Downhill conformation ... or downhill posture?
A downhill conformation is an undesired trait, one that is very often exacerbated by a weak thoracic sling.
Some horses may appear downhill while they are still growing.
One of the undesired traits of equine conformation is a downhill build. This refers to the horse's withers being lower than his croup. If the horse's hind end is higher than his front end, this can lead to many issues, like front end injuries, trouble with collection, saddle fit issues and everything that comes with those types of problems. We see this type of conformation most often in the American Quarter Horse and similar breeds (although it does happen with other types too). But, is it always conformation?
A lot of things that we label as »conformation« faults, are actually postural issues. Why does the labelling matter? Because conformation refers to the horse's bone structure and thus can't be changed, while posture is acquired through soft tissue changes. Posture can be changed. For better or worse. So, how can posture make the horse appear downhill?
To understand this, we need to understand that the front legs don't attach to the axial skeleton via bones (like they do in humans), but solely through muscles (the thoracic sling). So, the position of the front legs relative to the withers (the spine) can change depending on the muscle tone and activity. If the thoracic sling is weak, the body will lower down to »hang« between the front legs. This will obviously lower the front end compared to the hind end. If, on the other hand, the thoracic sling is strong and active, the body will come up between the scapulae, making the front end appear higher. So, a »downhill build« can sometimes be a symptom of and inactive (or tight) thoracic sling.
We see this often in QH types of horses, because they are often rewarded for moving with their head way too close to the ground. Yes, a low head position is good, but only if the head is not so low as to prevent the activity of the thoracic sling. When the head is close to the ground, the horse »hangs« between the front legs, without being able to engage through the thoracic sling. If this is the way the horse moves most of the time, the thoracic sling will weaken and the horse will appear more downhill. This will overburden the front legs, cause tightness in the lumbar area and restrict the range of motion of the pelvis. In turn, the hind end muscles will not be working in balance, causing overdevelopment and tightness in the hamstrings and groin muscles.
How to fix it? By making sure the horse learns how to engage the thoracic sling and build a strong connection between the front legs and the axial skeleton. Even if the horse actually has a downhill build, this will help, because raising the front end will make the issue less pronounced.