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First: Gelding C
Of the three horses, this horse really has the greatest combination of balance, structural correctness, quality and adequate muscling. His biggest advantage over the second and third place horses is in his balance and the quality of his head and--especially--the quality of his neck. Compared to the other two horses, his neck is trimmer and ties in much higher at the base of the neck (where it ties into the shoulder and chest). Trimness reflects flexibility and functionality. A horse uses his neck as a leverage point, and a trim, thin, long, high-tying neck is a conformational advantage.

This horse is also more structurally correct, especially down both front and hind legs, viewed from the side. Leg structure is the foundation for support and soundness. Viewing leg structure from the front and rear, I look for straight alignment--from point of attachment down through knee and hock, through the cannon bones, pasterns and toes. From the side, I look for a front leg with adequate angle in the arm (as it comes out of the shoulder), and extends down a straight column of bone. For cushion, shock absorption and stride, I like to see a 30- to 45-degree angle in pasterns (hopefully about the same as the shoulder angle). The hock should be properly placed so the cannon is upright and there's a correct angle in both the stifle and the hock--that'll allow for proper motion of the hind leg and a stride underneath the body.

This horse also has an overall smooth blending appearance that reflects his balance. And good balance contributes to performance capabilities. He has a desirable shape to his head, which reflects adequate quality and breed characteristics, and he has an acceptable topline which contributes to his overall balance. Ideally he could be cleaner in his throatlatch, and I'd like to see him heavier muscled.

Second: Gelding B
The second and third place horses are a really close pair, in my mind. However, with an emphasis on the advantages in balance and structural correctness in the front leg, I placed this horse second. Specifically, this horse has more slope to his shoulder and is stronger behind his withers and in his back than the third place horse. From a functional standpoint, that reflects more strength in his overall topline--a definite conformational advantage. In addition, he appears longer in his hip, and from this photo it looks like he carries more substance of hindquarter down the longer hip.

He's also somewhat trimmer in his throatlatch and neck. While neither horse ties in as high at the base of their neck as I like to see, the second place horse appears more correct down his front leg. Ideally, this horse would have a more refined head, his neck would tie in higher at the base of the neck, and he'd be straighter down his hocks when viewed from the side.

Third: Gelding A
While this horse has a nicer head and brighter appearance than the second place horse, he doesn't appear as structurally correct in his legs. He seems slightly back at the knee, which is undesirable from a conformational and functional standpoint. If you draw a plumbline down the side of his front leg, you'll see he's not as straight as the first two horses. A horse that's back at the knees can suffer from soundness issues because he can't absorb concussion as efficiently. I'd like to see him trimmer in the throatlatch, and ideally, his neck would tie into the shoulder higher. I'd also like to see a more level, stronger topline to allow for greater impulsion and collection.

The two clear advantages this horse has over the second place horse is that again, he has a more attractive head, which tapers down his face to a more refined muzzle; and he's straighter down his hock from the side than the second place horse.

John Pipkin, Ph.D., holds judges cards for the American Quarter Horse Association, American Paint Horse Association, National Reining Horse Association, National Reined Cow Horse Association, and National Snaffle Bit Association. He's judged nearly 300 shows nationally and internationally, including the AQHA Youth World Championship Show (twice), the APHA World Show, AQHA Amateur World Show (twice) and the APHA Youth World Show. Aside from judging, John is a professor at West Texas A&M University.

This article originally appeared in the March 2007 issue of Horse & Rider magazine.

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Email amanda.peterson@equinetwork.com and include your contact info and your horse's breed, age, gender and height.

First: Mare C
This mare's conformation far exceeds the second- and third-place horses, although she doesn't show as much Arabian type as the mare I placed second. She has a plainer head than the second-place horse, and she doesn't have a great neck, but it ties in to her shoulder better than the second-place mare. This mare and the second-place horse both have short cannons (which contributes to stamina and soundness). But this mare's shoulder angle (which improves elasticity and movement) and the ratio of her shorter topline (from withers to croup) to her longer underline (point of elbow to stifle) are the best of the three, which gives her the best balance in this class.

I would, however, like her to have a little more angle to her pasterns for better shock absorption and soundness. While I can't judge movement from a photo, I can make some assumptions by studying her body angles and leg structure. Based on those, I'd expect this mare to be the best mover of the class. She has good hip angulation and overall balance, which suggest it'll be easiest for her to hold up to the rigors of performance.

Second: Mare B
This mare is the typiest of the three. If you stood back and looked at all three mares, this is the mare you'd most readily identify as an Arabian. She has a slightly concave (dished) face, and the shortest distance between eye and muzzle of the other two mares in the class. She has good angulation from the point of her hip to the point of her buttocks, however, her neck doesn't set well back into her withers, and she has an average back. Her topline-to-underline ratio isn't as good as the first-place mare, but I wouldn't say it's bad. She also has the most horizontal croup of the three horses, which is a type characteristic for Arabians.

This mare has the best angle to her hip, but it appears (at least in this picture) that she camps out behind--if you dropped a plumbline from the point of her buttocks, the mare's hocks and fetlocks would stand behind that line. Because she's camped out behind (which will make it more difficult for her to engage her hindquarters) and she has a steep shoulder, she probably won't be the athlete that the first-place horse may be.

Third: Mare A
Based on the photo, this mare doesn't appear to have much Arabian type. I placed her third because of her lack of typiness and her less desirable conformation. She has a borderline ewe neck (the neck bends upward rather than arching down, which can make collection difficult), and she has a long back in relation to her underline (a ratio of 1:2 is preferred for the length of the topline to the underline). That ratio is an important indicator of balance and athleticism. Her face is long, but on the positive side, it looks like she has the shortest ears in the class.

She has a short and borderline "rafter-type" hip (a flat hip, shaped like a "T" from behind), both of which can make it more difficult for her to collect and work from behind. Her long cannon bones could make her more susceptible to injury. She doesn't have good muscling, her joints are small, and her body conformation is not well-balanced, all of which tell me she'll have to work a lot harder than a well-conformed horse, and may have difficulty holding up to the demands of performance work.

Michael Damianos operates Michael Damianos Performance Horses at Starbuck's Ojai Valley Ranch in Ojai, Calif., where he lives with his wife, Dawn, and daughters. A trainer for 25 years, he trains and shows Arabian performance horses at the regional and national level in Western pleasure, reining, trail, driving, and English classes, and coaches youth and amateur riders. He's a carded judge for the Arabian Horse Association, AQHA, ApHC, APHA, NRHA, NRCHA and NSBA.

This article originally appeared in the September 2007 issue of Horse & Rider magazine.

Enter Your Horse in Conformation Clinic!

To submit a photo of your horse to be evaluated in Horse & Rider's Conformation Clinic, send us a left-side view photo of your horse (for digital phots: high-resolution, 300 dpi, in at least 3" x 5"). Make sure he's well-groomed, looking straight ahead and standing on level ground--and try to avoid distracting backgrounds.

Email amanda.peterson@equinetwork.com and include your contact info and your horse's breed, age, gender and height.