dressagelove
Well-Known Member
Anything good or bad please
And cos this is a pretty one:
And cos this is a pretty one:
Conformation / condition crit on my boys?
- Thread starter dressagelove
- Start date
Spanish Eyes
Well-Known Member
What lovely photos of lovely boys. And your garden is immaculate!!!!
In terms of condition/conformation, I will leave that for others more experienced that me to comment on.
Thanks for sharing.
In terms of condition/conformation, I will leave that for others more experienced that me to comment on.
Thanks for sharing.
LollyDolly
Well-Known Member
Firstly, I have to say that I LOVE the backdrop!
Ok, so I will start on the dark bay.
Faults:
-His head seems a teeny bit too large for his neck, however this could be easily resolved by building up the muscles in his neck- no biggie
-The front pasterns look like they may be a little too sloped- they look a teeny bit weak however they don't look like they would ever cause him any problems and are certainly better than upright pasterns!
-He looks like he may have a slight case of shark fin withers (where the withers are very prominent and slopes back down into the neck.) however this could be the way he is stood so don't take it as gospel!
-He appears to have a slightly weak hip (now I am just nitpicking!), again this could be the angle of the photograph! Even if it is true it is nothing to worry about and is probably one of the most minor cases I have seen!
Good points:
-He has a lovely long sloping shoulder at an ideal angle- I bet he has lovely smooth and comfortable paces!
-He has an ideal length croup, not too short and not too long! So he doesn't have the 'goose rump' effect which quite a few horses are prone to!
-He is the perfect length, he doesn't look squashed together yet he also doesn't look like a train with his hindquarters 40 yards away!
-Hocks seem ideally placed.
Overall he is a well put together horse who 'matches' pretty much all over and looks handsome as well as strong and sturdy- congrats on your lovely boy!
Now the chestnut:
Faults:
-Definite case of shark fin withers, however this is a common TB trait and causes no physical problems to the horse.
-The front legs look a little bit too short for the body however I am putting this down to the camera angle!
-Not ideal shoulder as it is a teeny bit upright (wouldn't actually label it as 'upright' though- just me being picky!), not harmfully so and it won't cause any problems however usually as regards to shoulders; the slopier the better!
-Croup is a little short and there is a very slight 'goose rump' going on, my old competition horse and this and with lots of transitions and a bit of hill work you can never tell! Muscle hides most sins!
-Seems to be a little back at the knee (aka. calf kneed) however he appears to have good, strong legs so I highly doubt that it would cause any problems.
Good points:
-Overall seems sound and sturdy, not like the stereotypical TB! Doesn't look weak or spindly at all!
-Apart from being a teensy bit calf kneed he has good, clean legs!
-Hocks seem fine.
-Good neck to head ratio, also no signs of being ewe necked with is great!
-Also I can see that he has a prophets thumb print on his shoulder; this is always good in my books!
Overall he is a lovely horse (I am assuming he is a TB!) and is certainly something to show off!!
None of your horses appear to have any major conformation faults at all, well done!!
Ps. This is just my opinion, some people might not agree and I may have missed things out but I gave it my best shot!
Ok, so I will start on the dark bay.
Faults:
-His head seems a teeny bit too large for his neck, however this could be easily resolved by building up the muscles in his neck- no biggie
-The front pasterns look like they may be a little too sloped- they look a teeny bit weak however they don't look like they would ever cause him any problems and are certainly better than upright pasterns!
-He looks like he may have a slight case of shark fin withers (where the withers are very prominent and slopes back down into the neck.) however this could be the way he is stood so don't take it as gospel!
-He appears to have a slightly weak hip (now I am just nitpicking!), again this could be the angle of the photograph! Even if it is true it is nothing to worry about and is probably one of the most minor cases I have seen!
Good points:
-He has a lovely long sloping shoulder at an ideal angle- I bet he has lovely smooth and comfortable paces!
-He has an ideal length croup, not too short and not too long! So he doesn't have the 'goose rump' effect which quite a few horses are prone to!
