This refers the way your animal is put together and their shape. There are many difference schools of though as to what desirable and what is not. Personally, function always trumps aesthetically pleasing traits and no animal has 100% perfect conformation. But it is certainly important to know what traits your horse or dog has so you can best understand how it may affect the way they move/ function and better yet how you can help them maintain comfort and keep them strong.
In the picture is my dog Arthur. He has a conformation abnormality called pigeon chest which is highlighted for clarity. It’s an abnormal one at that too!! (Trust me to have a dog with an abnormal abnormality!!) It doesn’t affect him in any way functionally but I make sure to treat him regularly and work on chest massage to make sure he doesn’t become ‘tight in the muscles surrounding the chest and upper back.
If you have any queries regarding conformation or how you can help your animal work to it’s best ability then get in touch.