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| Conformation and Gaits Shows - Reason and Sentiment Story by Bernard Le Courtois "Beauty" contests for all types of animals have existed since man started raising them, or almost. The horse is no exception to this rule, quite the contrary, because the contests known as "Conformation and Gaits" were only a short while ago (20 years) the only criteria for selection, at least as regards the saddle horse. Notably, the young 3 year old future stallions were judged du-ring a Conformation and Gaits Show, which was the only testing phase in the life of a breeding stallion before his get were judged ten years later ! Broodmares and 2 and 3 year old fillies are always chosen using the same criteria. Show jumpers who go to the 4 and 5 year old Championships must pass the scrutiny of the Conformation judges, as do the 6 year olds later on. The latest contest to appear on the scene has been that of the foal Championships. Foal shows have spread all over Europe. I have personally been a judge at foal shows not only in France but outside of France for over ten years. The comparison between the foal championships at Lanaken and at Saint-Lo were at the origin of my reflections about their reason for being, their usefulness and the consequences of these foal shows. I would like to share my thoughts with you. I believe that it is very interesting to judge more especially the foal shows, because we find contained therein the entire Horse World motivation : hope. Each one of us, when we breed a mare to a stallion we have chosen, is starting down the pathway of dreams and hope… the hope of breeding a champion. The first phase of this long path of contests which lasts several years is that of the foal championships. In France, the championship is located at Saint-Lo, but the most interesting one is at Lanaken, during the Young Horse World Championships, because you will find foals there which come from all over Europe. Although there are a majority of KWPN foals (Dutch) and Z foals (Zangersheide), you also see many foals from Belgium and from the German stud-books, as well as a few Selle Francais. This show allows you to see breeding from a European standpoint. In general, there are about 140 foals, (70 males and 70 females), judged each year by a franco-germanic jury. The foals are judged using a pattern of notes totalizing 60 points, where movement is predominant. See for yourself : conformation 10 points, walk 10 points, trot 10 points, canter 10 points, suppleness 10 points, cadence 10 points. Those foals in the top of the winners therefore have remarkable movement, which destines them to a sports career. I insist greatly on the quality of the canter as I believe it to be the fundamental gait of the sport horse, even if certain Hanoverian judges become carried away by a spectacular trot. In addition, I believe that you should insist that the females have a certain "feminine presence" representative of their sex, which is indispensable for their future career as broodmares. For the "traditional" French jury, certain of these champion fillies would appear to be somewhat light and excessively long-legged. This being said, these fillies correspond to the present-day requirements of the sport - for blood, movement, harmony and elegance : what the French judges erroneously call "too sporty-looking"… should perhaps be translated to mean "too good" ! The colts which have won the championship for the last few years are remarkable foals, virile, harmonious, with impressive gaits, always balanced in their transitions. Some people consider that the Conformation and Gaits contests are only a part of the "folklore" of breeding, and that there is no correlation between a horse's conformation and gaits, and its' aptitude as a sport horse. These are the same people who in France have substituted the BLUP for phenotypical selection. A SOCIAL AND ECONOMICAL ASPECT First of all, both the social and economic aspects of Conformation and Gaits shows are very important, as in the European countries, breeders want to compare and sell their foal crops, as they generally are not well equipped to raise and train them to show age. The foal market in Europe is therefore a very important activity which should be maintained and developed. Additionally, in breeding, selection is done for all breeds from the greater number of animals. It is by selecting, based upon certain "breed criteria", an important number of animals from their youngest age, that the elite of each generation is obtained. There is nothing new in this. The commercial strength of the big German stud-books (Holstein, Hanover, Oldenburg, Westphalian) and the Dutch (KWPN) is the result of their dedication to selection from the youngest age, via their conformation and gaits shows. It is thus that they have managed in the last 20 or 30 years to obtain such homogeneity in their breeding. They have understood that producing a beautiful, harmonious, supple horse with active movement is vital if they want to sell it. This type of horse, no matter what its' aptitude, will be easy to sell because it is above all adapted to the amateur clientele which is by far the most numerous. How otherwise to explain the enormous commercial success of the Trakheners, an esthetically superb breed whose sports results are far from attaining those of the Hanoverians or Holsteiners ? Nevertheless the Trakenher breeding associations are being established in more and more countries, even more so because they have chosen as their preferred sport that of dressage, which is the most popular discipline at the present time. To the contrary, in France's Conformation and Gaits shows, the authorities (the French National Stud) have