I know that there are quite a few people here who are not really experienced with horse conformation or all the terms commonly used to describe certain faults. I just thought it would be a good idea to post some of the basics of horse conformation and some of the more common faults along with pictures or examples so that people can know what the phrase is describing. I did not type most of this myself, it is just copied and pasted from several websites just to put it all in one convenient place for members. Nor are most of these my pictures. They were the best examples that I could find of that particular fault.
I'll start off with the legs.
Front Legs:
Camped out:
The front leg, from body to the ground, is set too far forward. May be an indication of Navicular disease or laminitis.
Camped under:
The front leg is angled back. The horse carries too much weight on the forehand. Results in shorter stride with tendency to stumble.
Over at the knee:
The knee appears to be buckled forward. Produces greater strain on tendons and suspensory ligaments. Slightly over at knee is not as serious as back at knee.
Calf kneed (back at knee):
The knee curves backward. Produces strain on tendons, bones and ligaments. Knee chips and bowed tendons are the result of calf knees.
Tied In:
The cannon should appear to be the same width from just below the knee to just above the pastern. The tied-in leg shows the tendon slanting in toward the knee. The flexor tendons are too close to the cannon just below the knee.
When viewed from the front, the front legs should be straight.
A vertical line drawn from the point of the shoulder should fall in the center of the knee, cannon, pastern and hoof. The front legs are parallel with the feet pointing straight ahead. Deviations from this standard are faults which affect gait, soundness and performance.Look for these conformation faults when viewing the front legs:
Base wide:
Base narrow:
The distance between the feet at ground is narrower that between the legs at chest level. Horse places more weight on outside of foot causing fetlock and pastern strain.
Toes out:
The hooves turn out from center line. Fault may start at forearm, knee or fetlock.
Bow legged:
Usually associated with base narrow, toe in faults. Places excess strain on knees.
Base narrow - toes out:
Closely placed feet and winging gait will cause interference and plaiting. Plaiting gait can cause horse to stumble. This is weak conformation that compromises the ability for heavy work.
Bench knee (offset knee):
The cannon bone is not centered in the knee. A congenital fault.
Pigeon-toed (toes in):
The hooves point inward. Found in base narrow horses. Horses will paddle. May cause interference and puts strain on the fetlock joint. Base narrow-toes in conformation can cause windpuffs, ringbone and sidebone.
Knock kneed:
A deviation of the knee caused by growth plate abnormalities. Causes excessive knee strain. Outward rotation of cannon bone, fetlock and foot usually are present.
I'll start off with the legs.
Front Legs:
Ideally, when viewed from the side, you should be able to draw a straight line through the center of the bones of the forearm, knee, cannon and bulb of the heel.
The front legs support 60-65% of the horse's weight. They are more prone to stress and injury than the hind legs. Therefore, it is important to have a well-muscled forearm and a straight limb.
The elbow is where the top of the leg joins the shoulder/girth area. A hand should be able to slide in between the elbow and the horse's body.
Viewed from the side, the forearm should be wide and well-muscled. It's length will indicate length of stride.
The knee should be large, flat and straight. The cannon bones should be short, compared to the forearm. This increases stability and the length of stride.
The tendons should be well defined and broad from the knee to the fetlock. Tendons that are too light for the size of the horse are "tied in" and appear cut in at the back of the knee.
The angle of the pastern should match that of the should angle. the angle of the front of the hoof should march the pastern angle.
There are conformation faults which can affect the soundness of the horse. When viewed from the side, the legs can exhibit some of the following faults:
The front legs support 60-65% of the horse's weight. They are more prone to stress and injury than the hind legs. Therefore, it is important to have a well-muscled forearm and a straight limb.
The elbow is where the top of the leg joins the shoulder/girth area. A hand should be able to slide in between the elbow and the horse's body.
Viewed from the side, the forearm should be wide and well-muscled. It's length will indicate length of stride.
The knee should be large, flat and straight. The cannon bones should be short, compared to the forearm. This increases stability and the length of stride.
The tendons should be well defined and broad from the knee to the fetlock. Tendons that are too light for the size of the horse are "tied in" and appear cut in at the back of the knee.
The angle of the pastern should match that of the should angle. the angle of the front of the hoof should march the pastern angle.
There are conformation faults which can affect the soundness of the horse. When viewed from the side, the legs can exhibit some of the following faults:
The front leg, from body to the ground, is set too far forward. May be an indication of Navicular disease or laminitis.
The front leg is angled back. The horse carries too much weight on the forehand. Results in shorter stride with tendency to stumble.
The knee appears to be buckled forward. Produces greater strain on tendons and suspensory ligaments. Slightly over at knee is not as serious as back at knee.
The knee curves backward. Produces strain on tendons, bones and ligaments. Knee chips and bowed tendons are the result of calf knees.
The cannon should appear to be the same width from just below the knee to just above the pastern. The tied-in leg shows the tendon slanting in toward the knee. The flexor tendons are too close to the cannon just below the knee.
When viewed from the front, the front legs should be straight.
A vertical line drawn from the point of the shoulder should fall in the center of the knee, cannon, pastern and hoof. The front legs are parallel with the feet pointing straight ahead. Deviations from this standard are faults which affect gait, soundness and performance.
The distance between feet on ground is wider than between legs at chest. Horse places more weight on inside of foot. The inside of the leg is under more strain. Gait shows "winging" inward.
The distance between the feet at ground is narrower that between the legs at chest level. Horse places more weight on outside of foot causing fetlock and pastern strain.
The hooves turn out from center line. Fault may start at forearm, knee or fetlock.
Usually associated with base narrow, toe in faults. Places excess strain on knees.
Closely placed feet and winging gait will cause interference and plaiting. Plaiting gait can cause horse to stumble. This is weak conformation that compromises the ability for heavy work.
The cannon bone is not centered in the knee. A congenital fault.
The hooves point inward. Found in base narrow horses. Horses will paddle. May cause interference and puts strain on the fetlock joint. Base narrow-toes in conformation can cause windpuffs, ringbone and sidebone.
A deviation of the knee caused by growth plate abnormalities. Causes excessive knee strain. Outward rotation of cannon bone, fetlock and foot usually are present.