BREED CLASS JUDGING CRITERIA
Breed Classes will be judged on anatomy, biomechanics, conformation, color, and model condition.
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Anatomy refers to the horse’s skeleton. For example, the judge will look to see if the model horse’s legs are all the same length. That is pretty much the same thing as asking whether the bones are all the same length, just as they would be on a real horse.
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Biomechanics refers to the musculature of the horse. For example, the judge will look at the neck and see if there is any indication of muscle sculpture and life-like placement. Even at rest, you can see a horse’s neck musculature, so ask yourself – does the horse I want to enter have the right swells and divots in the right places? If not, consider a different model for the class.
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Conformation refers to whether the breed assignment of the horse is consistent with the model’s build and color. Does your horse really look like an Arabian, or does it look like another breed? If it doesn’t look like an Arabian, choose a different model for the Arabian class.
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Color refers to whether the color or pattern is plausible in the breed selected, or plausible, period. For example, if your horse is supposed to be an Arabian, it should not be palomino, and if it is supposed to be a palomino, it should not have a black mane and tail or be bright orange, or any other color that does not exist in live horses.
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Breed Assignment Usually Doesn’t Win Classes. Anatomy and biomechanics play a huge role in breed classes. The model has to be a life-like horse before it can be a lifelike Arabian, so don’t discount those factors. Entrants often get the impression that if they just nail the breed assignment for a horse, they will win the class. That is incorrect.
