Corner I


By Judy Wardrope Analyzing Young Horses


t is not surprising that many people ask me how the principles of functional conformation discussed in this column apply to young horses.


Some want to know so they can make sales or purchase decisions while others want to assess the results of their breeding programs. Yes, the same basic principles apply, but they have


to be tempered with an understanding of how things change with growth in youngsters, especially growth spurts. For instance: LS placement can appear slightly different when the horse is “butt high,” and the rear triangle can be affected when either the ilium grows faster than the femur or vice versa. That being said, some things do not change that much with maturity. A young horse with a low stifle will not grow up to have a high stifle, and a young horse that is heavy on the forehand will not grow up to be light on the forehand and so on.


Where things get tricky is in the bottom of the pillar of support. The bottom of the pillar often emerges behind the heel in very young foals, but most will grow out of this by the time they are about three months old, and often sooner than that. Keeping in mind that it is best to become


proficient at analyzing mature horses before establishing confidence in analyzing youngsters, let’s do some comparisons on young horses. (Y= yearling and W= weanling)


Y-1 and Y-2 Although they both appear to have LS placements barely within athletic limits, Y-2 is proportionately higher at the croup than Y-1. The rear triangles and stifle placements on the colt and the filly are quite similar; Y-1 may have a slightly shorter femur side (as compared to ilium side) when he levels off and is not


Y-1


Y-3


Y-2 60 November/December 2017


Y-4


Conformation


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