Principles of Conformation Analysis Volume III [Paperback]

Deb, M.D. Bennett (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Wooden Horse Books (December 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0961131438
• ISBN-13: 978-0961131432
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #792,750 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book on the "whats" and "whys" of conformation, March 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Principles of Conformation Analysis Volume III (Paperback)

Along with volume 1 and 2, Deb Bennett's books provide comprehensive, and easy to understand information about conformation and biomechanics using diagrams and picture comparisons. These are the best books I've read on the topic.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very detailed, well-illustrated, complete (in all 3 volumes), December 7, 2008

By 

New England Yankee (Northern New England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Principles of Conformation Analysis Volume III (Paperback)

I bought this series of 3 books after seeing Deb Bennett on TV, literally while I was sitting in the living room of the dorm at horseshoeing school!

The author is a vertebrate paleontologist and natural-history researcher at the Smithsonian, according to the back cover, and contributes regularly to a variety of equine publications. I know that she initially impressed me as extremely authoritative, and the contents of this series bears that out.

I'm not quite sure why the publisher opted to put this material into a 3-book series, as the total is under 300 pages. I can say that the slim individual volumes are easy to pack and bring along, however.

The contents of the 3 books are:

Volume 1 (major chapter headings)
- What kind of animal is a horse?
- Balance and bascule
- The ring of muscles
- The body mosaic
- How to look at a horse
- In order to form a more perfect union

Volume 2 covers
- How to look at a horse's back
- How to look at a horse's neck
- How to look at a horse's forequarter

Volume 3
- How to look at a horse's hindquarter
- How to look at a horse's head
- Extremeties and the center

These headings barely hint at the rich detail included, however. Every conformation point, sub-point, major anatomical structure, etc. is illustrated with drawings and black-and-white photos. Faults are illustrated as well as good conformation. Multiple examples are shown for most. The combination of basic anatomy, conformation comments and instruction, and horse-to-horse comparisons and analysis yields very thorough instruction. Read through this series and I can assure you that you will have a very solid foundation for your own conformation analyses. You'll never quite look at a horse the same way again!

Buy all 3 - there's no point in buying the individual volumes. The other two are here Principles Of Conformation Analysis Volume I (Volume 1) and here Principles of Conformation Analysis Volume II (Volume II).

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Conformation Book EVER, March 19, 2008

By 

Elaine Marsen (BC Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Principles of Conformation Analysis Volume III (Paperback)

This series of books (3) are excellent!! They explain conformation analysis in more detail than any book I have come across. They build from the ground up - explaining skeletal structure and muscle types and how they affect the horse's capabilities. This lady knows her stuff!! Definitely worth buying if you seriously want to learn about the physical abilities and limitations of individual horses.