The Conformation of the Horse 
By GEORGE M. ROMMEE, B.S.A., 
Animal Husbandman, Bureau of Animal Industry, U. S. Department of Agriculture 
C ONFORMATION is important not only 
because it has a great effect on the selling price, 
hut because a horse with good conformation 
will do more work and last longer than one with poor 
conformation. 'I'he points especially to he sought 
are as follows; Wide, open nostrils; medium-sized, 
clean-cut muzzle; clean-cut, open jaws; clean-cut 
head; straight face; wide forehead; large, clear, 
intelligent eyes; medium-sized, smartly carried ears, 
set close together; clean-cut throatlatch; clean-cut, 
well-muscled, long neck, 
smoothly joined to the 
shoulders; and sharp, 
smooth withers. 1 he 
shoulders should he slo¬ 
ping, and should extend 
well into the hack; the 
arm should he well mus¬ 
cled and well thrown hack. 
The forearm should he 
wide and muscular, the 
knees wide and strong and 
strongly supported. I he 
cannon should he flat and 
well developed, so that 
there is no falling away 
below the knee. I he fet¬ 
locks should he wide and 
straight, the pastern of 
medium length, strong, 
and inclined at an angle of 
about forty-five degrees. 
The feet should he of good 
size, with large hoof heads, 
dense hone, well-developed 
frogs, and wide heels of 
good height. The hack should he straight, broad, 
and well muscled, and the ribs well sprung. The 
loins should he straight, broad, well muscled, and 
closely coupled to the hind quarters; the croup wide 
and straight; the (juarters fully developed; and the 
tail set high and smartly carried. The flanks should 
be full. The hocks should he clean cut, wide, strong, 
and straight, and the supporting cannons broad and 
flat. Further description of the hind limb practi¬ 
cally corresponds to that of the fore limb. 
The necessity of these points from the standpoint 
of durability is obvious on a moment’s reflection. 
A wide, open nostril generally indicates good lung 
capacity and therefore good constitution. A wide 
forehead usually indicates brain capacity; a straight 
face, docility; a full, clear eye, intelligence; an 
erectly carried ear, alertness. Roman noses fre¬ 
quently indicate strongheadedness and dished faces 
viciousness. A horse with a narrow nostril, Roman 
nose, small “pig” eye, narrow forehead, and badly 
placed lop ears is usually one to be suspected of being 
capable of all kinds of equine villainy. A thick 
throatlatch, and short thick neck indicate a horse 
which will probably he thick in the wind. Meaty 
withers and shoulders are seldom found with good 
action. A straight shoulder 
and pastern shows a limb 
predisposed to ringbones, 
sidebones, and other dis¬ 
eases, and a horse with 
such conformation will not 
wear well. Good feet are 
necessary, as shown by the 
old adage, “No foot, no 
horse.” The develop¬ 
ment of the “middle 
piece” — the body — is 
necessary for many ob¬ 
vious reasons. A horse 
with a narrow, shallow 
body, low back, and weak 
coupling is not only a weak 
horse with little constitu¬ 
tion, but a poor keeper; a 
fully developed back, well- 
sprung ribs, deep body, 
and closely coupled loins 
usually indicate a strong 
one. The development of 
the floating ribs is impor¬ 
tant, especially in a brood 
mare, to allow full room for the development of the 
digestive and reproductive organs. A full hind 
flank is important for the reason that a “wasp- 
waisted” horse is usually a poor feeder and lacks 
stamina. 
The development of the hind quarters is necessary 
because the greatest amount of the animal’s propel¬ 
ling power is developed there. Not only is muscular 
development necessary, but the hind legs must be 
well shaped to endure the great strain that is exerted 
when pulling a load. The hocks and the legs from 
these joints to the pasterns should be parallel and 
set rather close together. Viewing the leg from 
the side, the back line from the point of the hock to 
the ground should be perpendicular. 1 he angles of 
Photo by Harris & Ewing, Washington, D. C. 
GEORGE M. ROMMEL, B. S. A. 
218 
