Henderson County Horse Committee to sponsor class on Conformation at Trinity Valley Community College

The Henderson County Horse Committee will be sponsoring The Influence of Conformation on Performance class Saturday, February 9, 2008, 9am-4pm at Trinity Valley Community College Athens Campus.

Whether you are selecting a horse for breeding, performance or trail riding, conformation should influence your decision. Topics will include conformational traits and their effects on various performance events in the horse, as well as, how lameness can develop due to conformation problems.

This will be a 1-day course to address the effects that conformation can have on the performance of horses. This will involve a detailed discussion on balance, structural correctness, quality, muscling, and breed and sex character. Additional topics to be addressed will include:

- correct vs. incorrect skeletal conformation

- predisposition to lameness

- body type and make-up that are suitable for various performance events

- body condition scoring and fat deposition

- body condition effects on reproductive performance in the mare

- factors affecting a horse's purchase price.

The instructor will be Dr. Clay Cavinder of Texas A&M University where he is an assistant professor of Equine Science and he serves as the coach of the Texas A&M University Horse Judging Team. Clay also judges professionally holding breed cards with the AQHA, APHA, PHBA, ApHC and NSBA. He has had the pleasure of judging throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia. In 2006, Clay served as a judge for the APHA World Show.

To enroll, contact Trinity Valley Community College Continuing Education Office at 903-675-6212. The class will cost $35.00. For more information on the class, contact Paula Sue, 903-489-0294, paulasue@swopes.org, or visit the Horse Committee web site at www.horsecommittee.org. The Henderson County Horse Committee is an outreach of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service. You can reach the Texas AgriLife Extension Service at 903-675-6130 or http://henderson-co.tamu.edu.