ABSTRACT
A formula for the construction of the ideal horse has been the performance horsemen's goal for thousands of years. There is a relative relationship between construction and performance which bears a good working relationship to fairly simple mechanical principles. For horses in strength sports, such as pulling contests, roping, and the like, the type should be relatively massive; the frame heavier; the muscling bulky with intermediate fast twitch fibers and the fat covering moderate. Draft horses are usually better off with a wide foot than a narrow one. The cannon bone should be short for agility, but longer for staying power in a racehorse. A steep croup gives greater power and acceleration, particularly when it is accompanied the way by a gluteal hump over the top of the croup, perhaps best remembered in the phenomenal racehorse Secretariat. The athletic horse's head is fine in inverse proportion to the length of the neck.
