“Ultimately, whether someone is thinking about entering their horse in a DSHB show or just trying to choose the best prospect as a future riding horse, it all boils down to conformation, movement, the “fourth gait” temperament and sport suitability.”
whole time you are evaluating the conformation and gaits of the horse you should be also noting his behavior and how he reacts to both the surroundings and the handler.
Judging Youngsters Judging “current year foals” can be trickier than judging
older horses. They can look awkward as they go through growth spurts, making it challenging to evaluate their conformation. You must judge what you see on that day, but some things which would be more heavily penalized on an adult horse will not be penalized as severely for a younger horse. For example, a “butt high” youngster may look like his hind legs don’t have enough angle in the joints or he may look slightly ewe necked. The front legs may toe-out slightly, which is usually not worrisome because the legs will likely straighten out as the chest widens. (At this point we were cautioned not to have the blacksmith over-correct a slightly toed-out foal, as it could lead to toeing-in later as the chest widens.) Babies may also not want to show off the full potential of their gaits. They may be nervous, tight in the topline, or not entirely comfortable (or trained) to lead. Walks may become “running”, and they’re as likely to canter as they are to trot. As you evaluate them you have to watch care- fully for the moments when you can catch glimpses of their true potential. Scoring should be based on the best steps of each gait, not an average score of all walk and trot steps shown. If a baby shows a few steps of an “8 trot” he should score an 8, even if he was cantering or playing just a moment earlier!
Judging Hands-On Both days of classroom lecture were followed by hands-on
practice judging and lecture at Iron Spring Farm’s world- class facility. This portion of the seminar was priceless. It is one thing to imagine a nice neck based on a lecture, it’s something else entirely to see a nice neck in real life! It’s also one thing to imagine a plumb line when it’s drawn on a photograph, but something else entirely to try to visual- ize it on a yearling who may not be keen on standing still for too long in the first place. A nice variety of horses were presented—from interna- tional caliber Friesians and approved Warmblood breeding stallions, to a sweet (and very pregnant) recipient mare of unknown breeding and a 21-year-old teaser stallion. These examples allowed participants to see a range of strengths and weaknesses. The seminar instructors had already cautioned against having breed or color biases, and they were able to illus-
trate this very well when the second horse presented was a Friesian colt—and he was even nicer than the first horse presented (a very nice Warmblood gelding by Florianus II.) Quality is quality, and the standards for judging conforma- tion and gaits remain the same regardless of the breed, so the DSHB ring is a level playing field where any breed of horse can score well. A highlight of the presentation at Iron Spring Farm was when the Grand Prix Westfalen stallion Florianus II (Flores- tan I / Damenstolz) was brought back to the arena after the presentation of the Grand Prix Friesian stallion Hedser 465 (Adel 357 / Ouke 313) and the two were presented together to demonstrate the similarities between them in spite of being vastly different breeds. Good conformation is good conformation, and both demonstrated this as well as especially nice necks and shoulders. Their necks were definitely “flags,” and the two stallions screamed “dressage” even standing still. The practice judging continued on the second day, as
participants were split up first into large groups and then into smaller groups or pairs. It’s a fun challenge to be put on the spot—to assign a score and then be able to sup- port it —and it also drives home the point that judging in-hand is harder than it seems. There is a lot to see and evaluate in a fairly short time, with horses who may not want to stand still or square or trot in a straight line. It also illustrated that there is some “gray area” in judging, as one person’s 7.3 may be another person’s 7.8, but both are able to justify their scores. The seminar concluded with a demonstration of a
“Get of Sire” class where three of the KWPN stallion UB40’s offspring were presented together. Classes like this must be very gratifying for stallion owners, and there are simi- lar USDF Dressage Sport Horse Group classes offered for mares (“Produce of Dam”) and for farms/breeders (“Breed- er’s Group” classes) and more. These less common group classes are fun and interesting as groups of related horses can be presented and judged, even though ages may vary. Ultimately, whether someone is thinking about enter- ing their horse in a DSHB show or just trying to choose the best prospect as a future riding horse, it all boils down to conformation, movement, the “fourth gait” temperament and sport suitability. Studying conformation can help a person predict potential training difficulties or soundness problems. Seminars such as USDF’s Sport Horse Seminar are great educational opportunities for breeders, judges, and owners alike, because at the end of the day we all have the same goal—to continue to improve the quality of sport horses in North America!
Warmbloods Today 35
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