Category Archives: Online Assessments

It is nice to be appreciated.

Today I received two compliments – one via email and one as a comment on this site and both were unsolicited. I was also informed that another individual recommended one of my books to a noted trainer.

1 – I have learned a great deal from you and your books, and I am no longer navigating the stormy waters of horse purchasing without an excellent compass! Thank you so much for your practical physics and math based approach to functional conformation. Knowledge is power!

2 – I learned from the clinic I took with you that like all living things we are all built with certain strengths and weaknesses. All one has to do is look at the worlds better long distance runners. They are lean and have very long legs, (thighs). It is not usual to see the short dumpy people in these events. Nor is it usual to see those in the racing world doing well in weight lifting. I look forward to taking another clinic with you.

Thank you very much for taking the time to write to me regarding your views. And thank you for recommending my work to others.

A Blip or Two

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Sorry to have been so long between posts on this site, but I had to deal with some health irregularities. Happily, they have been remedied and I am now working my way back to the norm…ok…my norm, whatever that is.

In the interim, I’m glad to report that book sales have been moving along with sales to clients in Germany, South Africa, Australia, Ireland, Canada and the United States in the last few months. And I also did some online evaluations – pre-purchase advice, breeding recommendations, etc. – for clients in a few different countries.

The Future

There’s talk of a clinic/seminar near Temecula in Riverside County in California in the coming months, so stay tuned for specific dates. The organizers are thinking sooner rather than later.

If interested in attending as an observer and/or as a participant, please express your interest by the end of February, and please include your discipline(s) of interest.
Contact Cynthia Godby: cgby1@msn.com

The agenda is not yet set, but there is a possibly of a mixed session (various breeds and disciplines) on Saturday and a dressage-specific session on Sunday. So far the audience is likely to include jousters, eventers, barrel racers, dressage riders and trainers.

Who knows? If this one is well received, perhaps we can do another in late October or early November when I am in the general area covering the Breeders’ Cup horse races at Santa Anita.

In the meantime, I will continue to give some thought to the next e-book. I’m leaning towards doing one on Athleticism, Soundness and Longevity that is not breed or discipline specific.

What say you?

Breeding Season Evaluations and Recommendations

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It starts to get busy in January and February when plans for breeding edge into our thoughts. And when breeding season is actually upon us, it gets even busier…at least for those of us in the northern hemisphere.

If you know you are going to breed your mare next year, or if you want to know what type of mares would best suit your stallion, why wait until the busy season to request evaluations and/or recommendations?

The same applies to figuring out what direction to send a youngster (discipline or keep/sell). Why wait?

In truth, if you order an evaluation and/or recommendation early, you will likely receive the report quicker than you would if you wait until everyone else places their orders.

Here are some of the online services I offer:

Breeding recommendations for a mare based on conformation
– You provide photos of the mare (and video, if available) and up to 3 stallion choices.
– You share your goals for the resulting foal.
– You get an evaluation of the mare and an explanation of the pluses and minuses of each stallion as they relate to your mare.
– You may also get a recommendation for a different stallion, where appropriate.
– You will be invoiced through PayPal ($300) and will usually receive the report within a week of payment.

Breeding recommendations for a stallion based on conformation
– You provide photos of the stallion (and video, if available).
– You share your goals for his breeding career or your breeding program.
– You get an evaluation of the stallion and recommendations regarding qualities to look for in mares for him.
– You may also get examples of suitable mares, where appropriate.
– You will be invoiced through PayPal ($300) and will usually receive the report within a week of payment.

Evaluation of a horse (mare, gelding, stallion) based on conformation
– You provide photos of the horse (and video, if available).
– You share your goals for the horse regarding performance.
– You get an evaluation of the horse and recommendations regarding discipline or distance and level of competition.
– You may also get helpful exercises or areas to guard, where appropriate.
– You will be invoiced through PayPal ($150) and will usually receive the report within a week of payment.

Evaluation of a young horse (filly or colt) based on conformation
– You provide photos (and video, if available) of the youngster (3 months and up).
– You share your goals for the youngster.
– You get an evaluation of the youngster and recommendations regarding discipline or distance and level of competition.
– You may also get helpful exercises or areas to guard, where appropriate.
– You will be invoiced through PayPal ($150) and will usually receive the report within a week of payment.

* Note: Turnaround times quoted above are for off-season work.

For tips on taking photos for analysis, see https://www.jwequine.com/assessment_photos/

Sample Report: Well To Do

How to take photos for a Conformation Analysis

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It’s that time of year again… when my brain tries to hibernate. Not really, but I am kicking myself for not writing this particular post earlier.

Breeding season and the approach of the outdoor riding season correlate with an increase in requests for functional conformation analyses, and, in the online versions, the client provides the photos (sometimes supplemented with video).

What is needed to assure the most accurate assessment possible? Here’s a bit of a guide.

Photos

– One photo of each side taken with the lens aimed at the middle of the underline of the torso and the horse’s legs closest to camera furthest apart. The horse should be standing on a level surface.

– One rear view and one front view – both with the horse standing square.

– Sufficient light so that muscle development and skeletal points are clearly visible. There should not be a light source behind the horse. This is particularly important on dark-coated horses.

An example of a suitable photo to submit for an online conformation analysis.

An example of an unsuitable photo for conformation analysis.

Here are a few examples that can be downloaded and printed for reference:

Photos suitable for Conformation Analysis – suitable.pdf
Photos unsuitable for Conformation Analysis – unsuitable.pdf

Videos

– Short clips of upward and downward transitions plus over fences, if that is part of the expected use.

– Free movement (flat and/or jumping) is often more informative than under saddle work.

Tips

Ceci (www.imagesbyceci.com), a photographer friend, had a few useful suggestions to share.

– Allow enough time so that you can be patient, and be prepared. Be ready to shoot (zoom set, etc.) if horse happens into the right stance.

– Turn off the camera’s flash for two reasons: risk of scaring the horse and flatness to the photo.

– The best times of day to shoot are early morning or late afternoon – not high noon.

– Kneel or crouch if need be and hold the camera steady by keeping your elbows to your side and one hand under the camera. No holding the camera at arm’s length.

I hope this helps you.

P.S. Sometimes I have to settle for less than ideal stances when taking photos of top competition horses rather than annoy the people who have been kind enough to let me take photos.