others for the time being). With proper collection, our horse is evaluating his legs and bowing his back so that not only can he trot, but he can jump well, gather himself for a quick start or well-balanced sliding stop, scramble over Cougar Rock on the Tevis Cup Ride or even execute a Piaffe or Passage.

The worried looking horse in Figure 3 is a full brother to our ideal. He has a very similar front end - quite correct. But he is "off the square" mainly because he has a bad coupling and long back. This makes it extremely difficult for him to round his frame (notice the dotted line) and gather himself. He stands a strong chance of developing a sore back. He has the good hip of his brother, but the weak coupling makes it hard for him to work with his hocks well under him. He has difficulty gaining forward motion because of the ill- placed hocks, and he also has a bad time turning and bending. You can see that just the one serious fault - the long back - has limited this horse's use and athletic ability. A gelding who has been used hard for ten or twelve years with this particular fault might be a safe risk but would you want to choose a broodmare with it? Unless she were a mutation and you could prove it, she would not be the best bet.

Conformation is a heritable trait. That means that this fault is a bred-in characteristic. That's why a knowledge of conformation is essential to a breeder - not just to the endurance rider.

In Figure 4, our fast horse is obviously downcast at being pictured next to our ideal (right). We are sure he feels the artist could have done better by him. He has been drawn with a short, straight neck which ties-in too low, a steep shoulder and too-straight, short pasterns to match. His whole fronnt shock absorption system is sadly lacking. He would jolt along, "heavy on the forehand", with each concussion apt to foster calcification of the joints, splints and a darned rough ride for a passenger.

Comparatively, our ideal has good slope of shoulder which allows for use of the long, well-set neck to elevate his forehand and move with a light, well-balanced manner. The pasterns have length and angle enough to flex and give a very comfortable ride.

Figure 5 shows our less-well-drawn horse when he is pictured "on the square" and tries to move out. He ends up with a short back and good hindquarters, but when he engages those hindquarters he interferes with the poor, heavy forehand which has a shorter stride. Hence, the forefeet don't get out of the way and forging and "scalping" occur. Ouch!

HINDQUARTERS AND HINDLEGS

The reason man domesticated the horse, after eating him for a while, was basically to use him as a beast of burden. To accomplish this task the horse had to be able to move forward to carry the burden - cargo or rider or both. Since the horse's forward movement and impulsion originate with the hind leg, we thought this the logical place to start with a break-down of the pads of the horse and what they should look like. The proper conformation - correct bone, joints and angulation of bones - makes the horse mechanically efficient and effective. Figure 6 is a comparison of the human leg to the hind leg of our horse. As you can see, the hip of the horse is the upper leg of man, the stifle is the kneecap, the hock is the ankle and the hoof is comparable to the toe.

Of the three horses illustrated in Figure 7, the top horse is our friend who was "on the square". He and his two comrades show the three basic variations in croup angle. Our ideal horse has a long pelvis, well-muscled hindquarters, a relatively long, level croup and a nice ta carriage.

The middle horse has most of the same attributes but with a somewhat steeper croup angle. And, although he may not have the sweeping stride that our top friend of the level croup does, he is nonetheless efficient. He can perform with agility and thrust from the hocks, but may deviate from the ideal in a halter class due to the croup.

You can tell the bottom horse is nervous about our discussion of his posterior equipment. The angle of his croup is even steeper, but he has a considerably shorter pelvis. He is longer and rougher in the coupling and over the loins. When allowed to become over-fat, this type of hind end gives the appearance of what is often referred to as "apple-rumped".

Moving on, and down, Figure 8 shows several variations of the hindleg, as views from the side. "A" is our ideal whose leg lines up from point of buttocks to back of hock and fetlock. "B" is sickle-hocked. The hock is out behind the point of the butt and the foot is too far under (camped under). The cannon is not perpendicular to the ground, and complications arise because the cannon does not fit properly into the hock joint. Unsoundnesses which may occur here are bog spavins and curb. Again, leg conformation is an inheritable transmissable trait. Choose accordingly.

Hopefully, we are not viewing the better half of our friend "C". He is "camped out". This means, as you can see, that when the cannon is perpendicular to the ground, the hock and fetlock are out behind the line from the point of the butt. This horse is more uncomfortable when asked to engage his hind quarters and work in a collected manner.

"D" is "post-legged" which simply means he is too straight in the leg. From the pelvis to the pastern there is not sufficient angulation. He is probably not very comfortable to ride because his shock-absorbing system is inefficient. He is prone to stifle problems and is also "coon-footed" as well as being "soft" in the pasterns.

