More conformation critique!

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MizElz

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I've found Becki2003's post really interesting....it's made me realise how little I know about conformation strengths, defects and generally what to look for! I dont think I have ever really asked for anyone's opinions on Ellie's conformation; I can remember we used one of my old ponies as a guinea pig for a stable management comp at PC aaaages ago, but back then it was a case of: 'Parrot mouth? Long in the back? Pigeon toes?' All very basic! I'd be really interested to know what people who know more about it than I do think of Ellie....

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Personally I would say she has good overall confirmation, and she is a good "eyeful" to look at.

It may be an optical illusion but is her right foot slightly pigeon toed? As I say this could just be an optical illusion, and something that I wouldn't really comment on unless there was a photo of her from the front.

I like her - and she is looking in good condition I think.
 
Eyes look a good size and have a kind look about them.
Looks slightly narrow between cheek bone and wing of atlas (very hard to tell from the pic!).
The top of the neck looks flat but the underside looks well defined.
Shoulder angles are lovely but the shoulder looks slightly out of proportion to the quarters (quarters look slightly bigger).
Good depth of chest, I'll be really fussy and say that I'd like to see the girth a little deeper.
Well difined withers. Good, firm looking back.
Good, strong quarters, nicely rounded, looks slightly croup high though.
Front legs look a bit too far underneath her. HPA looks ever so slightly broken forwards. Hooves look fine.
gaskin length looks fine, possibly slightly straight in the hock though?
Theres somethin odd about that near hind hoof, could jus be how she's standing though.

I have to say, she is gorgeous
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Lots of great things to say here;

Good sloping shoulder
Well proportioned head and neck
Good deep girth
Cannon bones not too long


She looks a touch croup high, but it may be that she is standing slightly downhill.
Pasterns on front legs perhaps too long.

I think her hindquarters will look in line with the shoulders if they were carrying abit more muscle/weight.

Lovely horse though, definitely a lovely picture.
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Whoa that's a lot to take in!!!!!
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Thank you everyone for your lovely comments; I know she's lovely but I will always be biased!

Can I just ask: what are gaskins, and what is HPA???
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See I told you I am an ignoramus!!!!
 
Thanks for that! I have to say this has been rather educational for me! She is a little croup high I would say - the good old jumping bump! It is interesting that a couple of you guys have mentioned her front hooves - she isnt pigeon toed, but only the other day my mum wondered whether our current farrier is shoeing her in a way that makes her toes look a bit turned in - might have to have a word, methinks!

I've always been obsessed about her neck - at first I thought she was ewe necked, but we've worked very hard to reduce the muscle underneath - I think we might just be getting somewhere!

Once again, thank you everyone for being so lovely about her; it's really brightened my evening!
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Pic is wonky. Look at the roof. I don't think she actually is croup high, or that her forelegs are too far under her.
Just thought I'd say
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[/ QUOTE ]

Mum has just pointed the very same thing out to me!
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If you draw a line from the very centre of the top of her foreleg right down to the ground the line should pass down the back of the heel, on this mare it doesn't becaue her forelegs are slightly under her. It could just be the way she's stood though
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Oh god, now you guys have got me trawling through all my Ellie pics to look at her front legs! It's not something I've ever noticed before, but I can certainly see what you're saying
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Here's a couple more; do you think they show the same thing?

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On the first one it's very hard to see but on the second one she's stood wth her front legs slightly under her. Quite alot of horses have this fault and it's nothing be hugelyconcerned about unless it's bad.

The size of her feet in the last pic, they look teeny
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Veyr nicely balanced horse. As said though, would have a word with farrier as she does definitely look very slightly igeon toed. Lovely hindquarters and hind leg conformation though, good shoulder. As said, would just like her a tad deeper in the chest
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Does she always stand with her near hind out behind her? Does she stand square easily, or do you have to do lots of rearranging?
Maybe get her back checked if you havent recently, we had a horse treated at the yard this morning, he couldnt stand square before and now he goes square by himself.
Just a thought as i noticed her hind legs are the same in every pic ive seen (on this post). Might just be those pics, so sorry if im completely wrong!!
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She is lovely, just that near hind - something with the angle, it looks a little blocky, as if it should be shorter at the heel and longer at the toe (I'm thinking about the angle of the pedal bone here). But it might just be the pics, and either way the farrier could prob sort it out easily enough.
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