ABSTRACT
Conformation is the physical appearance of the horse related to the make-up of muscle, bone, and other body tissue. Almost every horseman has attended a lecture on conformation where function is related to form, lines are drawn, and correctness is emphasized. Horsemen tend to talk about long heads, short backs, long backs, short hips, low knees, and high hocks. Tall horses have long legs and short horses have short legs. A horse with a long sloping shoulder will have a neck that is considerably longer on top than on the bottom. All muscles are of the same proportion of total muscle mass in one horse as in another. This simply means that a horse with a large forearm will have a large gaskin and wide stifle in comparison to another horse of the same age with a smaller forearm. The neck is one of the most talked-about anatomical points on the horse.