Standing behind the horses in Figure 9, the first thing you should notice is how different sets of legs deviate from a plumb line dropped vertically from the point of the buttocks to the ground. In the ideal "A", the line bisects the centre of the hamstring, the hocks, cannon, fetlock and hoof. A horse thus conformed has straight, smooth action. Both legs on the same side (front and rear) travel in the same plane. "B" is a truly cow,-hocked horse. Hocks are twisted and close together. The cannons do not fit correctly into the hocks, causing curbs, jacks and spavins. This particular individual is also "rafter-hipped". He lacks muscling, seen in "A", to fill out his profile. Often, a young horse which appears fat and sleek from the side will evidence the rear profile indicated. it is mostly caused from over-feeding and lack of proper exercise.

Our subject in "C" is often mistakenly called cow- hocked. He is in reality a very functional individual. Though his hocks are close, the cannons fit into them correctly. He toes out but is usually not unsound. He can still lift his leg and move out because his stifles are positioned on the sides of his barrel even though his hocks do not fall on the same plumb line. Horse "D", on the other hand, is hampered in his movement by being toed-in. He is open at the hocks rather than at the stifle, and would have trouble where his legs try to move past the barrel as he moves them forward. He is called "base-narrow". "E" is the opposite, being "base-wide". He would travel spraddled out with little hock action and would lack the full function of his stifle as well.

FOREQUARTERS AND FORELEGS

Although we haven't had the cart before the horse, we have discussed the hind end first. Now let's move forward, literally, to the front end. Figure 10 will show how the horse's shoulder and front leg correspond to man's. Shoulders and forearm with elbow compare easily, but man's wrist becomes the horse's knee. The bones of the man's hand come together to form the horse's cannon while the bones of his middle finger form the pastern and coffin bone.

Figure 13 continues front leg types. "A", being "open" at the knees, will be a clumsy mover and will not be able to trot well. "B" is base narrow and "C" is base wide. Both horses will lumber in their gaits because of poor movement in the shoulders. The former is open at the elbows while the latter is closed. "D" is "bench-kneed" - he has offset cannons. In other words, the cannons don't come down out of the centre of the knee. He will develop high splints and knee problems when stressed.

(A comment here may be appropriate concerning what we mean by stress. Stress constitutes hard work such as long hours of working cattle, racing, endurance riding or playing polo. Many of our show horses are never actually stressed. In judging by both authors over several years, a high incidence of offset cannons and high splints has been observed. Yet the horses moved sound. It might almost appear that this trait has become a breed characteristic, or that very few judges, much less breeders, recognize the fault.)

Figure 14 concentrates on the lower leg and hoof. "A" is the ideal, with good length of pastern and both pastern and hoof at the correct angle to the ground. "B" and "C" show basically improperly trimmed feet. "B" is long in the toe and "C" short with too much heel. Both have the correct equipment, but it has been artificially misused. "D" and "E" show corresponding hooves to "B" and "C", but the leg above does not follow the same line, hence, the broken angle effect. Both "D" and "E" stress the coffin bone and promote unsoundness.

Diagram "F" in Figure 14 shows a "coon foot" or a horse soft in the pastern. The pastern is long and the attachments are weak. Under stress of a hard gallop or hard stops and rough ground, this horse will eventually injure the sesamoid bone. His gait will also be too springy and camel-like. One can often tell if a horse tends toward this problem by close examination of the ergot (callus-like protrusion at the rear of the fetlock). If the ergot is rubbed off or infected, or if the surrounding hair is gone, there may be room for questioning.

HEAD AND NECK

The forehead of the Arab is properly called the "jibbah" by the Bedouin and had great value placed upon it. Raswan says the desert horseman called it perfect if it... "is large and boldly arched seen in profile ... extending from the poll (top of the head) between the ears, just over and a little below the eyes (thus covering the whole brain case and actually indicating more brain cavity) ..." in other words, the better the jibbah in terms of swell and breadth, the better the chance for intelligence in the animal.

The large, Haring nostril allows for adequate air intake under stress conditions. A clean throat latch and space between the branches of the jowls also aid in the horse's breathing process. Figure 16 shows the ideal horse in the centre with a short-necked, coarse-throated companion on the left. To the right of our ideal, a double-headed arrow indicates what is meant by space between the jowls. Somewhere it says that the wise ol' Bedouins felt one should be able to put his fist between the branches at the throat. They must have had smaller fists than ours, but the reasoning is good. If the horse is to workwith a proper head-set, and still be able to breath properly when moving, his windpipe cannot be compressed. Narrow bars and thick throatlatch restrict the supply of air and cause the horse to resist the rider's wishes by throwing or lugging his head in order to breathe.

Figure 17 indicates three types of necks. At top is our ideal. He is long from poll to crest and long and clean in the throat latch. He has room to flex, give to a bit and bend through the neck - and still breathe efficiently. Our second horse down has a reasonably long neck but is not long in the throat latch region. His neck bulges below the jowl and will lack the grace with which our ideal handles his head and neck Even if his breathing is not interfered with, he will still be less supple and responsive to the trainer's wishes.

