How much can you tell from photos?

Meowy Catkin

Meowy Catkin

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I was interested by the photographic evidence in the BER thread. I personally feel that photos alone do not tell the whole story.

Here are three photos of my mare. What can you tell from them about her care, what was going on, is she happy etc...?

I will explain the circumstances around each photo later. :)

Carriethirty.jpg


carriesixteen.jpg


Carriethirtyone.jpg
 
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First one is she lame or sore.. doesn't look very happy/ comfy..
Second one maybe colicy or tence for some reason..
and 3rd one excited or intrigued by something..
Thats what i can see anyway :)
 
first one, not looking v happy, but she might just be seeing someone off from her feed bowl or reluctant to come in rather than always being like that? Seems to just be pulling a face.
second one, looks sore and tight infront, but seems relaxed and looks in good shape.
third one, looks pleased to see you!
 
I don't think you can tell much at all with only pictures, you need a background to the picture aswell. For example if you saw a picture of a horse jumping a scary filler, you'd think ok he jumps fillers, but it may have taken them 2 hours to get over it. Also people say my spotty is lovely in fact he's a pain in the bum :rolleyes: :)
 
I have just looked at the photos on the facebook group before coming on here Faracat and i completely agree with your statement.

So lets have a go at this...

1st picture:
Seeing sombody off perhaps, dosent want to come in.Field looks nice and clean dosent seem to be much grass

2nd picture:
Turned loose in school with headcollar on while mucking out or somthing putting her head down out of the wind or could be entrance to a field and there could be plenty of grass just out of the picture

3rd picture:
pleased to see you, field looks like its ready for poo picking but she dosent look skiny/unhappy.
 
The first picture she looks unhappy, very tense and sore on her feet maybe lami-ish??
Second picture is a sort of a bored looking mare!
Third picture is sort of "hi Mum! I'm busy but I'll look up to see you!!"
Please don't take any of the comments offensively,she doesn't look in bad shape in any of the pics, much loved and well cared for, just a bit sore and tense in 1 and 2 - interesting thread!! I have many bad pictures of Kelly where people could comment that she was looking unhappy, grumpy etc.
K x
 
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Hmm. Interesting thread. I wouldn't read anything into any of those pictures other than your horse is a very pretty girl who look very well cared for. I think the first two she is probably ok and you've just caught her looking grouchy and standing a bit like a spanner. Could be waaaay off line though. My horses always look shocking in pics. Like a leg is about to drop off or whatever.
 
Here goes -
Like the other posts I would say she looks sore and tense in the first two photos, however her condition suggests that you have been working out as her neck muscles are well defined, so could be just a bad moment to take a photograph.
The third one well maybe you have just got back from a ride and she is turned out with others on the way as she is not hoolying, looks well groomed, content, relaxed and very shiny. Lovely horse
 
Those are very interesting replies! :D Does anyone else want to have a guess?

Thanks to everyone who's said nice things about her- she is a sweet, darling girl and I adore her, even when she's been nappy! :)
 
In the spirit of the BER FB 'CSI's'
OMG look at the state of the field! Look at the worm burden and what??? NO RUG????

Really though...she looks a bit miffed in the first pic, as if she has just arrived? New field, new owner?
Second, a bit wary but getting there and the third LUSH!!! Lots of hard work and grooming!
 
1.
Carriethirty.jpg

This photo was taken nearly a year ago. My filly had just come off box rest and had staples removed from her chest. The vet had sedated her for turnout and a friend kindly offered to take some photos with his super digital SLR camera. :D The vet and I pushed/pulled the very sleepy filly up to the field and my mare was thrilled to see her again but I was very hot after all that pushing and took my coat off. I'm out of frame holding my coat, which is what my mare is looking at suspiciously. She's not lame or sore in any way. Here's a pic of the mare and filly having a canter during the same photo shoot (but after the filly had woken up). :)

Carrieandfloss.jpg
 
2.
carriesixteen.jpg

This was taken shortly after I bought my mare and she was on part livery at the time. The livery owner and workers (who were really nice) had alot of trouble catching my mare so they turned her out in that headcollar. I was not happy, especially as I'd bought her a leather one and they nearly always left her for me to catch anyway. There are other horses and some grass out of frame. She was barefoot when I got her and was not coping, I tried only front shoes but then ended up shoeing her all round. She was probably very footsore in that pic. She did not stay at thay yard long as she was not happy and I moved her to DIY and it suited us both much better.
 
3.
Carriethirtyone.jpg

This one was taken on one of the first spring days and she's just had her rug off for the first time and been galloping around the field with her mates. There's not much grass in the pic but not that long after, they had to be moved onto restriced grazing because it grew so much! The rub on her side was from my new long riding boots. It happened after only one ride and so my lovely new riding boots became yard boots and I had to go back to riding in my old short boots and chaps that don't rub her. :(

From the same photo shoot. :)
Horsesonthehilltwo.jpg
 
Very interesting!! Interesting that nobody picked up on the rub on the body because she looked quite happy!
Stunning horse :)
I can totally see your point :) and I disagree about the rug comments on the BER thread - :eek: if only they could have seen my poor Welsh D hooning around the field today like a loon in the pouring down rain! She was obviously cold and unhappy ;) but some of them did look very skeletal and un-cared for.
K x
 
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