In this excerpt from Shoeing the Modern Horse by Steven Kraus, CJF, with Katie Navarra, the head of farrier services at Cornell University explains the importance of understanding conformational defects and how they can be managed with trimming and shoeing for performance longevity.

A shoe with a lateral extension on the heel helps to support a horse with base-narrow conformation.

When it comes to buying property, all you hear is “location, location, location.” When horse shopping all you should listen to is “conformation, conformation, conformation.” Eye appeal, bloodlines, and color dominate the conversation, but how a horse is put together is more important to predict his future performance than any other criteria.

A horse’s build is often discussed in terms of how it enables him to succeed in a given discipline. For example, does the horse have a shoulder tying in too low so that he cannot elevate his front end in quick turns? Can he gather his hindquarters to perform a piaffe? Just as a house needs a sturdy foundation, a working horse needs a correct base. That starts at the bottom of the horse at his hooves and legs. Deciding which horse to buy or how he must be trimmed or shod always starts with conformation.

Now, let us get to the actual details.

Where Do Conformation Defects Start?

Conformation starts in the breeding shed. Focusing on single traits like coat color, competition accomplishments, or show-ring fads emphasizes a “desired look” over functionality. Line-breeding limits genetic diversity, which can bring out hidden conformation defects in subsequent generations. An unsound horse often becomes breeding stock because he can’t perform. Unfortunately, he is likely to produce unsound offspring with the same conformation that predisposed him to lameness or underperformance.

Think of having a basic understanding of equine conformation as being similar to having a crystal ball—it offers a chance at predicting the future. For example, a large horse with small hooves is predisposed to lameness issues more than a horse with appropriate-sized hooves.

The good news is that many conformation abnormalities are manageable through hoof care. Regardless of the discipline or work a horse does, his body structures follow the basic laws of physics: force always equals mass times acceleration. Without reasonably correct conformation, the abnormal forces produced during performance work will cause lameness in predictable ways.

Farriers and veterinarians are in the business of managing the results of unsuitable conformation to enable horses to keep working. When this skilled assistance contributes to a successful career there is a tendency to worry less about conformational defects, especially when the horse does well competitively. The real trouble begins when a talented performer, with undesirable conformation, is selected as a breeding prospect. By selecting horses for breeding based solely on performance, the resulting cross usually reproduces the same defects. As a foal is the only time defects can be corrected, either with trimming, shoeing, or surgery.

Flaws in the mature horse can only be managed, not reversed, with detailed trimming and horseshoe modifications. The visible features in a horse’s body characteristics, like size, color, and conformation, are phenotypes, whereas the genotype is a horse’s genetic constitution.

When the phenotype is altered with interventions like corrective shoeing or surgery, the genotype does not change. So, when foals with crooked legs have been corrected in these ways, they still have the predisposition to reproduce future offspring with the same defects.

In worst-case scenarios, a horse is only pasture-sound. In less severe cases, the horse may not be performing to his fullest potential. As the horse ages, naturally weaker areas are susceptible to tendon and ligament injuries, and arthritis. Specialized shoeing and additional veterinary treatments may be necessary, both of which can significantly increase the cost of ownership—all as a result of not considering conformation in the breeding or selection process.

The tricky part is that there is no “perfect” horse. If you wait for a horse with ideal conformation, you will have an empty stable. It’s unrealistic to think you will find a horse without some conformational aspect that could be improved. That being said, learning the basics of equine conformation remains a guide to good buying and breeding decisions.

Defining the Level of Conformational Issues

Understanding the severity of the defect and management options can be used to support a decision to buy or walk away from a horse. For this reason, it’s helpful to classify conformational defects as mild, moderate, or severe.

 Mild defects are quite common and are not easily recognized. Some can even be considered “normal” when they fall within certain limits. For example, horses can tolerate a slightly crooked leg or pastern angle. A slight misalignment of the fetlocks or knees can also be tolerable. Regular trimming that makes slight adjustments to align the foot with any minor imbalances serves these horses well. A horseshoe that is appropriate for the horse’s work is shaped and further modified to adapt it to any misalignments that the trim could not achieve.

Moderate defects require extra attention, often through shoes specially designed to add support in specific areas of the horse’s foot. For example, a shoe that is shaped to reduce leverage and correct gait faults can keep the horse sound and comfortable. Here is where attention to detail matters. Generic horseshoes without specific modifications will not help a horse with moderate conformation defects.

 Severe defects require critical management decisions. These abnormalities are obvious—there is a noticeable crookedness to the leg or a twist at the joints. Often there are multiple severe defects on the same leg. A high-maintenance individual may not hold up under hard work regardless of the care he receives. Surgery and specialty shoes may be the only options. Caring for a horse with severe defects requires teamwork between a farrier, a veterinarian, and the horse owner to provide the level of trimming and shoeing to compensate for the issue.

