[thunderhooves]

Why do they stretch horses out like this for conformation shots? To me IMO it looks funny and doesn't make sense because you can't see how the true conformation really is. And why is it mostly TWH's?

 

[Honeysuga]

It is caled parking out, I have no clue why they do it, maybe to show off their really long hind legs?, but the first horse is related to my moms new mare!

 

[Pro]

I don't know, but I think it makes them look terrible.

 

[JustDressageIt]

It's part of the breed standard. Certain breeds are expected to "park out" instead of stand square. It's just a breed thing, and you can tell quite a bit from the photos as well

 

[thunderhooves]

Its just MHO that it makes them look weird. I can't tell how thier hip is and their hocks are when hey stand like that. And how their shoulder is to their neck.

 

[Solon]

It's uuugly. I don't see how you can tell anything about their conformation, except that they look mutated.

 

[charlicata]

In the American Saddlebred shows that I used to do, at the end of the class, we would bring the horses to the center of the ring, back them up a couple of steps, then have them park out for judging. When I asked the trainer that I was working with why it was so important that they "park-out", he told me that it made it harder for them to take off when mounting. As far as parking out after the ride, he said that it showed that the horse had discipline? Which I still don't understand, but whatever floats their boat.

 

[roro]

IMO it's a nifty trick for hiding bad withers and faulty hinds!

 

[JustDressageIt]

It's just a different way of setting a horse up. It's the way this set of breeds does it - called "parking out" - nothing wrong or ugly about it, it's just a breed thing. If you're familiar with the breed and what to look for, it's a good conformation picture. Let's not jump on one set of breeds because of how they set their horses up, please.

 

[Solon]

If you post a picture like that you're bound to get comments from both sides. The position is ugly. Now the horse may not be if it was standing like a normal horse would.

My horse stands like that, but he's peeing when he does it.

 

[flamingauburnmustang]

LOL! I agree with the above post...so true... :lol:

 

[thunderhooves]

If you post a picture like that you're bound to get comments from both sides. The position is ugly. Now the horse may not be if it was standing like a normal horse would.

My horse stands like that, but he's peeing when he does it.

lol,yeah. I am not singling out breeds. I don't see how it would be bad even if I did.......... but thanks for the answers, ive always wondered why.
Do they ever square them up,too? Because I see stud ads and they don't show squared at all. How can you correctly see everything when its like that?

 

[Solon]

lol,yeah. I am not singling out breeds. I don't see how it would be bad even if I did.......... but thanks for the answers, ive always wondered why.
Do they ever square them up,too? Because I see stud ads and they don't show squared at all. How can you correctly see everything when its like that?

I think roro hit i on the head, a nifty way to hide faults.

 

[thunderhooves]

kinda the same,right?

anyway,back on subject.

 

[Honeysuga]

I know a bunch of TWH owners who have TALLL horses and they have TWH's specifically because of bad joints and arthritis, so the parking out makes them much easier to mount and as has been said, makes it harder for them to take off while being mounted.

 

[maura]

Actually, parking out started out as functional. Saddlebreds and TWHs are suppossed to park out for mounting and dismounting to make it easier for the rider. This always worried me because I think the strain on the horse's back must be incredible; but it did have a functional origin. And if you consider the original purpose these horses were bred for, it makes tons of sense. I personally would love a horse that lowered itself to the ground to make it easy for me to get one, again, if I wasn't worried what I was doing to their backs.

I can only guess from here; but having a horse park out during a show is essentially showing training, obedience and ground manners. How it became a convention for standing confo shots, I dunno, on that, I'm clueless.

And back to worrying about their backs, I always stand in my stirrups when my horse parks out to pee - that's just the way I was taught. I hate to see people sitting it the tack when the horse is stretched out and on tiptoe behind.

 

[Ariat164]

i personally think it is gorgious

 

[ShutUpJoe]

I think it's pretty too. I was always told that parking out was for mounting purposes as stated above.

 

[charlicata]

This is Ty, the saddlebred that I traded for Rosie. I was holding him for my hubby to get on (just to be safe because he hadn't been on a horse in close to 30 years). Honestly, he was so tall that if he hadn't know how to park out, I wouldn't have been able to get on him. I tried the mounting block thing, but he always move away from it when I was trying to use it.

And yes, they are supposed to square up in a show situation. That is the purpose of backing them a couple of steps, to make sure their back feet are squared. Then it's a simple "park out" verbal command or touching the back of their front leg with the whip to get them to do it. Ty had a verbal command.

 

[Jessabel]

Personally, I think it makes them look like they're peeing. ;D And it looks uncomfortable when the horse has a rider because it hollows their backs out. I do kind of like the Saddlebred way when all four legs are parked out, not just the back ones.
My favorite is the "Thoroughbred stance" with one hind leg behind the other.