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Horse Judging & Terminology

A Horse Judging
Basic Guide & Terminology

Horse judging consists of making a careful study of horses and measuring them up individually against the commonly accepted ideal of each breed.

As you attempt to start judging, make a mental picture of the ideal or perfect horse. You can do this by knowing and recalling the most desirable features, traits and characteristics of the perfect horses you have seen and picturing them all belonging to one horse. You may get your ideal images from viewing champions or from pictures provided by each horse breed association.

As you judge, you divide the horses into three sets: a top set, middle set, and a bottom set. You can make comparisons between the sets you have selected or formed. Now in a typical pinning or awarding of classes there usually are 6 horses/riders recognized. Therefore as you are judging, try to look at your class you are judging having 7 horses, the six you need or want to pin and the ideal perfect horse in your mind.

Be sure to keep enough distance to view the horses at the same. Try to give yourself about 25 feet or more, however depending on the class there may be times that require get up close inspections or to closely check your own observations.

You need to learn to study a class very carefully. Judging is or should really be done in a systematic approach keeping it orderly and never haphazard. Note the big things and make your placings accordingly, such as in a halter class: balance and type and correctness of structure.

Basic Terminology-

1. Balance:
the manner in which the forehand and the quarter match, the way in which all parts seem to fit together.

Examples of how to use this terminology correctly:
“has great balance”
“more correctly balanced”
“more nicely balanced”
“looking for balance”

2. Style:
the manner in which a horse presents itself, presence, head, neck, tail carriage, its way of going.

Examples of how to use this terminology correctly:
“has good style”
“more stylish”
“looking for more style”

3. Type:
refers to the set of characteristics of a breed or may refer to the representation of a Hunter type, Stock type.

Examples of how to use this terminology correctly:
“is typier”
“that filly’s type is more closely to the ideal”
“more modern type”

4. Quality:
muscle quality this implies: longer, smoother, less bunchiness.
bone quality implies cleaner, dense bone of correct size, flat knees, cleaner hocks, trimmer ankles.

Examples of how to use this terminology correctly:
“has more quality”
“is high quality”

5. Smoothness:
blending of one part into another.

Examples of how to use this terminology correctly:
“smoother at the hips or shoulder”
“more smoothness throughout”

6. Refinement:
freedom of coarseness, fineness or elegance.

Examples of how to use this terminology correctly:
“more refinement”
“a more refined filly”

7. Condition:
muscle tone, amount of fat, and shape it is in.

Examples of how to use this terminology correctly:
“nicer conditioned”
“trimmer condition”

8. Way of Going:
total way in which the horse moves forward.

Examples of how to use this terminology correctly:
“goes more easily”
“has more extension”
“has truer action or movement”
“more in keeping with the breed”

9. Action:
mechanics of motion, correctness of foot and leg movement.

Examples of how to use this terminology correctly:
“travels wider at the hocks”
“has more correct action”
“goes straighter in the front”

10. Soundness:
healthy valid movement. (not be confused with blemishes, scars or unsightly marks)

Examples of how to use this terminology correctly:
criticism should be specific of unsoundness-
“hind quarters are off”
“not a sound left shoulder or ankle”