Breeding For Conformation

To breeding excellent miniature
horses you need to start with the
best, avoid inbreeding, and know what
the best confirmation in a miniature
horse should look like, and weed out
poor foals.

Below is a detailed view of the ideal
miniature horse with descriptions and
images that will help you learn how to
spot the best qualities needed in
your mares and stallions.

A miniature horse should have the same correct, well-balanced conformation seen
in larger breeds. Mares should be refined and feminine; stallions should be bold
and masculine. They can be the draft, moderate or Arabian types.

Draft Type                          Moderate Type                               Arabian Type






Balance:
Miniature horses should be well-proportioned, with the head in
proportion to the neck and body.

Head: The forehead should be broad with large, prominent, widely-spaced eyes.
The ears should be medium sized and pointed.

Neck: The throat latch should be well defined and the neck flexible and lengthy.

Body: The body should be smooth and well-muscled, the back should be short
and the barrel should be trim. Miniatures should have long, well-muscled hips, and
the highest point of the croup should be even with the withers. The tail should
smoothly round off the rump.

Legs: Legs should be straight and parallel, the hooves should be round and
compact, and the gaits should be fluid.

The ideal front leg is aligned from the shoulder through the knee to the
pastern and hoof. See illustrations at right:

                                                                                        Ideal Front Leg

Typical Faults of the front leg include:
• Calf-Kneed ………….. back at the knee
• Buck –Kneed ………… over at the knee
• Knock-Kneed…………..knees bend in
• Bow-kneed or bandy legged ………..knees bend out
• Bench-kneed……………………..offset knee, cannon
              bone not centered











Feet and Pasterns: The conformation of a horse’s pastern and feet is essential as
horses have relatively little foot in comparison to the size of their body. In ideal
conformation, the pastern and hoof have the same slope, and the hoof lines up
correctly with the other joints in the leg.

Conformation faults of the foot include:
A. Ideal
B. Splay footed (toed-out)……………….toes point outward
C.  Pigeon toed (toed-in)……………………toes point inward













Rear legs
The conformation of the hind legs determines the horse’s ability to propel
themselves forward and do athletic maneuvers like jumping. The ideal
conformation shows a straight line from the point of the buttock to the hock to the
rear pastern, with the hock having an adequate angle. The horses feet are set
directly under his hind-end, not camped out behind or set inside. When viewed
from behind there is a straight line through the thighs, the hocks, the cannons, the
pasterns, and the hooves.

Common faults in the rear legs include:
Bandy-legged :when viewed from behind the hocks are set wider than ideal,
may cause pigeon toes

Bow-legged…………………………………… when viewed from behind the hocks are set
narrow, causing the horse to toe out.

Sickle-hocked…………………….. when viewed from the side the hocks and cannon
have excessive curve and the feet are set under.

Camped-out………………………………… when viewed from the side the hocks have
limited flexion and the feet are set -out behind the horse

Camped-out………………………………… when viewed from the side the hocks have
limited flexion and the feet are set -out behind the horse
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