Do you know your horse conformation phrases? Let’s find out…

Horse conformation phrases

1. Conformation, not confirmation

Let’s get started with this common mistake!

2. Back at the knee

Also known as calf knee, a conformation fault where, when viewed from the side, the horse’s knee is behind an imaginary vertical line dropped down from the front and top of the foreleg. This fault tends to become more pronounced as the horse gets older and can lead to unsoundness by placing extra strain on the tendons and ligaments at the back of the leg.

3. Over at the knee

The opposite to back at the knee and not considered too bad a conformation fault – it is believed, in moderation, to be a bonus for the hunting/racing set as it reduces the strain put on the tendons. In dressage and showing, however, it is deemed a fault.

4. Bone

At least “nine inches of bone” is desirable in a hunter – but many people have no idea what it means. You measure a horse’s bone around the cannon just below the knee and the bone should feel flat, not rounded.

5. Bridle lame

When a horse nods its head in trot, so it appears lame, but is not actually taking uneven steps with its legs. Often caused by poor riding when a jockey uses too much hand and too little leg, so the horse is not properly engaged.

6. Butty

A short-coupled, compact horse, often a cob type or a small hunter.

7. Curb

A swelling at the back of the hock and just below it, often caused by a ligament strain and seen as a sign of weakness. A severe fault in showing circles.

8. False curb

Often mistaken for a real curb, but something else entirely. There’s no soft-tissue swelling and it should disappear when the hindleg is lifted. But it’s a conformation fault, which occurs when the head of the splint bone is enlarged.

9. Ewe neck

Sometimes referred to as an “upside down” neck and not, as some believe, the neck of a horse with poor condition. An animal with a true ewe neck will find it very difficult to work correctly over their topline, will always tend to carry his head too high and have a tendency to hollow their back. A dip appears in front of the withers and the muscles bulge on the underside of the neck.

10. Swan neck

The opposite of a ewe neck, with a pronounced curve on the topline, but still a conformation fault, as the horse will not go correctly and may hollow his back.

11. Furnished/unfurnished

Young horses are often said to be unfurnished because they haven’t yet filled out their frame.

12. Lady waisted

Although this sounds deceptively charming, it actually means that the horse is nipped in at the “waist”, or herring gutted like a greyhound!

13. Leg at each corner

Built solidly, like a table. Generally a good thing, but deemed “old fashioned” by some.

14. Length of rein

The distance between the rider’s hand and the bridle – or another way of saying long or short necked.

15. Topline

The horse’s topline includes the muscles over the neck, withers, back, loin and croup – from the side, his withers should be the same height as the croup.

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The show ring has a strict no blemishes or conformation faults policy for a horse to stand at the top of the line. But which issues can potentially compromise a horse’s physical health and which can you afford you look past?

1. Over-straight hindleg

A hindleg with insufficient angulation between the femur and tibia can be classed as “over-straight”, can limit the horse’s movement and cause problems in the stifle and hock joints and elsewhere, including the suspensory ligaments and patella. Over-straight hindlegs are pre-disposed to injury, so send alarm bells ringing for vets.

“Even if the horse trots soundly at the vetting and passes the flexion tests, conformation issues such as an over-straight hindleg make you worry about the horse’s soundness going forward,” says Lindsay Brazil MRCVS of Cheltenham Equine Vets.

2. Splints

Although not always the case, splints are sometimes caused by poor limb conformation.

“Splints are usually a result of a pre-existing angular or rotational limb deformity, which themselves pre-dispose to an imbalance in the feet,” says Dr Jane Nixon MRCVS of Nixon Equine Vet Consultancy.

Certain forelimb conformations that cause higher stresses down the inside or outside of the limb, such as offset knees or pigeon toes, may also lead to splints.

“Depending on how long they have been there, splints can cause problems but, if they have been present for a long time and are inactive, they don’t generally cause issues with soundness,” says Shirley Seed MRCVS from Oaklands Equine Hospital.

Splints are no good on a show horse, which is why owners and riders spend considerable time and money trying to prevent them.

