AGSC 334
Equine Science
Selecting Horses
8891
TEKS: 119.66 (c)(2)(B)
Class Notes Key
Introduction
A person’s first objective in selecting a horse should be to find “the right horse.” The
wrong horse has forced many beginners, as well as experienced individuals, to lose
interest and money. Because of the many different ways that humans use horses, the
many breeds, and the mixing of breeds, it is difficult to use a single, well-defined set of
standards by which to choose a horse regardless of the purpose. Factors to consider when
selecting a horse can be categorized into four groups; general considerations,
conformation, unsoundness and blemishes, and movement of the horse.
General Considerations
One of the most important factors to consider when selecting a horse is the purpose for
which the horse will be used. A horse should be chosen for a specific purpose. The
following are the categories of activities for which a horse may be used:

Pleasure – horses that are kept for the joy of owning and riding are considered
pleasure horses. An example of a pleasure horse would be a horse used for trail
riding.

Breeding – a horse kept for the purposes of breeding and reproduction. A
breeding horse is seldom used for any other purpose than breeding and rearing
offspring.

Working Stock – horses that are used for work purposes are considered working
stock horses. A horse used on a ranch to round up cattle is an example of a
working stock horse.

Show – a show horse is one that competes in various competitions at horse shows.
A horse can be shown in a variety of ways. A halter horse is judged based on its
conformation. In under saddle, horses are evaluated based on its patterns of
movement.

