How To Make Thoroughbred Ownership Work For You
Whether you are a member of a horse racing partnership or syndicate or you are buying a thoroughbred racehorse alone, you need to know many things before you buy the horse. You need to know far more than the initial costs, the monthly maintenance fees, and the partnership structure and policies. You must know what to look for in a horse.
Do you understand a horse’s conformation? By looking at your horse, would you be able to tell if it was acceptable for racing? The conformation is simply the shape of the horse?s body. The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association says that you should consider a horse?s balance, intelligence, bone structure, and their athletic prowess. The group puts great importance on these four categories:
1. Balance – Is the horse well-proportioned? Does the frame suit its muscle?
2. Bone structure can be assessed by judging whether the horse is sturdy or lightweight.
3. Intelligence can be determined by the control of the horse, its awareness of the surroundings, and its alertness.
4. The athleticism of the horse will make itself known by the physically fit appearance of the horse.
Here are a few conformation flaws to watch for:
* Back at the knee means that the horse has knee joints that sit too far back, adding stress and risk to the knees. The horse may suffer from torn tendons or ligaments or from chipped bones with this condition.
* Toeing in front feet appear to slope inward, causes stride problems.
* Toeing out is when the horses feet are sloping outward. This can be a serious problem that can cause falls and injuries. With this condition, the horse’s legs may hit each other when he runs.
* Pig eyes – horses eyes are small and set close together which can impair their field of vision.
* Sway back – long and weak in the back, causes problems properly saddling the horse and causes soreness.
Keep in mind that no horse is conformed perfectly. However, you must look for the best possible combination of the aforementioned attributes in order to get the best horse possible. For example:
* A horse with very little intelligence will be difficult to train and may not obey the jockey’s commands.
* A horse with bad physical fitness or with health issues will not be acceptable for racing and is not likely to win.
* Horses with too-dense bone structure have a greater risk of injury.
* A horse with bad proportion may achieve poor-speed and have poor balance.
Conformation simply put is a result of genetics. Look for the best and hope for the best, a well-bred sound horse you can invest in that will win.
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