Performance Horse Mares

Evaluate and place these performance horse mares. Then see how your choices compare to our expert judge's.

- Karen Banister

Karen Banister owns and operates White Harvest Farms, a boarding and training facility in Brighton, Colorado. As a trainer, she has produced world-champion horses and riders on AQHA, APHA, and USEF show circuits. As a judge, she holds AQHA, APHA, ApHC, and NSBA cards, and has judged championship shows in the United States and internationally.

I'M JUDGING THESE THREE MARES based on how I feel they'd succeed as performance horses. Many qualities are required of performance horses, including a good mind, but good conformation and adequate muscling will make any performance horse's job easier on mind and body, and help preserve soundness.

I'm first looking for overall balance, from front to back and top to bottom. A well-balanced horse will have front and hind ends that match in good angles, substance, and muscling, as well as good depth to the body. I want to see a topline that's shorter in relation to the underline, well-sloped shoulders and hips, and clean legs with structural correctness.

Even though a horse's head doesn't determine success in performance, I do want to see refinement and femininity in mares. As potential breeding animals, they should be good representatives of their breed and type. 

Mare A