BMSQT Horse Judging Basics Tools for Judging Horse

BMSQT Horse Judging Basics

Tools for Judging

Horse Colors

Horse Markings Face Markings Leg Markings

Parts of the Horse

B = Balance • The overall impression at first glance is a good indicator of balance. Does the horse make a pretty picture or does the neck look too short or the back too long. • See poster – does the horse divide evenly into thirds: head, neck and shoulder/back and barrel/loin, hind quarters • Or, see poster – can you draw even circles from the withers around the shoulder, arm and up the heart girth area/then another circle from the top of the croup, around the point of hip, down flank area, under bottom of stifle, up by point of the buttocks, back to top of croup

Balance, cont. • Does the head attach cleanly at the neck, is the neck long and come out of the shoulder correctly, does it all tie into the shoulder well (not too low) • The heart girth should be deep, with a prominent withers. The back and loin (topline) should be short and strong blending in to a correctly sloping croup. The heart girth and barrel (underline) should be longer than the topline

Visualize Balance Using Circles

Visualize Balance Using Thirds

M = Muscle • Muscle masses include: shoulder, arm, forearm, hip, stifle, gaskin • Muscles should be well defined in the Quarter horse (stock type). They will have thicker more defined muscling than a thoroughbred or saddle bred. Thoroughbreds, Saddlebreds and Arabians muscling is longer and may not be as defined • From the front view there should be an upside down “V” in the chest (pectoral) area. • From the rear view there should be an upside down “V” under the tail to show muscling

S = Structural Correctness • There should be a ~ 45 degree angle from the point of the withers to the point of the shoulder and the same angle for the pasterns. These angles act as shock absorbers for the horse and a steep angle in the shoulder and pasterns will cause a horse to be rough. • The distance from the point of the hip to the point of the buttock should be similar to the shoulder measurement (which is another indicator of balance). There should be some angle there as well so the horse can move his hind legs up under him. • Regarding legs, study charts in Publication ASC 118 they show the ideal stance from the front and rear and several deviations from the ideal

Diagram sources from Horse Industry Handbook

Structural Correctness – side view

Structural Correctness – croup and hip

Structural Correctness – rear legs side view

Structural Correctness – front view

Structural Correctness – front view travel

Structural Correctness – rear view

Q = Quality • Look at quality from the head to the tail. The head should be well shaped with an appropriate size alert ear (shorter for a stock horse or Arabian; longer for a Thoroughbred or Saddlebred type). The jaw should be well defined, and masculine looking for a gelding or stallion. A mare’s head should look like a mare, showing a feminine look. The bone should be appropriate to the breed. Stock horses will have shorter bones with more substance compared to a Thoroughbred, Saddlebred or Arabian • The hair coat should be shiny (even a long haired horse can be determined to have a healthy hair coat or a poor dull hair coat).

T = Travel • A horse’s travel will likely be predictable from the structure of their front and hind legs as shown in ASC 118. • It has been my experience that in a 4 horse judging class, less emphasis is placed on this because there is not always uniformity in the way handlers handle the horses or in the way the horses behave.

Judging Card

Optional note format for practicing

An Oral Reasons Format

Additional Resources • Breed Associations have posters, brochures, booklets you can order • Breed Associations may have judging videos you can purchase • UK Publication ASC 118 • Other Universities have resources for which you can search

• Prepared by Paula Hopkins Jerrell Ballard County Extension Agent for 4 -H Youth Development • District 7 4 -H Horse Contact •