THE REASON FOR JUDGING HORSES at halter is to preserve the ideal characteristics of the breed they represent. To do so, a judge finds the horse that is not only well mannered but has the best conformation of that breed standard. I rate conformation using an objective evaluation of four traits: balance, structural correctness, breed and sex characteristics, and degree of muscling.
Balance, the structural and aesthetic blending of body parts, is the most important of these traits and is most influenced