The bottom horse has a short, straight neck which will cut down considerably on the grace and elasticity with which he moves. He will not be well balanced and will have more trouble than our ideal in rounding his back and engaging his hindquarters. This sort of neck usually fits less well into the shoulders and such a horse does not move "on the square".

The head, and that part of the horse's anatomy which attaches it to the trunk of the body, is the next topic of discussion. As introduction to this dissertation, note fast what the American Horse Shows Association Rule XIV, Part 1, Section 2 has to say: "... (a) a comparatively small head, profile of head straight or preferably slightly concave below the eyes; small muzzle, large nostrils, extended when in action; large, round, expressive, dark eyes set well apart (glass eyes shall be penalized in breeding classes); comparatively short distance between eye and muzzle; deep jowls, wide between the branches, small ears (smaller in stallions than mares), thin and well shaped, tips curling slightly inwards..."

So you see, we want not just another pretty face, but a face and head that meet certain specific criteria. Figure 1 compares the head of a typical "cold-blooded" horse with that of a typical Arabian. There is an overall intelligent look about the Arab's head that the other simply doesn't possess. There is refinement in the well-chiseled, clean head. The space between the eyes leaves room for some thought to occur. The placing of a large eye, well set on the head, will make a horse appear more intelligent in his actions even if he isn't any smarter than his companion. He will have a better disposition simply because he can see more things efficiently. He can see what is around him and behind him with less head adjustment. Because of his increased powers of observation, not as many things will spook him or surprise him. The peripheral vision of the pig-eyed cold-blooded horse will often cause him to see things much later as they approach him from side or behind.

HOW CONFORMATION AFFECTS MOVEMENT

The whole reason for knowing what is correct when talking about conformation is that conformation has a direct bearing on how the horse moves or performs his given duty. A horse can be beautiful but not be able to move without injuring himself. As the horse was developed as a beast of burden for man, he must be able to satisfactorily complete a task for a period of time. If he can't, he is worthless - no matter how pretty he is standing around.

We won't discuss the park gait, the gallop or the walk. The discussion will centre around how several types of horses move at the jog. The trot is the most significant and descriptive gait the horse has to offer to the educated horseman's eye, and we are only scratching the surface of the imperfections in a horse's way of going.

Figure 18 shows three different horses trotting toward the viewer. "A" is our ideal. His front legs move straight and true. They travel in the same plane from front to rear. The hoof prints below each subject track the motion of each hoof. "B" is probably a wide-chested horse that might stand a little pigeon-toed. He "paddles" as he moves out. The hoof tends to swing out from the vertical plane causing an arc rather than a true, straight-ahead motion. This horse would not be apt to go unsound as seriously as would his companion to the right.

Horse "C" is the worst mover. He is base narrow and wings as he moves. As he strides forward, his hooves deviate from the vertical plane towards the inside. A horse that wings severely will injure himself by hitting the inside of the coronet, fetlock or cannon as the opposing hoof passes.

Figure 19 shows four horses moving away at the trot. "A" is correct, moving with his hind legs in the same plane as his front legs. "B" is moving too close at the hocks and toed-out, but he is wide at the stifle and can move freely. He will be able to get his hocks well under himself and will generally be a very serviceable mount. Horse "C" moves poorly in comparison, as he is narrow at the stifle and moves base-wide. He would have restricted hock action and a "spraddled out" way of going. The worst problems are seen in horse "D" however. His legs are set close at both the hocks and fetlocks. He is base-narrow and his hooves stand a very good chance of interfering with each other as he moves.

Perfectly moving horses are few, but available. The trick in choosing breeding horses is finding those that approach perfection in their legs, as well as type desired. The trick in choosing a riding horse is finding either the perfection mentioned or in knowing which faults can still leave a horse serviceable, sound and useful for the duration of his life.

Arabian Studs & Stallions 1987 Vol 14 p30

This article was one of the first on conformation I read which shows and describes function to form. This article shows the ideal and its deviations. What it doesn't suggest is each horse / pony is an individual and is designed by nature and as such has compensations. Therefore, no one particular individual will be idealistically perfect! Although faults are not encouraged, nor overlooked; they should be considered with the whole of the individual to see what that individual will be able to achieve. If indeed, it can achieve within its functional limitations. Since reading the above article, I've read the following books which go into equine conformation greater detail:

Bennett, Deb (PhD) - Principles of Conformational Analysis, parts 1, 2, & 3 (illustrated)

Harris, Susan E. - Horse Gaits, Balance and Movement: The natural mechanics of movement common to all breeds (illustrated).

Harris, Susan E. - The USPC Guide to Conformation, Movement and Soundness (illustrated).

Dalbiac Luard, Lowes - The Horse, Its Action & Anatomy by an Artist (illustrated) (original 1935 - revised 1996)

Goody, Peter C (PhD) - Horse Anatomy: A pictorial approach to equine structure (illustrated).

Stubbs, G - The Anatomy of a Horse (illustrated)

and seen the video - Secrets of Conformation Analysis by Deb Bennett

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