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VETERINARY VIEWS
THE CONFORMATIONALLY CHALLENGED HORSE
by Nancy S. Loving, DVM
Much discussion goes into how well
a horse’s conformation matches an ideal for that specific breed or riding
discipline. Certain conformational characteristics have the potential to be career limiting while others may not significantly impact how well a horse can do its job. In many cases, a horse never “reads the book” and is unaware that they have a “problem,” the horse carries on successfully with its work. In other situations, horses with excellent conformation may, in fact, be less than stellar
performers. So many facets go into producing
an accomplished equine athlete that sometimes it’s hard to predict which horse will go far in
the competitive world. Besides the structural conformation of an individual, other important considerations include a horse’s work ethic, disposition, skills, training, and fitness, as well as the conditions of any given day.
When referring to conformation, form is linked to function – which structural characteristics are desirable within a
specific discipline. Certain body types tend to work best for different disciplines but within that discipline there is often a wide variation in conformational changes and other attributes that allow a particular body type to be successful. Some horses with severe conformational defects still compete successfully. An athletic horse is expected to perform over a long career, but while a horse may do well for a while, a conformational defect may shorten a competitive career
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