The objective of in-hand showing of
sport horses is to evaluate the quality of
conformation and movement of
individual horses. The underlying
thought is, that these properties reflect
the suitability of the horse as a future
sport horse, or as a breeding animal to
produce the next generation of sport
horses.
When horses are taken to competitions,
the performance we are looking at is
really the performance of the
combination. For NZ horse breeders, the objective is to provide a horse that
performs well in competitions, and we want to be in a position to know
which horse is going to be good, and which horse isn't. And we want to
know that as early as possible. The KWPN (Dutch Sport Horse Studbook) has
done intensive studies to find out the relationship between exterior and
movement characteristics early in life, and performance later in
life. Given that the New Zealand sport horse uses European bloodlines
implies that the same relationships will exist for NZ horses.
Figure 1. Presentation of a mare at a KWPN
‘keuring’, an in-hand show.
As in any performance-oriented sport,
the result is always limited one way or
the other. A chain is only as strong as
it’s weakest link so to speak, and many
different factors can place constraints
on the performance.
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The horse may be limited by its
physiology (form and function).
For example, there is a maximum
to the energy-burst that the
body can produce, required to
clear a jump, or the build of the
joints may limit the folding of
the front legs in the jump. The
horse may be afraid to jump
above a certain height, so it has
a mental limitation. Similarly, a
dressage horse may have
restrictions in its nervous system
making it unable to pick up the
rhythm required to do piaffe, or
its skeleton may not be
physically capable of showing an
elevated and elastic trot.
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It could also be that the rider
ability constrains the
performance of the combination.
The rider may not ‘connect’ to
the horse, or might not be fit
enough to be able to follow the
horse’s movements, or may be
afraid when jumping and thus
interfere with the horse.
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Nutrition can also affect the
horses performance by an
unbalanced diet, inadequate
mineral or vitamin supply thus
affecting the condition of the
horse.
All in all, there is always a reason why
the level of performance wasn’t higher
than that was achieved.
The ultimate objective of a breeder is to
breed a horse that in no way restricts
the performance of the combination. In
other words, a horse that will only
perform better as you add to its
training. If a horse reaches its maximum
performance level then further training
will not significantly improve the
performance and this will ultimately
frustrate both rider and horse.
Figure 2. The KWPN jury at work
The purpose of breeding classes is to
show what the individual horse is
capable of in terms of movement, as
well as establishing the functionality of
the conformation. These properties can
also be seen as a predictor of future
performance. The KWPN (the Royal
Dutch Warmblood Studbook) has done
extensive studies to identify predictors
of future performance at an early stage
from traits that can be accurately
measured on young horses. The
judgment of movement and
conformation are part of the overall
horse evaluation scheme for KWPN.
Most studbooks have a well defined
breeding objective, with aims to breed a
horse that is able to perform at the
highest possible level in the chosen
discipline, and which has a functional
conformation to support that goal.
Figure 3. Presentation of a KWPN foal.
In-hand showing in breeding classes
gives an objective estimation of the
traits that contribute to performance
abilities. In general, a horse that has
desired conformational characteristics
will achieve better results than those
who don’t meet these criteria. Similarly,
movement can also be a predictor of
future performance. A horse with flat,
choppy movement is less likely to be a
future dressage star than one that
shows elevation and elasticity.
The judge has a checklist of important
traits that he/she evaluates each
individual animal on. Each trait has a
weighting factor, and depending on the
importance of it, a value is assigned for
it. For example, in Horse of the Year
(2008), a weight of 40% was put on
conformational traits and a weight of
60% was assigned to movement traits.
That indicates that the committee had
considered movement of higher
importance than conformation.
Movement is an aggregation of traits
like: elevation, length of pace in walk,
trot, and canter, posture, and balance in
the gaits. Conformation is made up
from traits like: slope of croup, strength
of back, strength of loins, hoof shape,
posture of legs, slope of shoulder and
others. Together, these traits represent
the suitability of the horse to perform
in its discipline, and the weight of the
different sub-traits should be different
for different disciplines. For example, in
a dressage-horse the elevation is very
important, whereas for a show jumper,
the ability to collect and extend quickly
in the canter is critical.
Figure 4. Presentation of progeny from
Appleton DHU at Horse of the Year, 2010,
Hastings.
The task for the judge is to score for all
these traits in a very short period of
time, and given the number of horses
presented and the limited available
time, not a trivial task. However, a
trained eye becomes accustomed to very
quickly judging these.
Obviously, it is very important that the
horse shows its maximum capabilities
when presented to the judges. If the
horse being shown cannot demonstrate
what it is capable of in terms of
movement, the judge is unable to see
the full potential of the horse, which is
the goal of the whole exercise. The
judge will then have to assume that the
horse is not capable of performing
better than it has shown. To minimise
the chance of this it is very common for
there to be two handlers in the ring
whilst showing the horse: one to hold/
lead the animal, and one to chase it up
(by waving a whip or using a box that
makes a rattling noise). This ensures the
horse will show his maximum extension
in the trot and presentation to the
judge.
Another factor that can affect the
performance of a horse in the show ring
is the condition and/ or the clothing of
the runner. If the runner limits the
movement of the horse because he/ she
cannot keep pace with it in the trot out
then the expression of the animal is
limited. Therefore, it is common to have
multiple runners for one horse- when
one needs a break, the horse is handed
over to the next; the ultimate goal
being to show the maximum potential
of the horse and not limit the horse in
its expression of its capabilities in
movement.
Figure 5. The resulting ribbons for two progeny
of Appleton DHU
In conclusion we can say that in order
to enable a judge to make a balanced
evaluation of a horse, the horse should
be in now way limited to demonstrate
its abilities.