always had a conception of selection which ignores the reason for being of the saddle bred between the 60s and 80s : commercialization. SETTING UP A STANDARD France has never established for the Selle Francais a standard with precise criteria. Is this due to the fact that the SF name was more a "label" than a breed ? Effectively, only a short while ago, you could cross an English thoroughbred with a French standardbred (two diametrically opposed breeds) and get a Selle Francais …even if that, only one time, gave us Jappeloup, an Olympic champion ! There is no doubt that this explains the lack of homogeneity of the Selle Francais. What is even worse, is that over the last 15 years selection using only the BLUP was implemented and the notion of expertise has disappeared in favor of a mathematical index. Today, a stallion with no matter which conformation, with flagrant morphological defects and a common pedigree will have the "right" to be licensed to breed, if he can boast a sufficient BSO or ISO. Which leads us to an exorbitant number (a world record - we try to find them where we can.) of more than 900 stallions presently licensed in France ! The licensing commission has become obsolete and the national stallion contest is fast disappearing because of the new rules concerning the national stallions at stud in France. By delaying licensing of stallions until the age of 5 at minimum (based upon the ISO), our authorities are increasing the gap between generations and thus diminishing the genetic gain, especially since our competitors are licensing their stallions at the age of 2 (to be able to breed at age 3). Why should selection by performances, which made so much progress in the 1980s when we were passing from the era of saddle horses to the sport horse era, have reached such an extreme ? The supporters of this extreme view argue that indexes are the only objective elements, whereas human judgment is always subjective. I will not go into detail about the overall accuracy of the BLUP, but would nevertheless like to point out that it is very "nationalistic" and only takes into account the horses of one given country, in this case France. It therefore only has a relative objectivity - if not downright subjective ! As to the judges' subjectivity, it is undeniable, just as is that of the horse buyer. If the appreciation of a horse were "objective", everyone would want to buy the same horse - why is it that in Conformation and Gaits shows, the judges arrive at a consensus ? It is because a certain type of animal either nearly or perfectly corresponds to the established criteria. But then, this requires that there be established criteria, i.e. that a standard has been defined. This is far from being the case in France. The lack of any standard has always been the norm. In the past, the judges, i.e. officials from the French National Stud, had arbitrary authority to impose their diktat on reverential breeders. Some of them were great horsemen, with a profound knowledge of horses who helped the breed to progress. Others, whose positions never made them competent, were to the contrary counter-productive and had a more negative role, sometimes counter-balanced, fortunately, by the talent of influential breeders or private stallion owners. Today, more and more of the officials in charge of the selection process have no competence in the subject matter and there-fore hide behind a nihilistic system which denounces and suppresses expertise. Since the beginning of the 1980s, when this policy was established, our "Tutor Administration" (as it calls itself) hasn't been aware of the shift in the wind, i.e. the utilization of the Selle français as a sport horse. It is for this reason that the establishment of private stud owners has developed so considerably in such a short lapse of time. As the public sector was no longer responding to market demand, the private sector, which until that time was in an embryonic phase, as of 1985 began to develop in order to fill in the gap left by the public sector. And it wasn't due to any lack of alerting them because as of 1977 (more than 20 years ago!) in my articles at L'Eperon, I abhorred "passive selection" and clamoured for stallion selection based upon the disciplines to which their get would be destined. Today, the private sector represents more than 60% of the stallions at stud (against 5% in the 1960s), but quality-wise their get represent 80% of the winners, notably at the Great Breeding Week at Fontainebleau. And it is, additionally, only at this horse show that the young horses have a Conformation and Gaits test which determines the attri-bution of the 4, 5 and 6 year old Championships, by adding both the sports results and their N.E.P. scores. Two basic elements which French officials appear to have ignored, are those of "the law of the marketplace" and the notion of "sport" horse. The Administration has always found it vulgar to speak of money, commerce or return on investment …with reason, as for them the public money appeared to be an inexhaustible well. The notion of return on investment has begun to appear in certain officials when it comes to amortizing their stallions. Logically, this should result in the retirement of two thirds of the national stallions initially and then long-term, the almost generalized suppression of their role as the public sector stud owners, just as has been done in racing (both thoroughbred and trotters). Thanks to the energy of the top breeders and stud owners, for the last fifteen years we have been evaluating our stallions by means of "training" shows (the SHF Classical Cycle) at the ages of 4, 5 and 6 ; then, by means of full horse shows from the age of 7 onwards. Those breeders who can