Equine Therassage

Equine Sports Massage Therapy

 

Becky Bailey - ITEC Dip Equine, ITEC Dip Human, MESMA, MCThA

 

Areas covered include—Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, West Midlands

 

Telephone: 07739 018476                email

Conformation — How it can affect your horses performance

Conformation is essentially the way the horse is put together.   It differs from breed to breed and this is part of the physiology that differentiates the breeds.  

Each breed has a standard conformation that is considered to be the ‘ideal’ and what breeders aspire to achieve when pairing stallions with mares.  However, just because a horse’s conformation does not match the ideal for his breed, this does not mean he can’t excel in an equine discipline. i.e., a horse bred specifically for dressage with a straight shoulder rather than the desired sloping shoulder, may struggle to perform extended paces well, but could well make a fine showjumper.

 

There are numerous aspects of the horse that comprise the assessment of the individual horses conformation:

Shape of the Head                                               Hoof/pastern angle

Shape/length of the Neck                                   Medio-lateral balance of hoof

Position of neck (set high/low)                            Long/short in the back

Angle of Scapula (shoulder)                                 Sickle/cow hocks

Back/forward at the knee                                   Angle of quarters from Tuber Sacral

Base wide/narrow                                                 Angle of Pelvic Limb (hind limb)

Toe in/out                                                             Position of tail

Size/shape of feet                                               Depth of Girth

Length/width of 3rd metacarpal/metatarsal (cannon bone)     

 

When an ESM therapist assesses a horse for the first time, conformation will be considered, as poor conformation can predispose the horse to injury and/or contribute to their performance in certain disciplines. 

Likewise, certain conformational traits will affect a horses ability in certain disciplines, i.e. as referred to previously, a horse with an upright shoulder will have a limited stride length, that no matter how much training is undertaken, will not be increased.  Massage will not help lengthen a stride length either, but will work with the muscles to allow the horse to perform the longest stride length his conformation will allow.