Conformation and the Breeder's Report

[CarouselCowgirl]

Thanks Argent.

Is training necessary for LS if you are just wanting to try out the horse? Like, if it has 0% training, will the LS be a good indicator of how well they might do at 100%? I'd like to select for horses who excel in driving, but I'd rather not have to train them all!

[Argent II]

Training is a must.

[Ms. Trouble Maker]

BRs are reliable, just vague.

LS are absolute, general shows are relative. Training is a must. Level does not affect score.

what do you mean when you say LS are absolute???

[Argent II]

You go up levels in general shows based on beating other horses. You can get a crappy horse to level 10 in general shows as long as everyone else sucks more

[CarouselCowgirl]

Thanks Argent.

I'll probably only worry about training up the studs. Right now though I am mainly working with 1st generation Percherons and their conformations are all over the place... Gonna work on that first before attempting training and showing.

[KayaineII]

Has anyone ever done well at lvl 5+ in the LS?

[Argent II]

During testing, I think. But even then the highest level anyone won at was 6, and that was before conformation effects.

[KayaineII]

Ah, thanks. I was wondering why I could never do much better than lvl 4.

[Ms. Trouble Maker]

You go up levels in general shows based on beating other horses. You can get a crappy horse to level 10 in general shows as long as everyone else sucks more

ohhh ok! that's a funny way to put it!!! lol Sooo if I'm doing good at local shows at a level 5 then my horse is probably an alright one then? lol My one stallion Stud Man does alright in level 5 Western Trail....he get's 1st, sometimes he'll get 2nd place.

[Amber]

So, this led me to wonder... maybe the conformation does play a part, but there are other things that we cannot see that also affect the breeders report. It makes sense in my mind that a horse doesn't necessarily have to have the best conformation to be great at something...

Yes, conformation does have a strong effect. Yes, there's more to the story.

Am I on the right track with these thoughts? If so, what is the best way to select your breeding stock? Show scores?

Show scores are the most definitive performance selection test.


I'm going to watch this thread to see if anyone else has figured it all out. It's interesting to see other players starting to get curious about how things work.

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Hey there. I'm a little confused.... Argent, did Larissa tell you how conformation affects performance?
I have my own theories, but I don't want to prattle on about them if there's an official story!

Thanks, in advance.


ADDENDA: to include question from other thread about "0" conformation bonuses versus positive ones, as question #2. Thanks Argent!