CONFIRMATION EVALUATION

The view of the hindlimbs from the rear

Also is judged by a line from the point of the buttocks, this time falling to bisect the leg from the center of the hock down through the hoof. Deviations noted are:

45- Front and rear bases do not match ( 5-10 ) [20,88,89]

Judge if the base is narrow or wide. Some breeds, as Quarter horses, tend to be wide, Tennessee Walkers and Saddlebred, narrow. No breed, pure or mixed blood, travels well if the front base — and the pointing of the toes — is different from the rear.

An extremely narrow hindquarters in relationship to the body will produce a steeply angled rump called, for the effect, Rafter Hips. The strain here is all on the stifle joint.

46- Hocks set outside/inside/vertical lines ( 5-10 ) [86]

As with the knees, a bowlegged condition is not overly serious when base is wide. The one to watch here is Cow Hocks, or reduced to the system as "Base narrow to the hocks, and base wide from there on down." This coupled with Sickle Hocks, or "Rear legs standing too far forward" is the worst possible conformation a horse can have.

Strangely enough, a very slight pointing of the hocks inward is considered desirable by riders demanding high performance stops and spins.