FTFOTB likes QH's with lots of sprinting TB influence.

Conformation Analysis - by Deb Bennett, PhD


(C) Sprint racer.



"The Racehorse
While its true that many racehorses are ridden, weight-carrying is not the goal of racing. Sheer speed is. Thus, the nature of the task makes the conformation of the ideal racehorse quite different from the conformation of the ideal riding horse. This is particularly true concerning body balance. Although lightness is desirable in a riding horse, on the racetrack it is the kiss of death, because any racehorse that becomes light while running -- raises his forehand relative to his hindquarters -- will transfer support to the hind legs and slow down. Racehorses are therefore built downhill, and the shorter the distance over which the horse was bred to be raced, the more downhill his body balance is likely to be. When the structure of the racehorse is compared to that of the riding horse these similarities and differences are evident:"