Licensed breeders are expected to strive to maintain the unique qualities of the breed. Conformation, disposition, and soundness are important to maintain quality within the breed. All licensed breeders must be diligent in watching for defects that are suspected of having a genetic link. These defects may be passed on to future offspring. Examples of these defects include parrot mouth, crypt orchid and clubfoot.

Body Confirmation
- A medium size head with well-defined jaw and throatlatch
- Wide set eyes with eyelashes that curl up
- Ears that are short to medium in length with curls inside(ear hair does not totally shed out in the summer)
- A medium length neck, deep at the base of the neck where it joins the base of the shoulder
- Noticeably short back, deep through the girth
- An appearance of a long under line and belly cut high in the flank
- Heavy boned legs and short cannon bone as compared to the forearm
- Medium withers and a flat croup with a shallow slope to the base of the tail.

Curly Characteristics

Body (Fine, soft hair)
- Ringlet (can be several inches long)
- Marcel Wave (deep soft wave in the body coat)
- Crushed Velvet (soft dense pile of curls in body coat)

Mane (Extra fine hair)
- Kinky -preferable
- Wavy
- Should shed all or partial in the summer
- Split mane (hangs on both sides of neck)

Tail
- Ringlets
- Wavy
- Should shed partial at the head of the tail in the summer
or some horses may shed tail completely

Fetlocks
- Curly - preferable
- Wavy
- Should shed in summer but still retain some long hairs

Hooves
- Almost perfectly round in shape
- Very hard and dense
- Proportioned to the size of the horse

Size and weight
- Average - 15 hands; there are some exceptions from 13.3 hands to 16 hands
- Average weight - 800 to 1000 pounds; some curlies may weigh up to 1200 pounds

Unique Characteristics
- Curly coat can be hypoallergenic(the horsehair is round instead of flat and testing has shown the hair to be closely related to mohair)
- Can completely shed the mane and/or tail in the summer, only to grow back in the fall with the winter coat
- Noticeably short, strong back, indicating five lumbar vertebrae
- Even-tempered disposition
- Quick pulse and respiration recovery
- Very dense bone in the legs

Due to the years of out crossing, Curly Horses will be seen with different conformation, size and weight. This influence will probably continue for the next five to ten generations of Curly-to-Curly breeding. However, these horses will be registered as long as they meet ABCR criteria.