DESIRABLE AND UNDESIRABLE CHARACTERISTICS OF HORSE'S ANATOMY AND STRUCTURE

Anatomy and Structure	Desirable Characteristics	Undesirable Characteristics
Head	Size of head in proportion to size of body; good breed type & attractiveness	Long, narrow, Roman-nosed
Ears	Medium sized; erect, clean cut; set well apart	Flop eared; motionless; set too high or too low
Eyes	Big, full, prominent	Pig-eyed
Nostrils	Large with skin clear; mucous membranes rosy colored at rest and deep red with exercise	Small
Mouth	Teeth meet evenly	Parrot mouthed; monkey mouthed
Neck	Long & trim with trim throatlatch	Short, bulky and thick; ewe-necked
Withers	Prominent	Too-rounded; mutton withered
Back	Straight with proportionate length	Sagging or sway backed; convex or roached back
Loin	Short; heavily muscled	Weak muscling
Croup	Uniform width with hips & turned to allow rear legs to be in proper position	Too steep; too level
Chest	Proportionate width to house heart & lungs	Too narrow; too wide
Shoulder	Long and sloping	Short, straight & steep
Forearm	Long	Short
Knee	Wide, thick, deep and clean cut	Calf-kneed, buck-kneed, bench kneed
Hock	Lean, wide and deep in its proportion; well open as viewed from the side & properly directed as viewed from the rear	Cow-hocked; open in the hocks; rotating hocks; sickle-hocked
Cannon	Flat with substance; short in comparison to forearm	Round and lacking substance; long in comparison to forearm
Fetlock	Clean cut	Thick, coarse, round
Pastern	Springy; length in correlation with well-sloped shoulder	Too straight; coon footed
Feet	Large enough to support body; front usually larger then hind	Too small; too large

System of examination and characteristics of judging - Primary goal should be to find the animal in the class that conforms most closely to the ideal type. Look for general appearance, type, balance and muscling. Observe from a distance of 25-30 feet for first impression.

A. Viewing from side 1. Stature and scale 2. Length 3. Depth of heart girth and flanks 4. Carriage and shape of head and neck 5. Shortness of back and coupling 6. Levelness of top line 7. Length and straightness of underline 8. Height and shape of withers 9. Length and slope of shoulder 10. Position and conformation of knees 11. Turn of croup 12. Set of tail	D. Viewing horse while in motion 1. Length 2. Directness 3. Promptness 4. Height 5. Spring 6. Regularity 7. Straightness of movement of feet and legs
B. Viewing from front 1. Muscling 2. Temperament and disposition 3. Features of the head 4. Width and depth of chest 5. Position and conformation of forelegs and feet	C. Viewing from rear 1. Width and roundness of hips 2. Fullness of thigh and quarters 3. Position and conformation of hind legs
E. Viewing at close inspection 1. Unsoundness 2. Muscling 3. Quality of feet and legs 4. Withers