“Splints are considered a blemish on a show horse and you want him to be as clean-limbed as possible. If you have to choose between a horse with clean limbs and a horse with splints, 
you are always going to choose the clean-legged one,” says showing judge Joanna MacInnes.

3. Upright pasterns

The hoof-pastern axis is an important conformational feature to consider. If the angle of the pastern is too upright, the horse can be prone to concussion as the shock is not dispersed by the tendons but, instead, is transmitted upwards through the bones. As well as being widely associated with navicular syndrome and arthritis, upright pasterns do not make for a comfortable ride.

“A horse with upright pasterns, which go with an upright shoulder, will have a shorter and choppier stride, so is likely to be a more jarring ride than one with a sloping pastern, and will be marked down in the show ring,” says Joanna.

Showing producer and event rider Richard Telford agrees: “Upright pasterns always give a jarring ride and you wouldn’t want to event a horse with them, especially on hard ground. Sloping pasterns behind are also a real weakness and will only lead to trouble.”

4. Hoof conformation

All
stresses in the limbs go through the feet, so it is imperative that the hooves are well-balanced, the correct shape and have excellent horn quality.

“Hind foot balance is most important as the hind feet are joined at the spine by the hips and the sacroiliac joint. Any asymmetry between the two back feet will be magnified up the hind leg and into the spine. The left and right side become dissimilar, which can cause issues such as hindleg lameness, back problems and difficulties with the fit of the saddle,” says Jane.

“If the horse’s toe turns out, particularly on one foot more than the other, then excessive loading of the inside limb occurs, which is very serious and difficult to correct. It can be remedied if it is managed from day one but, if it is left, it can cause big problems.”

5. Long or short neck

“A long or short neck may affect the way the horse rides but it will not affect his soundness and, unless it is abnormally short or long, it isn’t a problem for me,” says Joanna.

Lindsay agrees: “The length of neck doesn’t worry me. However, if the horse had a ewe neck having built up muscle in the wrong places with a poorly developed neck topline, I would be asking why it is like that and paying particular attention to the way that it moves and how it has been trained.”

From a riding perspective, however, short necks are often undesirable: “A horse with a short neck and an upright shoulder is quite an uncomfortable ride; it is like sitting on a cliff edge,” says Richard Telford. “Similarly, I wouldn’t pick a horse that is croup high and lower in front as you will have a never-ending battle trying to get it up in front.”

6. Scars

Although scarring can be an inevitable result of a wound, it is still undesirable in the show ring due to its stringent no-blemish policy.

“In a perfect world you want the horse to have as good conformation as possible without scrapes, lumps and bumps, but it’s very difficult to keep a horse clean limbed,” says Joanna.

Shirley Seed continues: “Once healed, a scar should not compromise a horse’s performance, unless it’s restricting movement or is something such as an old overreach injury that might reoccur. I would class scars as cosmetic faults.”

7. Sickle hocks

These are a severe hindleg defect that occurs when the lower legs appear to curve underneath the horse, consequently pushing the hoof too far forward and placing enormous strain on the hocks. This conformation fault can also lead to horses developing curbs (thickening of a ligament in the hock that causes visible swelling).

“A horse with sickle or ‘cow hocks’ is best avoided, although sometimes a horse with sickle hocks can actually have really active hind legs,” says Richard. “You will always get horses that go against the grain, like my old two-star event horse, Dilemma II, who had curbs on both her hindlegs. She was a good jumper and really successful, yet you would never accept a show horse with curbs.”

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There is a band of talented amateurs — many with full-time jobs — who specialise in producing young horses for others to take on. H&H finds out what they look for in their horses — from finding something with good conformation to one that’s bold and unflappable.

1. Good raw material: “Some of the best horses look [like] nothing as four- and five-year-olds — you have to use a bit of imagination,” says producer Becky Marsden, a lawyer and amateur eventer. “I wouldn’t buy anything that has been over-produced. If a three-year-old was jumping 1.20m it would put me off.”