-He is the perfect length, he doesn't look squashed together yet he also doesn't look like a train with his hindquarters 40 yards away!
-Hocks seem ideally placed.
Overall he is a well put together horse who 'matches' pretty much all over and looks handsome as well as strong and sturdy- congrats on your lovely boy!
Now the chestnut:
Faults:
-Definite case of shark fin withers, however this is a common TB trait and causes no physical problems to the horse.
-The front legs look a little bit too short for the body however I am putting this down to the camera angle!
-Not ideal shoulder as it is a teeny bit upright (wouldn't actually label it as 'upright' though- just me being picky!), not harmfully so and it won't cause any problems however usually as regards to shoulders; the slopier the better!
-Croup is a little short and there is a very slight 'goose rump' going on, my old competition horse and this and with lots of transitions and a bit of hill work you can never tell! Muscle hides most sins!
-Seems to be a little back at the knee (aka. calf kneed) however he appears to have good, strong legs so I highly doubt that it would cause any problems.
Good points:
-Overall seems sound and sturdy, not like the stereotypical TB! Doesn't look weak or spindly at all!
-Apart from being a teensy bit calf kneed he has good, clean legs!
-Hocks seem fine.
-Good neck to head ratio, also no signs of being ewe necked with is great!
-Also I can see that he has a prophets thumb print on his shoulder; this is always good in my books!
Overall he is a lovely horse (I am assuming he is a TB!) and is certainly something to show off!!
None of your horses appear to have any major conformation faults at all, well done!!
Ps. This is just my opinion, some people might not agree and I may have missed things out but I gave it my best shot!
HaffiesRock
Well-Known Member
Me next me next! What a great thread!
My mare is an ex broodmare (shes just turned 9 in May) and has had 4 foals. the latest one is now 15 months. I am just backing her now. How is she looking?
My mare is an ex broodmare (shes just turned 9 in May) and has had 4 foals. the latest one is now 15 months. I am just backing her now. How is she looking?
dressagelove
Well-Known Member
Bump anymore on my lads? and to help emmahaywood out too? x
anymore on my lads? and to help emmahaywood out too? x
LollyDolly
Well-Known Member
I hope my previous comments were useful!
Ok, now on to the Appaloosa then!
Faults:
-The ears appear to be rather long, in my books this isn't a conformational flaw (infact I think it's adorable!) however a judge/evaluator would probably make a note of it.
-Her neck seems a little too short for her head, however as I mentioned earlier this can easily be solved by adding a bit more muscle to the neck! My boy has a similar problem but so long as I keep his neck muscly it's hard to tell
-She doesn't have a lot of mane and tail growth however this is a common trait of Appaloosas!
-It might just be the picture but she looks like she may have a VERY slight roman nose, some people see this as a defect however I personally think that they can look lovely.
-She may also have slight shark fin withers but as with the dark bay previously it is hard to tell 100% because of the angle/mane being in the way. Even if she did it would only be very tiny ^-^
Good points:
-She has lovely legs, I cannot find anything particually wrong with them at all! She has short, well angled pasterns and her hocks are a textbook example of how they should be!
-She appears to have a lovely shoulder.
-Although her eyes may appear unusual to some, she does not have the typical 'pig eye' that some Appaloosas are prone to, although the area around the eye is mottled the eye itself is large!
Overall I think this is a very nice mare, some people (not including myself- I am a colour fanatic!) may not like Appaloosas however in my opinion she is a nice mare who seems sturdy and well built, none of her 'faults' would impact on her health/soundness wise which is great! Also, she is in good condition considering that she hasn't been ridden, if she looks like this now I can't wait to see what she will look like with some more muscle on her!
Congratulations on your lovely mare!
Ok, now on to the Appaloosa then!
Faults:
-The ears appear to be rather long, in my books this isn't a conformational flaw (infact I think it's adorable!) however a judge/evaluator would probably make a note of it.
-Her neck seems a little too short for her head, however as I mentioned earlier this can easily be solved by adding a bit more muscle to the neck! My boy has a similar problem but so long as I keep his neck muscly it's hard to tell
-She doesn't have a lot of mane and tail growth however this is a common trait of Appaloosas!