lay claim to breeding sport horses, and not just saddle horses (probably some 25% of the 14,000 broodmares), choose stallions among those show stallions, or among those whose get are winning at shows. The selection by performance over the last fifteen years, how ever, remained at least partially linked to approval in the Conformation and Gaits inspection. This would appear to have been the good choice. If today we use only the BSO index and abandon the criteria of conformation and movement, where on earth are we going ? I am fully aware that Mr. Tavernier, in one of his formidable presentations in favor of the BLUP, said something along the lines of "if we have to produce show jumpers that resemble kangaroos, but that jump, we should do it" ! It is this paroxysm that I have always found extravagant. It totally rejects the above mentioned element of the law of the market-place. Phenomenal horses are the exception, very good horses are rare - yet a place must be found for the remaining 90% of horses bred. This is why I am strongly in favor of the establishment of a standard which values the qualities of both conformation and movement, which will help to produce a horse that is elegant, balanced, supple in his movements - and that corresponds to the demands of the marketplace. IN OTHER EUROPEAN COUNTRIES Many have critized the Dutch for producing horses that are too "blooded", too pretty, so-called "too pretty to be good", as the Normans say. Well, why don't these critics look closer at the ranking of the Dutch KWPN on the international scene and marketplace 20 years ago, and it's ranking today as leader both in dressage and show jumping ! This has been thanks to a very strict selection based upon Conformation and Gaits, while also introducing into their stud-book the best male and female elements coming from the other great European stud-books (Holsteiner, Selle Francais, Hanoverians, Trakhener, thoroughbred…). Everywhere you go in the world today, you will find a plethora of KWPN horses - including in the stables of our best French riders ! French officials (National Stud, SHF, DNSE, FEE, breeding associations) appear to have always hidden the main objective of any breeding - its commercialization. This objective is even more pertinent now, given that the economy is no longer that of the 60s-80s, and the market has become very competitive. Even those countries which were traditionally buyers (Switzerland, Italy, Great Britain) are becoming producers. Countries such as Germany and Holland have assimilated this and are now leaders both in performances and in commerce. For all of their breeding associations, KWPN, Holstein, Hanover, Trakhener - the notion of good results starts with commerce. Those responsible technically for these associations consider that they have a moral responsibility to find commercial outlets for their members' production. It is crucial for them, and thus they have closely linked their selection and their commercialization. It's nonsense to produce a horse that nobody will buy. It is thanks to this that they have evolved and progressed. In France, the authorities rarely undertook any commercial initiatives of any size. For example, the FENCES auc-tions are a private initiative and are the biggest commercial success in France for sport horses. This auction, open to the horses of all breeders, allows them to sell their 3 year olds at an average price of Frs. 150,000 - and for a few happy chosen ones, to achieve the "Top Price" of 3 million Francs (world record for a 3 year old) as was done in 2000.! Although the National Stud had a very necessary and effective role in the 1950s to 70s, in the development of equitation and saddle horse breeding, they did not maintain their goals. Thus, the private sector took up the slack. To try and show the spirit in which our foreign neighbours work, I took down the comments of a Hanoverian judge during one of the foal championships at Lanaken: "Conformation and movement are of capital importance… even in a specialized breeding programme, a harmonious conformation with supple and extended gaits are indispensable because a lovely show jumper which cooperates and moves well will spare his rider a lot of work. This horse, even if he is not a "crack" (even when born of a champion sire and dam) will always find his place in a marketplace saturated with saddle horses. In future, this type of horse will be the only saleable type". This philosophy, together with a true commercial strategy implemented by the Dutch and German breeders Associations, constitutes their strength. If we compare this pertinent opinion, which reflects the selection policies of the Germanic countries, with that of the opinions noted at the French foal championships at Saint-Lo, which is shared by most French judges, the vast chasm which separates the two is obvious. FOALS CHAMPIONSHIPS IN FRANCE At Saint-Lo, in 1998 the organi-zers had asked me to comment aloud while judging the group of colts, in order to guide a parallel jury composed of young agricultural students from a nearby school. During the afternoon, I tried to pass the message that these foals were destined to be sport horses. That we must therefore judge them in movement, as gaits are of the utmost importance - given that a sport horse is not made of wood, and both show jumping and dressage are not static, but dynamic disciplines. My leitmotiv was therefore movement, because it allows us to perceive any inherent imperfections which do not favor the future utilization of the horse in sport. Movement is, by definition, "the function by which the horse will actively insure the motion of his entire body". It is therefore by examining the three gaits (walk, trot and canter) that the