2. A leader of the pack: “I want a horse that’s bold, unflappable and confident,” says Caroline Bridge, a farmer’s wife from Bury St Edmunds who has made a name for herself producing youngsters that have gone to the top in various different disciplines. “Often, the horse I’ll go for at an auction will be the one that leads the parade through the tunnel and into the arena.”

3. The whole package: “I want movement, conformation and temperament,” says dressage rider Kerry Mackin, who found and produced C Fatal Attraction, Sophie Wells’ successful para dressage horse star. Kerry also has an acid test. “When I look them in the eye, I want them to look straight back at me. They have to be sure of themselves.”

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4. Conformation: “Sound limbs are a must, but no horse is perfect,” points out Caroline. “Sometimes you have to compromise — grand prix dressage horse Don George has four very small feet, but it hasn’t affected him.”

5. Temperament: “When you’re only concentrating on one or two horses, you need to start with the right material,” says producer Elana Chilton, a senior branch manager for the employment agency Adecco. “It can be the best-looking horse in the world, but if it’s not trainable you’ll be wasting your time and money. Plus, if I buy a horse to sell on, temperament is something I would never compromise on.”

H&H 29 January 2015

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Every now and then an unlikely champion comes along to remind us that a truly great horse is so much more than the sum of his parts.

Despite his goose rump, cow hocks or some other frowned-upon defect, this unconventional hero puts his best foot forward to triumph over his perfectly formed peers. Could it be that correct training and management — and a big heart — can make up for a horse’s flawed conformation?

After all, if certain top riders had been less willing to overlook a few faults in conformation, we might have been denied some of our most memorable winners.

Here are five points to consider when viewing horses for sale:

1. Put feet first

“If he doesn’t have quality feet, don’t even bother starting,” says eventer Sharon Hunt. “And look at how he moves — does he jump and land lightly? Eventing is so tough on horses these days, with the turns, the twists and the terrain.”

2. Have vision

“Into The Blue was a foot higher behind than in front as a three-year-old,” says show and dressage rider Louise Bell of her working hunter champion. “As long as a young horse has correct limbs and good feet, with everything else sort of in the right place, he will get better. You need an experienced eye, however, so ask an expert if you’re unsure.”

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3. Factor in age

A horse already proving himself in competition, despite a fault, might be a safer bet. “If he’s 10 or 11 and has never had a problem, he probably never will,” says Tim Stockdale.

4. Be choosy

“You have to be stringent about not running a horse with a conformation issue on unsuitable ground,” says eventer Lucinda Fredericks, issuing a reminder that ongoing management of a defect requires self-discipline as well as money and expertise. “You can’t be greedy.”

5. Think positively

Don’t write off something less than ideal. “I can’t afford the perfect raw material,” says Steph Croxford, who jokes that she “splashed out” £4,000 on her grand prix prospect Mr Hyde. “That’s why I work with — and cherish — what I’ve got.”

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

We’re well into the swing of having all the students back with us now at Hartpury, and have a couple of new faces in our staff team to boot.

Every year we have a new graduate intern join us and this time it is the turn of Jess Smith. Jess is a Hartpury graduate, who helped us out throughout her degree so we know her really well.

Our other newbie is Hannah Slator, who we have appointed as therapy centre assistant. Both she and Jess support assistant manager Kerry-Anne in running our yard. The girls all get on fantastically well and are super good at what they do, which makes my job pretty easy really!

I never take for granted just how important it is to have the right balance within our team and what achieving this can do for how much everyone gets out of their job.

I’m a big fan of the BBC Three’s The Call Centre, where the CEO Nev insists that “happy people sell”. I think this is true in any industry, but particularly when working with horses, where the dedication and hard work required means that sometimes it can be a bit of a slog. Our saying would be more along the lines of “Happy people make happy horses” but it’s the same principle.

Making sure that my guys are settled and content in their jobs is something that I see as a priority. This doesn’t mean that I don’t push them and challenge them, quite the opposite I hope, but more that they feel supported no matter what.