-It might just be the picture but she looks like she may have a VERY slight roman nose, some people see this as a defect however I personally think that they can look lovely.
-She may also have slight shark fin withers but as with the dark bay previously it is hard to tell 100% because of the angle/mane being in the way. Even if she did it would only be very tiny ^-^
Good points:
-She has lovely legs, I cannot find anything particually wrong with them at all! She has short, well angled pasterns and her hocks are a textbook example of how they should be!
-She appears to have a lovely shoulder.
-Although her eyes may appear unusual to some, she does not have the typical 'pig eye' that some Appaloosas are prone to, although the area around the eye is mottled the eye itself is large!
Overall I think this is a very nice mare, some people (not including myself- I am a colour fanatic!) may not like Appaloosas however in my opinion she is a nice mare who seems sturdy and well built, none of her 'faults' would impact on her health/soundness wise which is great! Also, she is in good condition considering that she hasn't been ridden, if she looks like this now I can't wait to see what she will look like with some more muscle on her!
Congratulations on your lovely mare!
abitodd
Well-Known Member
Dressagelove,you boys look in fine condition. The chestnut does not quite have the glow of the dark bay,either the sun went in in this photo or he does not work as much as the other.
I am hopeless at conformation(wow Lollydolly you have a keen eye for detail!) but I did think the necks on both horses could do with more development.The dark bay looks a little weak and short in this area(could be angle and mane causing deception though!) and the chestnut has muscle development in the under neck area rather than on top of the neck. These are easily remedied with long low stretches and bends. If you already do this either do more and deeper,or position your photographer level with the center of the horse(stood square.)
PS Feet look great!
I am hopeless at conformation(wow Lollydolly you have a keen eye for detail!) but I did think the necks on both horses could do with more development.The dark bay looks a little weak and short in this area(could be angle and mane causing deception though!) and the chestnut has muscle development in the under neck area rather than on top of the neck. These are easily remedied with long low stretches and bends. If you already do this either do more and deeper,or position your photographer level with the center of the horse(stood square.)
PS Feet look great!
abitodd
Well-Known Member
Before this is moved to 'pictures' here is a shot of my boy for you all to pick holes in. The tail was chewed off by his companion and the bloke in the picture is searching for ticks. Bloke is available if anyone is interested!
lurcherlu
Well-Known Member
Before this is moved to 'pictures' here is a shot of my boy for you all to pick holes in. The tail was chewed off by his companion and the bloke in the picture is searching for ticks. Bloke is available if anyone is interested!
So many faults:
he is far too sleepy
far too cute
not mine
his tail is so cute you should keep it like this
remedy to these faults:
Send him to me forever!
abitodd
Well-Known Member
The horse or the bloke?
lurcherlu
Well-Known Member
The horse.....much more reliable and can sell it legally with a sold as seen receipt if it really pi**es me off lol
Irishbabygirl
Well-Known Member
Bloke looks like he has a good bum!
OP - I would want a little more top line on the chestnut - nothing that can't be corrected with a little more correct schooling.
Both look a lovely weight for their types - what work are you doing with them?
OP - I would want a little more top line on the chestnut - nothing that can't be corrected with a little more correct schooling.
Both look a lovely weight for their types - what work are you doing with them?
dressagelove
Well-Known Member
Thanks everyone! All bang on really, so that's good.
Both out of work atm, have been for a few months for a variety of reasons (transitioning to barefoot, uni finals etc) but bringing them back in now, and improving topline is defo on the agenda. Think they have kept their muscle tone on fairly well so far though, and hoping it will come back quite quickly!
Thanks again for the comments
All bang on really, so that's good.Both out of work atm, have been for a few months for a variety of reasons (transitioning to barefoot, uni finals etc) but bringing them back in now, and improving topline is defo on the agenda. Think they have kept their muscle tone on fairly well so far though, and hoping it will come back quite quickly!
Thanks again for the comments