Customer Reviews

Horse Confirmation: Structure, Soundness, and Performance

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book covers ALOT of stuff-Conformation(good & bad), bone stucture, muscle structure, Most conformational faults and even has a section on breeds, types and colors(the color section is lacking simply because it is all black and white). It also lacks in the description department. It leaves many pictures without enough explanation about why this conformational 'fault' is a bad thing or what a horse can still do well enough in spite of his less admired physical traits.(lets face it, there are plenty of horses out there that are less than perfect but they are sure keeping someon happy) Some of the pictures barely get descriptions. But there is plenty there to keep a person reading quite a while and this IS the first book I've read with so much on the subject. I would reccomend it as something to have on hand as a reference but keep on the lookout for another book that could help fill in the gaps. Maybe they will come out with a revised and updated edition. Overall this book is pretty handy.

If you are interested in getting a well described picture of the author's idea of good conformation, you will probably be dissatisfied with this book. As an example, on page 200 (paperback) figure 8-20, the explanation of a profile of the rear portion of a horse says, " If the croup and thigh are fairly long, the hindquarters have a triangular shape." Certainly drawing straight lines between three points (the point of the hip to the point of the buttock to the stifle) forms a triangle. In order to be of any value however, it is important that the type triangle formed be named (possibly an equilateral triangle?).

The point I would like to make is that the book seems to be thrown together from different sources in what, to me, seems a slipshod manner. Some areas are helpful, but overall, in my opinion, the lack of attention to detail by either the author or the editor, or both is problematic.

An example of a book on the subject, which I think was prepared to be truly useful, is "The Horse Conformation Handbook" by Heather Smith Thomas.

I purchased several of these books to use as gifts for my horsey friends. Each one loved it. It's loaded with useful information and is well written. I highly recommend it.

This is probably the best conformation book I have ever owned. It is detailed and has more information than I will ever need. The pictures are very informative and really help with understanding what is written.

the only think missing would be more info on how structure relates to performance, having a hard time finding a good book with lots of that info.

The book was new and i received it quickly. The price was far cheaper than the campus bookstore and it came to me. No lines!

I thought this book was great it has a ton of info.

This is a great book for the beginner or the expert horseman! Explains in detail not only a horse's conformation but also the skeletal, muscle and nerve structure. Even better there are TONS of awesome photos and drawings.
I am very happy with this book and would reccomend it to anyone interested in learning more about horses!