Parts of a Horse

Blemishes of a Horse

Diseases of a Horse

Judging From Various Views

1. Type, style, balance.
2. Proportional length of leg and depth of body.
3. Slope and length of shoulder.
4. Length and setting of head, neck, and ears.
5. Length and strength of back.
6. Shortness of coupling.
7. Length and turn of croup.
8. Width of forearm, arm, stifle and gaskin muscles.
9. Set of front legs(correct, calf, or buck-kneed).
10. Set of rear legs(correct, sickle-hocked, post-legged).
11. Slope of pastern.
12. Height at withers.
13. Length of underline.

1. General width and proportional width over hips and through thigh or quarter and stifle.
2. Length and width of inside and outside gaskin muscle.
3. Set of hind legs and hocks (correct, cow-hocked, bow-legged).

1. Shape and expression of head; size and setting of ears.
2. Width of chest and muscling of arm, forearm, and V-muscling of the chest.
3. Set of front legs (correct, splay-footed, pigeon-toed, knock-kneed, or bow-legged).
4. Alignment of knee and cannon.

1. Close View of above points.
2. Height and cleanness of withers.
3. Shortness and muscling of coupling.
4. Soundness of feet and legs.
5. Shape and texture of hoof, depth of heel.
6. Unsoundness: lameness, blindness, curbs, spavins, and splints.
7. Defects, blemishes, spring of ribs.
8. Parrot mouth (ask exhibitor to display the horse's teeth).

1. A long step, true and free, with enough joint flexion for feet to clear ground.
2. Good head carriage and action in front when coming toward you.
3. Length of stride and hock action as horse travels away from you.

How to Judge

A good horse judge follows a pattern or system, when placing a class. He considers the most important points, comparing each horse to his ideal. He, then ranks them accordingly.

There are usually four in a halter class, and these are numbered from 1 to 4, left to right. Study the class from a distance(10 to 20 paces), looking at a side view, a front view, and a rear view. You should make a tentative placing at this time.

Then watch the horses in action. Thay should be led toward you and away from you at the walk and the trot. Observe the action of the feet and legs and overall coordination.

When the horses are lined up again, you can move among them for a close-up inspection. In judging contests you should make notes on the class as you judge.

Giving Oral Reasons

In a judging contest, you will have an opportunity to tell exactly why you believe some of the classes should be placed the way you placed them. Two minutes is the usual time limit for discussing a class of four animals. Ordinarily it shouldn't take long.

The key to success in giving reasons is practice. This is the only way to develop a good, smooth delivery. As you learn to use the proper terms in comparing the animals and to organize a set of reasons. Then, practice, practice, practice, practice. Do it aloud, with someone listening. If you must practice alone, look into a mirror. This is hard at first, but it helps develop your ability to concentrate on the class.

Organizing Your Reasons

Accurancy is most important in giving reasons. However, unless you can present your reasons pleasantly and clearly, the value of accurancy is largely lost because much of what you said doesn't "get through" to the listener.

The way you organize your reasons largely determines how easy the reasons are to "follow". There are many different ways to organize reasons. The system used should be logical and clear. When discussing points about any animal in the class, cover these points in the order in which they are located on the animal. For example: (general observations first)...One was a larger, more powerfully muscled, typier mare than 3. (Then start at a particular point on the animal and go from point to point on your mental picture of the animal). Number 1 was wider through the chest, deeper in the barrel, and cleaner about the withers. She was shorter coupled and longer in the croup than 3. One was especially thicker through the stifle and gaskin muscles and stood straighter on her legs. She had more breed character and feminity about the head and moved with a truer stride than 3.

By using this system, you are not likely to forget any points, your reasons are much easier to follow, and you gain confidence by knowing exactly what points you will discuss next. It doesn't matter where you choose to start and stop, but you should develop your own pattern and make this a habit. Many times, you will find no difference worth mentioning in some of the points. In this case you simply skip over these and go to the next point you wish to mention in the order in which you see it on the animal.

Horse Judging

Tack

Horse Conformation

Reasons On A Class of Quarter Horses

I placed this class of Quarter Horse mares 4-2-3-1. In the top pair, I placed 4 over 2 because she has more balance and Quarter Horse type. She has a more correct slope to the shoulders, more prominent withers and a shorter, stronger coupling than 2. Number 4 has a longer, nicer- turned croup and is thicker through the stifle and gaskin. She also moves with a freer, truer stride than 2. I grant that 2 has more muscling in the forearm and stands straighter on her front legs than 4, but I critize Number 2 because she is short in the croup and light in the gaskin muscles. She is too low at the withers.

In the middle pair, I placed 2 over 3 because she has more balance and style and is striaghter on her legs. Number 2 has a breedier, more feminine head, and her neck blends more smoothly at the shoulder. She has a longer, smoother muscling and moves with more snap and flexion than 3. I fault 3 because she is bunchy in her muscling and plain about the head. She is sluggish in her movement and forges occasionally.

In the bottom pair, I placed 3 over 1 because she is heavier muscled and has more Quarter Horse type. She is shorter in the cannons and has a more durable hoof. I grant that 1 is more alert and handles her feet and legs better than 3, but I placed her last because she is off-type and very light-muscled. Number 1 is steep-shouldered, narrow through the chest and barrel and shallow bodied. She is weak in the coupling, very light in the rear quarter, and too long in the cannons. For these reasons I placed this class of Quarter Horse Mares 4-2-3-1.