Conformation Pet Peeves

What conformation fault annoys you the most and why?

As a distance rider, I've been brought up to hate any type of leg fault, because they are detrimental to the soundness of the horse over the long run. I have a special dislike for weak pasterns and back at the knee/over the knee. Weak legs an endurance horse does not make.

However, I don't mind a mild cow hock (especially on a gaited horse). It doesn't seem to mess things up too much.

I'm with you, serious leg faults bug the heck out of me. Other than that, what I really don't like is a long back, those generally make for some weaker roping horses that are more likely to get hurt.

Any conformation fault that may/will effect the horses soundness in the future.
I don't really care about the other kinds (roman nose etc..)

I really dislike horses built downhill.
It is one of the most common "faults," but it annoys the heck out of me. Sunny is in a growth spurt right now and her butt is inches higher than her withers; every time I see her I say, "Make your front end grow!"
Not only is it aesthetically displeasing, but it also makes it more difficult for a horse to get off its forehand.

Watch Sun finish out extremely downhill. :roll:
Posted via Mobile Device

I don't have any pet peevs on confo. I love all horses! Any shape or form! :) im not picky!

I dislike horses built downhill too. Because I hate feeling like I am riding downhill, and it seems like when I ride a horse that is built downhill, I also feel like I am riding downhill.

Also, I dislike heavily built horses with fine bones and small feet. Small feet is probably my #1 pet peeve, especially on a big horse.

Now I love Arabians because they are well proportioned and sound and weight carrying for their size. But something like a halter QH with fine bones and small feet, that really annoys me, because the poor horse doesnt have the frame to carry his weight.

I love heavily muscled horses, so I should really like QH's, right? But the breed also has some of my biggest comformational pet peeves, so I like some of them but not a lot of them.

Basically I like a good, strong, sound using horse that can ride the trails for hours and hours and stay sound doing it!

I am with the others about faults that effect soundness or performance.

Long pasterns scare me very much, pretty much any leg fault.

To be vain I'd have to say a horse with an ugly head/neck or generally rugged build, but I wouldn't totally cross the horse out in my mind if he wasn't up to par in beauty ;)

Long pasterns and sickle hocks really get to me...because they really can effect a horse's long term performance. I also don't like downhill build, as that puts so much more strain on the front end, and a horse already carries a good deal of his weight on his forehand, let alone being 'built' to "have" to land that way.

As far as head type since it's been brought up, I really don't like a horse with a bulgy forehead; horses already have a limited frontal view and having a bulging forehead, vs. a straight profile can be a disadvantage in some instances.

I hate an upright pastern. Or a long pastern. A long, upright pastern is really bad...LOL.

As far as facially, I dislike horses that have wide set eyes. Its kind of hard to describe because I have only ever seen a few horses that their faces just look off to me...Pretty boy has nice pretty wide set eyes but a girl that boards at the barn, her horse...I don't like how his eyes are. Strange eh?

Though it's not that big a deal, I hate ewe necks. I just find them very ugly.

Dinky hooves are a bit odd too. Not really a pet peeve, just something I notice. The halter horses at my barn all have dinky hooves compared to Abby's monster ones that are round and just large.