The more lessons on cattle I give and the more horses I get to repair, I find the one major problem over and over. That is the ability to read a cow. Not just try to react. If you ever have the opportunity to work awhile on a big outside ranch. Grab on. Handling a cow in big country soon will get you figuring what a animal is going to do and where it is going. In that situation you quickly find out that misreading the cow could result in spending the day trying to gather her back up The same applies to your horse. Cow smart is not just a conversation piece. It is installing that knowledge to your horse rather than just teaching him to go left and right and stop...

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more conformation tips

Yes- there are many more conformation flaws that will easily defeat our quest for the winning performance horse. The upside down neck or the Ewe neck as it is often referred to is a real destroyer. The working arch in the neck should be on top but with this creature it is on the bottom side. Try taking this and turning it upside down so that you have a horse that can frame-go to the round-form- collect/whatever term you want to use----- it still boils down to being almost impossible for this deformity to perform. Some trainers use a brainchain on this critter, in hopes of changing the form but I have seldom seen much good results come from this.

Conformation, conformation continued

More conformation obstacles---The forehand is critical--in the natural form the forehand does all the work--the horse pulls with it and 80 percent of the weight is carried there-----heavy shoulder--just adds that much more stress to a front end and makes it very difficult for the horse to carry or move it---wide front legs--the horse needs to be able to step across the opposite leg to turn around and wide front legs almost prohibit that---low withers----lower than the hindquarter makes it almost impossible for this horse to ever achieve a correct stop. Look at these features before putting time and money into your colts to be stop and turn...

Conformation,conformation..

FEB.1,  2012       Many of you are disappointed in the results you get from training your colts to be performance horses. Absolute correct conformation is mandatory to get a competitive horse. Any flaws in conformation will usuallly result in unsoundness or a horse not capable of doing what you are asking. The set of the hind leg is the first critical and most common flaw---To determine the correct set --take a s...tring 4 feet long and put a little weight on one end. Stand your horse square and then place the string line on the point of the buttock and let it fall to the ground. The back of the hock and hind leg should be exactly straight up and down with the line touching the back all the way to the ground. Any deviation from this is a deformity and will cause lots of grief for you and your horse in training and showing.