Horses with good conformation move fluidly, experience less wear and tear on joints, and are more apt to stay fit. Explaining how conformation relates to structure and function, Heather Smith Thomas shows you how to identify a horse’s desirable attributes and potential faults. You’ll learn to train your eye to see past an animal’s physical beauty and recognize proper balance, leg angles, and height as you confidently select horses that have superior durability, trainability, and athletic potential.
The most comprehensive guide to the horse's body - inside and out - ever published. In athletics as in architecture, form follows function, and nowhere is that truth more important than in equestrian sports. The better a horse's conformation (how the animal measures up, or conforms, to the ideal standards of its breed or type), the better it will be able to perform. Using hundreds of photographs and drawings, this masterfully produced book will show you how to develop the eye that any horseman needs to assess equine conformation and anatomy. Its comprehensive text focuses on: Ideal and abnormal conformation features Balance and symmetry The relationship between conformation faults and athletic ability Colors and markings Anatomical elements, teeth, and aging Digestive, neurological, respiratory, and circulatory systems The relationship between structure and function Now in paperback, Horse Conformation is the single most valuable book on its subject and one that deserves a prominent place in every horse owner's or rider's library.
Contains description of the ideal dressage horse and what it takes in conformation, movement, and temperament for a prospect to go from the lower levels to Grand Prix. This work analyzes the elements of success and explains the differences (and similarities) between 'ordinary' horses and those that become international superstars.
Written for those involved in riding, training or breeding today's competition horses, and especially valuable for anyone wishing to buy a horse for a chosen competition.
Everything you need to know about horse anatomy is found here. Follow expert Dr. Deb Bennett as she takes an in-depth, informed look at conformation and reveals how to improve your performance and harmony with your horse. The three popular volumes of Principles of Conformation Analysis are now available in this one edition, providing the most comprehensive insight into equine structure and its effects on movement, soundness, and performance. Within these pages, you'll find: * Valuable guidelines for examining the suitability of horses for various activities * Hundreds of photos, charts, and drawings explaining various body parts and the way they work together * Detailed information on how to minimize conformational limitations and maximize your horse's performance, whatever his breed or sport * Simple methods for analyzing hind legs and detecting horses with lame backs * Exclusive lab exercises from Dr. Deb's files that offer practical help in evaluating your own horse Whether you're looking for an international dressage horse or a comfortable pleasure mount, Principles of Conformation Analysis will improve your eye for conformation.And no matter how you're involved in the horse industry--as a buyer, trainer, rider, or breeder--this book will enrich your equestrian experience.
100 percent ability is in your hands! Conformation Balancing is deceptively simple. With patient, conscientious placement of your hands on specific areas of the horse’s body, you can bring about profound change in his physical and mental well-being. The secret? The internet-like web of fascia beneath the skin. Fascia is the connective tissue that “holds everything together”—it wraps around, attaches, and stabilizes muscles and internal organs, communicating with all parts while providing structure and organization. But here’s the thing: Fascia is also a reservoir for emotional trauma and tension. This means that when you help a horse find physical release in a “stuck” area of strain or stiffness, you invite psychological healing as well.
It is no secret that speed, stamina, jumping ability, and athletic prowess depend on the horse’s physical ability to perform. However, the world has seen many ‘great’ athletic bodies, human and horse, fail to reach their true potential, while others, perhaps thought to be less great in form and function, reach the pinnacle of their sport or discipline. In the world of human athletes, we might claim hard work, ‘grit’, or ‘heart’ as the force greater than muscle that propels them to the top. But the horse doesn’t have performance goals in the way we do, so what is it that motivates one racehorse to leave the rest of the field behind to cross the finish line first?In these pages, Kerry explains how it is possible - initially by using an Emotional Conformation Profile - to determine if a horse has what it takes inside him to make what he has on the outside great. Can your racing prospect handle distance? Does your event horse have the ‘finish’ to clear that last enormous cross-country obstacle when his legs are tired? Is your horse capable of maintaining focus in the face of large crowds and multiple distractions? More importantly, he tells you how to develop specific training protocols towards given goals, thus enabling a horse to perform at his very best.
When your horse suddenly develops a performance problem or a bad attitude and neither seem to be remedied by new training techniques or medical care, you often face months—even years—of frustration and career limitation. Dr. Joyce Harman, veterinarian and respected saddle-fitting expert, states that 75 percent of horses with such issues are simply reacting to pain caused by ill-fitting saddles. And, as she explains in this thorough and highly illustrated book, poor saddle fit can be corrected with patience and know-how.
Knowing about horse conformation, movement and soundness is important to any horse owner, whether you are selecting a horse, judging horses, or evaluating a horse's strengths, weaknessess, and ultimate potential. The USPC Guide to Conformation, Movement and Soundness clearly explains and illustrates good, functional conformation and movement, faulty movement, conformation defects, blemishes and unsoundnesses, their causes, and how they affect the horse. This guide will be helpful to Pony Club and 4-H members, instructors, horse owners, and anyone interested in learning about evalulating horses' conformation, soundness and way of moving. The Howell Equestrian Library