judge will be able to ascertain the amplitude (i.e. the propulsion) or the rhythm and cadence (i.e. the suspension and elasticity) and the energy of the gaits. A foal which is naturally balanced, notably in the gait transitions, who changes leads easily, who has propulsion, i.e. who uses his hocks well underneath (in judges' language we say " he strides out") at all three gaits, which are scopey and supple, is a foal with a good build that corresponds well to his sports destination, if he does not otherwise have any vices or major conformation defects which might hinder this destination. The static foal (or "pretty picture") that corresponds to the traditional judges standards, but which has bad movement, i.e. which cannot utilize advantageously the supposed qualities attributed to it by the judges, is not a good foal. Judges must now revise their dogma which is nothing more than ideas learned by rote. In France we have generations of so-called "champions" in all categories of our Conformation and Gaits shows, which have bad movement and have remained totally anonymous "ad vitam aeternam"! Careful - contrary to what some judges preach to justify themselves, it is not simply a question of praising to the skies the horse who throw their forelegs out that the trot, which we can see in some of the shows North of the Rhine … if the trot should not be neglected - because it is the "working" gait - it is nevertheless the easiest gait to perfect under saddle, as many a dressage rider will tell you. On the other hand, both the walk and especially the canter must be examined with great attention. A foal with a good trot (ample and elastic) and with an efficient canter, will go much farther than a "trickster" with a flashy trot that has no propulsion and a mediocre canter. I have however, sometimes seen German judges have a tendency to become ecstatic over foals with a "spectacular" trot, but which were incapable of cantering correctly. In French judging, the grade allowed for the gaits is always proportionately too small. For example, in the grading sheet at the French foal championships, the gaits are not even broken down and even worse, only count for 10% of the overall grade; this is patently an aberration. The gaits should represent at least 50% of the overall grade, as is done in the French "Dressage" foal championships that I was honored to judge in 2000. Another characteristic of French juries is that of the "points of force". The points of force of a foal are the elements which determine his movement, i.e. the qualities of his build which will allow him to have good extension, good propulsion, good balance (neck, shoulder, forearm and withers, back, croup, hocks). Unfortunately, French judges have always confused "points of force" (i.e. for movement) and a coarse skeletal structure, i.e. foals which are heavy and common, much as they were in the past when they were much appreciated for their utilization as Army horses : a square horse, with a short back, wide canon bones and well muscled. Today this is counter-indicated, even nonsensical, when taking into account the evolution of the sport horse. Is a thoroughbred, or almost-thoroughbred horse then devoid of "points of force"? Would these qualities only belong to Cob horses? Decidedly, tradition doesn't have only positive aspects ! NO MAN IS A PROPHET IN HIS OWN COUNTRY While at the World Show Jumping Championship at Rome in 1998, I noted that no matter what the breed, the height or the size of the horses competing, they all had one thing in common at this level of competition : their length (scopey) and amplitude. When you chat with international riders, other than the talent of their horses, they will always comment about their movement, or their "galloping", a charming term that encompasses amplitude, suppleness, balance and 'hocks well beneath'. Personally, I have always looked for horses having blood, scope and movement. But "no man can be a prophet in his own country", especially when he is resident in Normandy where the dogma is more firmly anchored than elsewhere. Recently I read with interest an interview with the great champion Eric Navet who, along with his other talents, is also a thoughtful observer; he pointed out that "straight" hocks are no longer considered a defect in a show jumper. For years, I have heard embittered individuals criticize straight hocks, notably those of my venerable Almé and his many descendants. But wasn't Almé a remarkable sport horse, noted for his exceptional propulsion and wasn't his get spectacularly out of the ordinary? Judges acquire their experience through tradition and from the judges that taught them. Very few of them question their own expertise, and as stated by the veterinarian Professor Denoix : "judgment methods are empirical, abstract and allow free rein to all personal interpretations ("bad hocks"…) and pre-conceived ideas without any basis." French judges don't travel much. You never see them at any of the international equine breeding or sports events. Observation of the European sport horse has nevertheless allowed our judgment to evolve. It is very gratifying for any horseman to be able to compare his judgment criteria. Mentalities evolve very slowly. From the moment an idea is presented to our authorities and the moment where it begins to take shape, we must count at least 5 to 10 years! This is the lapse of time that was necessary to make the National Stud admit that their stallions should be tested in show jumping courses. For several years now, I have voiced the idea that a team (National Stud, Veterinarian School, INRA, breeders and riders…) should work together to elaborate a standard for the sport horse. Thanks to the WBFSH yearbook, we have a