Another thing to consider is that the taller and heavier a horse, the more likely he is to have soundness issues from conformational abnormalities. Taller horses produce more leverage on crooked legs or joints that can have negative consequences for bones, joints, and soft tissue.

This excerpt from Shoeing the Modern Horse by Steven Kraus, CJF, with Katie Navarra, is reprinted with permission from Trafalgar Square Books (www.HorseandRiderBooks.com).

The leg yield is an essential tool, whether your tests require it or not. Photo by Kris Waldo

In this excerpt from his new book The Sport Horse Problem Solver, former international eventer Eric Smiley uses his easy 5-point system to solve two issues we often run into with the fundamental lateral movement.

The leg-yield is a forward-and-sideways movement, as much forward as it is sideways, with the horse perfectly straight, and an imperceptible bend away from the direction of movement at the poll. This is a great exercise and has many uses.

In a leg-yield to the right, the left rein creates a slight bend to the left. The right rein allows the bend and controls the forwardness. The rider’s left leg goes slightly behind the girth to ask the horse to go sideways. The rider’s right leg is on the girth to “receive” the horse and limit the amount of movement sideways, while at the same time ensuring a forward and connected pace or gait.

Benefits of the exercise include:

• Improvement of the coordination of the rider’s aids.

• Improvement of the horse’s understanding of the rider’s aids.

• Improved balance and connection.

Illustration by Emily Secrett-Hill.

Now let’s talk about two common problems we have with the leg-yield.

Problem: Horse stops going forward in leg-yield. 

Why is the problem there? This occurs because the horse has dropped the connection.

Why does it need solving? It’s a prerequisite of being correct that the horse goes forward in all movements.

How do you solve the problem? Think of traveling from one parallel line to another. As already directed, in a leg-yield to the right, the rider’s left leg is slightly behind the girth, asking for the sideways movement. The right leg (on the girth) is the aid that ensures the forward (as much forward as it is sideways), so use it actively and send the horse straight for a few steps to reconnect the push from the hind legs. Then go sideways again. Get a few more steps sideways and then go straight again to ensure you reconfirm the connection.

As this exercise becomes more refined and the conversation between the horse and the aids is better understood, you’ll be able to accomplish both sideways and forward in the moment. It is as if your sideways aid “gives” the horse to the forward aid, which says, “thank you” and ensures connection at every step. The aid becomes unobtrusive. It’s a physical exercise that depends on a mental understanding. Balance improves through the physical control, and thus the quality of the gait can be maintained. Now the “7” or “8” mark that you achieve while going straight in the dressage arena will stay a “7” or “8” when going sideways as well.

When your horse tries to convince you that it is enough just to go sideways without also going forward, you may need to alter your priorities. Reduce the amount of sideways in favor of going forward, and be quick to remind the horse of the importance of this connection. Often you will feel a lovely, lively trot when going in a straight line suddenly disappear when the horse is asked to go sideways. It’s difficult to maintain forward and regular when the connection has been dropped. Your score of “7” or “8” going straight suddenly gets reduced to a “5” or “6.” Riders must be very alert to feel when the connection gets dropped and reconnect with the help of the forward aids as quickly as possible. Either abort the movement to ensure connection remains, as that is the priority, or if the horse allows, continue the movement with regained connection.

The horse must never be allowed to develop the mindset that, “I’ll drop the connection at the hint of lateral work.”

Problem: The horse’s hindquarters lead. 

Why is the problem there? In this instance, the act of asking for the slight left bend will automatically block the natural drift of the left shoulder. The horse then becomes too responsive to the left leg. The issue will now be ensuring that the hindquarters don’t lead and that the horse brings the shoulder in line with the hindquarters.

Why does it need solving? Remaining parallel to the direction of movement is always difficult, but it’s necessary to properly execute the leg-yield.

How do you solve the problem? The rider’s aids must be coordinated to communicate what is desired. Each aid has a role—to ask and correct. The horse must pay attention to the correction the rider seeks to maintain the right position. Bending left will most likely be harder to encourage than bending right. Work in hand can help this. The hindquarters will be inclined to drift to the right, so the use of the rider’s left leg has to be subtle and the positioning not too far back from the girth. The forehand will be the reluctant part to move over, so the rider’s left leg may actually need to come forward closer to the girth area as the right hand gently leads the forehand to the right. Too much use of the right hand and the bend to the left—part of the leg-yield to the right—may disappear.

Throughout the movement to the right the horse mustn’t try to move the hindquarters more than the forehand. The forehand is the part of “this” horse that will tend to get left behind, so we must be constantly aware of that likelihood.

This excerpt from The Sport Horse Problem Solver by Eric Smiley is reprinted with permission from Trafalgar Square Books (www.HorseandRiderBooks.com). To order your copy, click here.