Horse assessments done for pre-purchase or selecting a breeding horse.

What Makes A Good Horse?

Often, it’s a combination of factors: Genetics (conformation and attitude, “heart”), good care, and training.


Whether judging or selecting a horse, buying a new horse, making breeding decisions, or determining your horse’s suitability for a certain sport or activity, we can help you. We can certainly help to point you in the right direction before you have to pay the money for a vet check.


‘A horse with good conformation has no obvious faults that detract from his general makeup. In addition, he usually has grace and “presence”, that indefinable something that catches the eye and pleasing overall appearance, couple with fluidity and grace, that help convince a horseman that he has found a winner.‘ (Horse Conformation Handbook)

 

A WELL-BUILT riding horse can run faster, farther and more nimbly than any other animal with a rider on its back. This athletic prowess springs from the form and function of the equine body. A horse with good conformation is more comfortable to ride and easier to train than a horse with poor conformation, because he can handle himself better and move in any direction with ease and flexibility.


We often ask horses to perform tasks that are more demanding than anything they would do naturally. We ask them to travel at high speeds while carrying a rider, often for distances far greater than they would run in the wild o elude a predator. We may ask a horse to jump higher over obstacles than he would ever jump in nature, or to spin and dodge after a cow or a polo ball.  Our expectations often put a horse’s body under much greater stress and strain than a free-roaming wild horse would ever encounter. (Horse Conformation Handbook)


To reduce the risks of physical injury, the horses we ride must have excellent conformation and fluid, efficient action – attributes that help, rather than hinder, job performance.

​​Do you know what to look for in a horse for your chosen discipline?

How do I know the horse will cope with the work?

Do you know how to research the history of the horse?

Do you understand brands and registrations? 

What breed are you looking for? 

Should you have a gelding or mare? 

​Do you know what to look for in a breeding mare?

Horse Assessments