Sport – horses that are used for racing, both harness and running, rodeo, jumping,
and game type events (barrel racing, pole bending, polo, etc.) are considered sport
horses.
Determining the primary purpose for which the horse will be used will help in deciding
the level of importance of other selection factors.
General Appearance
A well-balanced horse should be proportionate in length and height. Thus, height at the
withers, height at the hip, and length of body of a well-balanced horse, will approximate
one another. Together with overall balance, one may use general appearance to select for
a certain color of horse. However, when one selects on color alone, it limits greatly the
number of horses from which to choose.
Temperament
The disposition or temperament refers to the prevailing tendency, mood, or inclination of
a horse. Evaluating a horse’s disposition should be done by someone with experience
who can recognize traits indicating poor disposition. By observing body language and
behavior, a keen observer can recognize a horse’s “frame of mind.” A “mean” or illtempered horse will typically pin its ears back, flare its nostrils, and show white around
its eyes. Often, an effective way of determining a horse’s disposition is to check the area
in which the horse is lodged. If there are signs of chew or bite marks on the fences or in
the stalls, the horse may have an undesirable disposition.
As a general rule, some breeds of horses have more docile temperaments than others.
However, there are always individual exceptions. The purpose for which a horse is used
can influence a horse’s temperament. For example, a racehorse frequently will have a
more nervous disposition than a trail horse. It is a good idea to keep in mind the
experience of the person for whom the animal is being selected and the primary purpose
for which the horse will be used when evaluating temperament.
Training
When selecting a horse, one should consider the extent of training the horse has received
in the area of its intended use. Those who have little experience with horses should
consider selecting a well-trained horse. A beginner should not undertake the training of
an untrained horse without the guidance of an experienced trainer. An experienced trainer
may prefer a “green” or untrained horse, so that he or she can train the animal to meet his
or her specifications.
Pedigree and Performance Records
The best way to select a horse is to evaluate its individual conformation and its ability to
perform; however, a pedigree may also serve as a useful tool. A pedigree is used to
evaluate a horse based on its ancestry. Pedigrees are often used when animals are selected
at an early age, animals are considered as potential breeding stock, and animals are
comparable in individual merit. Pedigrees are useful tools when evaluating future
potential and they may also serve as a criterion for determining price or value.
Many purebred horses are selected and priced based on their pedigrees. When evaluating
a pedigree it is important to remember that a horse receives half of its genetic material
from its sire and the other half from its dam, so each parent is equally important. This
also means that a horse receives ¼ of its genetic material from each of its grandparents.
The information beyond the grandparents is less important, since a great-grandparent
contributes only 1/8 of the total genetic material inherited by the offspring.
Performance records can also be a useful tool when selecting a horse. However, the
usefulness relies on the degree of objectivity of performance criteria used for the
evaluation. Winning a race is an objective evaluation; whereas, winning a halter class is
subjective evaluation.
Age and Size
When determining what size and age of horse to select, the size and experience of the
person for whom the horse is chosen should be considered as well. For example, a youth
would probably be better suited with an older and smaller horse that is easier to manage.
As a general rule, a horse should not be expected to carry more than 20 percent of its own
body weight.
Price
For many, price is the main consideration when selecting a horse. It is a good idea to
have in mind a price range that is realistic before starting to look for a horse. Prices on
“average” horses fluctuate during different seasons. However, the outstanding horses are
always in demand and do not seem to fluctuate in price during different seasons to the
extent of “average” horses. The time of year to find the greatest selection of horses for
sale is in the fall or early winter.
This is because of the cost of feed required to properly maintain a horse during the
winter, and to the subsiding of the “horse fever” that frequently occurs during the
summer. Often, a person can find a satisfactory horse at a reasonable price, if fads and
biases are not present and if one is willing to be patient and “shop around.”
Conformation
Conformation refers to the physical shape and balance of the component parts of a horse.
Conformation is related to the horse’s ability to perform. For example, conformation
determines the ease, freedom, and direction of leg movement. There are four areas of
conformation to consider when evaluating a horse: balance, muscling, structural
correctness, and quality. In order to discuss the different areas of conformation, one must
be familiar with and evaluate the different external anatomical parts of the horse.
Balance refers to the proportionality of a horse. Proportionality of a horse means the
extent to which a horse’s parts blend together smoothly. When evaluating balance, a
horse is divided into three parts or sections: neck, slope of shoulder, top line (back and
loin), and slope of hip; Shoulder, barrel, and hip area; and depth of heart girth and length
of leg measured from the point of the elbow to the ground. For each of these sections, the
areas should be of approximately equal proportion. In addition, a well-balanced horse
should have a deep heart girth, a short back compared to its underline, and a neck that
blends in high and smoothly to the shoulders. The back and loin should be short, the
underline should be long, and the coupling should be wide. The ideal neck on a horse
should be fairly long, blending smoothly into the shoulder. A well-balanced horse should
also have a head that is proportionate to its body and throat latch that is slender and free
of fat.
A horse’s muscling should be adequate in relation to its frame. This means that a horse’s
muscling should be proportionate to its size. For example, a small-framed horse would
not appear correct if it were over-abundantly muscled, nor would a large-framed horse
appear correct if it had too little muscling. Long, tapering, low-tying muscles are more
desirable than short, bunchy muscles. The best areas in which to evaluate muscling in a
horse are the chest, forearm, shoulder, loin, hip, stifle, and inner and outer gaskin regions.
Structural correctness refers to the skeletal system of the horse. In general, structural
correctness is evaluated best in the feet and leg set of the horse, but sometimes it may
also be evaluated by observing the slope and angle of the shoulder, hip, and croup.
Ideally, a horse should stand squarely with all four feet pointing straight forward. When
evaluating the feet and legs of a horse, the horse should be evaluated from the front, the
rear, and the side. When viewing the foreleg conformation from the front, the knee
should be set squarely in the leg with the cannon bone emerging from the center of the
knee. When viewed from the side, a straight line down the center of the shoulder should
pass down the front leg, through the center of the knee, down the center of the cannon
bone, and touch the ground at the heel of the foot. When hind leg conformation is viewed
from the side, a line dropped from the point of the buttock should touch the point of the
hock and follow the back of the cannon bone. The cannon should always be
perpendicular to the ground. When viewed from the rear, the hind limb should display a
straight line to the ground that bisects the hock and cannon and falls between the bulbs of
the heel.
Quality refers to the evaluation of the overall refinement, smoothness, and style of a
horse. Quality is expressed in the texture of the hide, hair, bones, and joints. Desirable
hair should reflect a fine, silky mane and tail; the hair coat should also be fine. Areas that
should be free of excess hair are the chin, throat, ears, and legs. A thin, smooth hide that
clearly defines the bones, joints, tendons, muscles, and blood vessels underneath
exemplifies a refined hide. Because visually measuring bone quality is difficult, the
refinement of bone is estimated by evaluating the shape of bones and joints of the lower
leg. Refinement is also expressed by the appearance of strong, flat, and cleanly, defined
tendons. The joints of a horse’s legs should be clean-cut, lean, well-defined, and free
from swellings or any other unnatural development. Further, if the cannons appear to be
swollen, meaty, or overly round, they are considered coarse.
Quality may also be expressed by the shape and size of the head. The head should be
proportional to the body; it should be triangular in shape, have a pleasing profile,
prominent eyes, and small ears. In contrast, a head that is large and rectangular with a
thick muzzle and large ears is considered to be coarse and undesirable.
Unsoundness and Blemishes
Unsoundness refers to any abnormality that affects serviceability or performance of the
horse. Blemishes are any abnormalities that do not affect serviceability, such as wire cuts,
rope burns, shoe boils, or capped hocks. It is always important that the prospective buyer
know the primary use of the horse. The usual objective of a soundness examination is to
ensure that the horse can perform the tasks required of it. For example, “pasture sound”
might apply to a brood mare that is capable of keeping up with a band of mares but is
unable to run in a race.
Movement
Movement refers to the various gaits that a horse is capable of demonstrating. A gait is a
particular natural or acquired way of moving, characterized by a distinctive rhythmic
movement of feet and legs. Horses are more versatile in their selection and uses of
different gaits than any other four-legged animal. Understanding gaits is important to the
selection of horses because recognizing the various gaits will help one to detect lameness
in a horse, train a performance horse, or cue a horse for a specific purpose. There are
several gaits that a horse may use while moving. Some gaits are natural while others are
“artificial” or “learned.” The natural gaits are the walk, trot, canter, and gallop or run.
The walk is a natural, slow, flat-footed, four-beat gait. Four-beat means that each foot
takes off from and strikes the ground at a separate interval.
The trot is a natural, rapid, two-beat, diagonal gait. The front foot and the opposite hind
foot take off and strike the ground at the same time.
The canter or lope is a slow, restrained, three-beat gait. Two legs striking the ground
independently make the first and third beats, and two legs striking the ground
simultaneously make the second beat. The legs that strike the ground independently
determine the lead (right or left) in which the horse is going.
The gallop or run is a fast, four-beat gait. The feet strike the ground separately; first one
hind foot, then the other hind foot, then the front foot on the same side as the first hind
foot, and then the other front foot, which determines the lead.