Conformation and grooming Bethany Roderick English 110

Over view Conformation is what how a horse is built, its their bone structure. Many things can be off from the idea conformation. When these things are off depending on what part of the body it is the horse can be undesirable to ride and if ridden may require special tack( saddle, padds,boots,bridal). Also how well you groom you horse can effect whether they become injured or not. You have to brush them properly, clean their hooves and make sure their shoes fit well, bath them every month or so, and always pay attention to their dental health.

Conformational effects

Conformation flaws Sway back Knock knees Parrot mouth Roach back Pigeon toed Elk nosed Long back Bow knees Roman nosed cow hocked Swan neck Sickle hocked Ewe neck Post legged Close coupled cresty neck Coon footed Close coupled up-side down neck Pastern too long Platter jaw Pastern too short Under shot

Sway back When a horse has a sway back that means their back dips deeper than it should. This causes saddles to not fit properly and need to be made to custom fit if they want to ride. Not all sway back is the same, some are worse than others.

Cow hocked Cow hocked is when the hocks are bowed in together, like a cows hind legs. This is a hide end issue. This can cause the horse to knock their hocks together depending on how sever and cause injury to them selfs.

Coon footed When a horse is coon footed its fetlock joint where the foot meets the lower leg is not above the hoof rather across from is and can even tough the ground which can be very painful for the horse.

Bow knees When a horse is bow kneed their leg bows out at the knee. It can be panful and they can have a problem finding their footing.

Swan neck With swan neck the neck arches under at the base of the head which can cause issues with the bridal and steering with the reins.

Parrot mouth Parrot mouth is when a horses bottom jaw is set further back than the top. This can cause issues when eating and fitting a bit.

Grooming

Brushing the body You start with a curry comb and brush in a counter clockwise circler pattern, this loosens us packed on dirt in the horses coat . After the curry comb you move your dandy brush, also called a hard brush to remove the larger dirt particles brought up by the curry comb. Lastly you use a body brush , also called a soft brush to brush away the smaller dirt particles.

Brushing the mane and tail You can use a mane and tail brush that is made for horse hair or you can use a regular hair brush it works just as well. You brush their mane and tail like you would a woman's hair start at the bottom and work you way up till all the dirt and knots are out.

Picking hooves There are a few types of hoof picks. The basic two are the one with the brush on the back and the one without the brush. You can use either and get the job done. When you pick a hoof you pick in the shape of a V where the vertex of the V is at the front of the hoof away from where you are standing. You have to be carful not to hit the frog the sensitive part of the bottom of the hoof.

Odds and ends You have a few odds and ends, such as a face brush which is a small very fine bristled soft brush which is optional you don’t have to brush their face. Clipping is part of grooming but is not performed everyday, horses can be clipped in many different ways all are beneficial to that particular horse. Also when clipping you pull their mane to prevent it from getting to long but it still looks natural. Bathing is also part of grooming again not performed daily, a bath is good for their skin care and the health of their coat. After being bathed they have to be squeegeed because their coat will retain the water and cause things like rain rot. With conformation some times the things that are classified as flaws are desirable, for example horses with a slight cow hock are known to do well at reining.

Citations Sanderson, Annette. Encyclopedia of the horse. New York: Crescent , 1997. Print.