Head:

• facial characteristics and desirable head profile varies from breed to breed
• a concave profile is called a dished face (i.e. Arabian)
• a convex profile is called a roman nose, and is faulted in most, but not all, breeds
• generally, a straight profile, (or sometimes a dished face) is preferred
• larger nostrils provide for intake of air at speed
• an overbite is called a parrot mouth (lower jaw short)
• an undershot jaw may be called a bulldog bite or monkey mouth (lower jaw long)
• the pronounced bulging forehead of the Arabian is called the jibbah
• eyes should be bright, widely spaced, and prominent, but not bulging (bovine eyes)
• eyes that are too small are called pig eyes
• the Exmoor pony is noted for "toad eyes," and the Appaloosa is noted for a visible white sclera
• Paints, Pintos, and some other breeds sometimes have blue eyes, called glass eyes, while most horses have brown
• the ears should be slender and alert
• ears that are too long are called mule ears
• the Arabian is noted for ears that meet, or appear to meet, at a point in the center

Neck:

• the length of the neck is said to have an affect on the horses stride
  • the shoulder actually has more influence on stride length; if you plan on disputing older textbooks in competition, bring a copy of Conformation and Performance by Nancy Loving, or one of the Pony Club books by Susan Harris
• the throatlatch should be clean and trim, and the neck long and slightly arched (degree varies by breed)
• a neck is considered too long when it exceeds the length of the body
• the ideal neck is one third the length of the entire horse
• a ewe neck is one concave from withers to poll, and interferes with flexibility
• a fallen crest occurs when fat deposits in the crest of the neck become so excessive as to fall to one side or the other; most common in ponies, draft breeds, and Morgans, especially stallions
• a bull neck is short and thick, with a short upper curve
• a knife neck is extremely thin, with poor muscle development on the top and bottom

Forehand:

• the shoulder should slope at a 45 degree angle from the withers to the point of the shoulder; a straight shoulder shortens the stride, causing a trappy, pounding gait
• the foreleg is attached to the body by the shoulder muscles, and there is no skeletal attachment
• 60 - 65 percent of the weight is carried on the forelegs
• the forearm should be twice as long as the cannon bone, and its length influences the length of the stride
• the knee should be flat, wide, and clean
• tendons should be well defined, and should not be "tied in" behind the knee, as this indicates weakness
• sprung forward at the knees is said to be buck kneed, or over at the knees
• sprung back at the knees is said to be calf kneed
• calf knees are a serious fault and predisposes a horse to lameness
• buck knees are a minor fault, and some racehorse trainers prefer a horse to stand slightly forward in the knees
• a horse having medial deviation at the knees is commonly called knock kneed
• in a bow legged horse, the knees are too far apart, or laterally deviated
• bench knees are knees in which the cannon bone is off center, and they predispose the horse to medial splints
• the pastern should slope at a 45 degree angle to the ground
• short, upright pasterns cause a rough gait, and can lead to osselets, navicular disease, and other problems
• excessively small feet predispose to navicular disease
• large, flat feet predispose to sole bruises, corns, and other foot problems
• toeing out is standing splay footed, and causes dishing, or winging in
• toeing in is standing pigeon toed, and causes paddling, or winging out

Top line:

• the withers should be prominent; thick, meaty withers are called mutton withers
• horses are measured at the withers
• the body should be deep, short, and have well sprung ribs
• depth through the heartgirth provides room for the heart and lungs
• the back should be short and strong
• lordosis, or sway back, is a weakness causing extreme concavity in the back, and is sometimes associated with age, especially in broodmares
• a convex bend in the back is called a roach back, and causes short stride and interferes with flexibility
• a long back can predispose a horse to spinal injury, and interferes with athletic ability
• the loin, or coupling, is the connection between the back and the hindquarters (space from last rib to hip) and should be short
• a horse weak in the coupling will also be shallow in the flanks, and is called wasp wasted, herring gutted, or hound gutted
• the croup should be level or slightly rounded, depending on the breed
• the tail setting also varies with breed, with a higher tail preferred in the Saddlebred, Arabian, and Morgan
• too much slope in the croup is termed a goose rump
• a smooth top line figures heavily in the judge's first impression during a conformation class

Underline:

• the underline should be smooth
• a horse that is tucked up below the flanks is said to be wasp wasted, herring gutted, or hound gutted, and usually is also weak in the coupling

Hind legs:

• the hock and stifle are dependent joints
• the hock is the hardest working joint in the body
• impulsion comes from the hind end
• hocks with excessive bend are called sickle hocks
• sickle hocks predispose to curb, or injury to the plantar ligament
• hocks which point towards one another are called cow hocks
• a horse which is too straight in the hock is said to be camped out

• chestnuts are natural horny growths on the insides of the legs
• chestnuts are found above the knees and below the hocks
• the shape of the chestnut may be used in identification
• the ergot is a chestnut like growth on the back of the fetlock joint
• the top of the head is called the poll, and is formed by the summit of the occipital crest (top of the skull)
• the six joints of the foreleg are the shoulder, elbow, knee, fetlock, pastern, and coffin joint
• the seven joints of the hind leg are the sacro-iliac, hip, stifle, hock, fetlock, pastern, and coffin
• conformation faults named after mammals include: bulldog bite, monkey mouth, pig eyes, mule ears, ewe neck, mutton withers, calf knees, buck knees, hound gut, and cow hocks
• conformation faults named after birds include: goose rumped, parrot mouthed, pigeon toed