list of the best sport horses (CSO, dressage and eventing) in the world, as well as the best stallions. Couldn't we establish a system of anatomical calculations to finally learn if all of the good sport horses or their sires have specific structural criteria in common ? It appears to me to be both urgent and indispensable to determine the structural qualities to look for in a sport horse in a manner which is less empirical than the present one - a standard, quite simply, such as those which already exist for other animal species. Perhaps we could then have a more precise idea about a true correlation between "Conformation" and aptitude. Prof. Denoix has initiated a study based on the clinical and mechanical aspects. However, if we consider that the judgment of Conformation and Gaits shows is nothing more than a pretense for selection, a sort of county fair as some say, then let's just stop right here. The promoters of the BLUP have always denied the importance and interest of phenotypical selection - they have won, because for several years now the officials at the National Stud automatically approve any stallion based upon his BSO (BLUP) or CSO results, without any other type of inspection. It is about time that the "socio-professional" associations react because it is they who are at least partly to blame for this "laissez-faire", because of their lack of cohesion, in facing up to this highly deliquescent Administration. The Argentinian Championships Of Conformation and Gaits On the last week end in October 2000 I had the honour of being invited by the Asociacion Argentina Fomento Equino to be the sole judge at the Argentinian Championships "Fiesta del Caballo en accion" in Buenos Aires. Foals and horses from one year old to five separated into classes of age and race (Argentine saddle horse, French saddle horse, Holsteiner and Westphalian, Z ) were judged over two days with the nomination on the second day of the Supreme Champions. It is much more interesting and stimulating to judge alone rather than as a member of a jury, where one has to make concessions in order to satisfy some of the other judges, with whom one does not necessarily agree. With a jury there is a tendency to reduce things to the highest common factor. As sole judge one has to assume ones responsibilities and explain ones choices and preferences, without being able to hide behind the jury's group decision. It demands a greater effort of concentration but is much more satisfying intellectually. As a matter of principle I had asked not to be told a horse's origins before I had finished judging so that I could be as objective as possible even though this meant that some times I felt a little frustrated not knowing the pedigree of a horse I was looking at. The batch of horses I judged in Argentina was in general of very high quality, well groomed but not always well presented in hand. The females were particularly outstanding. The Female Yearling Champion in the class Argentine Saddle Horse, MAGNUS CIRCE Z (CALVIN Z x LACAPO) was awarded the special prize for " best paces". An excel-ent dark bay mare, a great looker, imposing, very athletic, lots of blood, good tissues, with an excellent top line. Even more imposing in action, with a big rhythmic trot. The male Supreme Champion is again an Argentinian Saddle Horse; he is a five year old stallion who was also presented under saddle. SANTA CECILIA ICARO (INSCHALLA II) is a grand-son of the French Anglo-Arab, INSCHALLA (ISRAEL x NITHARD) exported to Oldenbourg; his mother is an Argentinian mare whose origins are not recorded. A beautiful dark bay, imposing with a well grafted neck and a pretty expressive face, an excellent top line, his hocks could be a little lower but the articulations are in place. In action his hocks have a slight tendency to weave at the walk, his trot lacks a bit of amplitude, but is rhythmic, he has an excellent balanced canter. My female Supreme Champion was an Argentinian saddle horse, the four year old mare GAMA SOFIA ( SALIDO Z x LACAPO ), a result of grafting Oldenbourg and Holsteiner stallions on to Argentinian stock. A magnificent bay mare, well finished, imposing with a well-grafted neck, an impeccable top line, very well orientated, plenty of bone in her thigh and her hocks in place. A beautiful mover, with an energetic, elastic action. If I had had to choose an animal as "Best in the Show" she would undoubtedly have been my choice. In the days following the Championships I was invited by some breeders to visit their stud farms for competition horses near to the capital city. On estancias ranging from 200 to 700 hectares I found herds of twenty or over a hundred mares of different breeds : Argentine saddle horses with Anglo Norman or German origins , Thoroughbreds, French Selle Français or, the most recent arrivals, mares from Zangersheide. It was with enormous pleasure that I found again mares which had been born at Brullemail, and which I had sold to Zangerheide or at FENCES. The quality of the mares morphologically speaking seemed to me to be generally high; some of those from Europe had very distinguished blood lines. On the other hand each breeder wants to have his own stallions partly because with so many mares this is more economical and partly, no doubt, because of a personal sense of pride; this means that some of the stallions used are not always good enough to produce horses which can compete successfully on the international circuit. This was my second trip to Argentina. Last year I took part in a conference on the French race and competition horse. It is a country with many fascinating aspects where one feels that great things can be accomplished, particularly in the breeding of competition horses . |