If you're shopping for a performance prospect (or any horse), up your odds for success by choosing one that's balanced. What do I mean by that? I mean all his parts and pieces fit together like a jigsaw puzzle, resulting in an overall picture that exudes athleticism. It's simple: Balance and athleticism go hand-in-hand.
After all, regardless of what you do with your horse, be it trail riding, reining, or riding the rail, athleticism will make his job easier for him... and thus for you. When his job is easy, he's less likely to resent it, and more likely to stay sound.
So how do you spot balance? I'll show you here. I'm going to present three different horses, each showing varying degrees of balance. I'll explain what I look for from a conformation standpoint, then I'll show each at the lope. I call that the "money gait"--it tells you right away about a horse's balance and athleticism (or lack therein). Ready? Let's roll.
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- Photos by Cappy Jackson
Horse #1
1A. This young stallion has the "X factor," the kind of look that makes you go "Wow!" No small part of that is due to his exceptional balance; this horse looks like an athlete. If you were to divide his body into three parts (head and neck, shoulder
to flank, and from the flank back), they all fit and blend together beautifully.
His gorgeous head flows into a long, well-shaped neck that ties high into his chest with clear definition. Despite the fact he's lifted his head in response to our "ears up!" request for this photo, you can see how level his neck comes out of his withers. That'll make it easy for him to have the flat-necked topline that makes balance natural when he's moving, too. (My rule of thumb? Low neck equals high back,which means that collection,which requires raising and rounding the back, will be easy for him.)
He has a short, strong back that ties smoothly into a strong loin and a strong, long hip. Adding to the picture of balance is the fact his shoulder and hip match in length and proper angle, giving him the drive (from his hind end) and reach (from his front end)
necessary for the kind of flat-kneed, sweepy movement and athleticism that wins.
His hocks are low to the ground and directly beneath the point of his hip, rather than positioned out behind him. (Drop an imaginary line from his point of hip, down his hock and cannon bone--it's perfectly straight and correct.) When a horse's hind legs are built like this, it translates into power: It's easy for him to reach beneath his body and propel himself forward, or to sit down over his hind end for stops and turns. A horse whose hocks are camped out behind him has trouble reaching beneath his body, making everything harder for him than for a horse like this.
1B. Balance in action! If you thought this horse looked athletic standing still, just look at him here. Talk about athleticism! His off (left) legs are suspended in the air and nearly touching, and his right front leg is reaching out in response to the thrust from his powerful hind end. He's floating across the ground.
You can see how easy collection (look how round and elevated his back is) and athletic maneuvers will be for this horse. He could instantly sit down over his hind end for a pluspoint stop or rollback. And when a horse is this balanced and can reach beneath his body with his hind legs like this, lead changes are easy for him. This, my friends, is why I'm all about balance.
Horse #2
2A. Compare this roan mare to Horse #1. No contest. To me, she's "just a horse," meaning she's average in her build. Her neck ties into her withers fairly level, but is shorter and lacks the shape of the young stallion's. She has a nice shoulder and wither, but a long-ish back, which, coupled with her short neck, makes her less balanced than Horse #1. (It'll also make collection harder for her.)
Her hip has good length, but look at her hocks; they trail out behind her a bit. (They poke out behind that imaginary straight line dropping down from her point of hip.) That will make it harder for her to reach beneath her body with her hind legs, for maximum power, collection and athleticism.
