who choose to have a guided horseback experience. Dude ranches provide this opportunity for those who want the chance to experience horseback ranch work. Guided trail rides are available for many people who want to experience riding in a particular location, and are very common in vacation destination locations. Horse-oriented day camps are also popular for giving youth an equine experience. Novice riders who want to have a prolonged engagement with horses can sign up for riding lessons that provide a lesson horse for the student to use. Other Horse Employment Another section of the equine industry in the United States is the use of horses as tools for completing a specific job. Even though the notion of using horses for our main source of power and transportation is a thing of the past, horses are still used in police and military work, and for pulling wagons and carriages. Horses can be effective police officers. Especially in large cities, police officers ride horses to allow them a way to move through crowds. The height of a rider on a horse gives the officer a better vantage point for watching a situation, and the use of a horse provides the maneuverability of being on foot with the speed of having a motorized vehicle. Military cavalry units still exist, although most of their duties now are related to conducting ceremonies, rather than being used in battle. Some horses also go to work every day as carriage horses in major metropolitan areas or at resorts and agricultural farm tours across the country. Anatomy of an Equine The anatomy and physiology of horses and other equines is essentially the same. Equines come in all different sizes and are measured in four-inch increments called hands. The proper way to express a height in hands is the whole number of hands, followed by a decimal and any remaining inches. For example, if a horse was 50″ tall, it would be 12.2 hands tall. An equine is measured to the top of its withers. Conformation Conformation classes at horse shows are events in which horses are evaluated without a rider based on their structure in comparison to breed ideal anatomy. A horse’s conformation is the correctness of its bone structure, musculature, and body proportions in relation to each other. Before you can accurately evaluate horses, you must first be acquainted with the external parts of a horse, Figure 10-31. FFA Connection Are you interested in analyzing the proper conformation of horses? Do you want the opportunity to learn how to evaluate proper horsemanship? The Horse Evaluation CDE allows teams of FFA members to evaluate horses for conformation at halter and under saddle. Team members also complete a team activity related to the proper management and maintenance of animals in the equine industry. Horse Evaluation CDE 548 Principles of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.