Because we are a small team, with a relatively small number of horses to care for (we take up to eight residents at any one time) we do get really attached to each horse.

We had a lovely dressage horse leave yesterday who’s been with us for a fair amount of time and there was a bit of tear shedding in the barn after he’d pulled away in the lorry. It sounds really soft, but the horses have such a vast amount of work put into them whilst they’re here that we get to know them inside out and genuinely miss them when they go.

The A-Listers

Along with our vets and therapists, our team of farriers are at the very heart of the business.

Although we get lots of the same type of problem fairly regularly, one of the most varied areas of our work relates to issues associated with foot confirmation and/or balance. This can take many forms, be that collapsed heels, poor medio-lateral balance or other common complaints such as toe-in conformation.

All of these issues will have an effect on the horse’s posture and how it moves. It sounds obvious, but how horse actually loads each foot is also hugely important, and there is a chicken-and-egg type of relationship between conformation, loading patterns and injury. We have a really interesting case of this at the moment and tasked with helping us resolve the problem is farrier Kelvin Lymer of Sandpitt Forge.

The horse in question sustained an injury to the right fore lateral-collateral ligament, which is situated within the hoof capsule. We have been struggling to normalise his loading pattern, which basically saw him putting too much weight on to the lateral (outside) aspect of his hoof, thus straining the site of his injury. To prevent him from doing this Kelvin has put a pair of roller motion aluminium bar shoes (quite a mouthful I know!) on his front feet (pictured top).

The shoe works by reducing the peak forces which affect the horse’s foot during the landing phase of each stride, thereby minimising the stress on the injured ligament.

Aluminum is lighter than regular steel and reduces the forces incurred by the weight of a regular shoe. The shoe is essentially curved on all external edges, so that the only flat aspect is a 1cm (approx) band of metal around the inside part of the shoe, rather being flat across the whole breadth of the shoe as would normally be the case. I’ve personally never seen anything like it, but we’re very happy as it seems to be doing the job we want it to.

I find the whole subject of foot balance and shoeing fascinating and it is definitely something I really enjoy learning about. I’d love to have a much more in-depth knowledge than I do, but then that is what the experts are for. What I have learnt is the impact that good foot balance and application of an effective shoeing strategy can have. It doesn’t just affect the hoof itself, but can influence the way a horse stands, moves and the amount of power it is able to generate.

That’s why our farriers are most definitely amongst the A-Listers in my book – they really do have the ability to make or break a case for us.

Fizz

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Short or long neck

The ideal length for a horse’s neck is one third of its overall body.

Vet and dressage rider Rachel Murray says: “A horse with a short neck may find it easier to ‘sit’ behind for dressage, but, for jumping, a longer length of neck is preferable as this helps with balance and the ability to bascule.

“While a long neck can create an elegant picture, it is also more difficult for the horse to carry himself. More weight at the front end can make the horse inclined to be on the forehand,” says Rachel.

Long back

“Any imbalance in the way a horse is built, for example a horse with a long back and short neck, will affect his balance and the way he moves and operates,” says Rachel.

Horses with longer backs will generally find it harder to collect.

A long back can make the horse more flexible, but straightness may be more of an issue.

Straight in the hindleg

“A horse that is straight in the hindleg may find it easier to ‘sit’ and engage, but, if its hocks are very upright, it is likely to be absorbing the compression through other parts of the body, for example by dropping the fetlock more or through the pelvis or lumbosacral junction,” Rachel explains.

Rotation of the limbs

Any rotation of the limbs in an adult horse will undoubtedly cause increased stress on the joints and tendons.

“For example, if a horse’s knees are close together, but its fetlocks turn out, the insides of the knees will be put under a lot of strain and there will be an increased risk of a tendon injury in this area,” says Rachel.

“As with any conformational fault, the right training regime and correct shoeing is crucial to ensure the horse’s long-term soundness.”

To find out more about conformational problems in horses don’t miss our feature in the current issue of Horse & Hound (27 January, 2011)

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