Pidgeon
Well-Known Member
Last time the photo was a bit blurry but hopefully this one is better for you to do a critque on please?
taken yesterday
taken today
taken yesterday
taken today
Ok, Hades is now burning brightly ready for the next 'customers'.
Overall impression - my first impression is that I very much like this horse, he's a nice type who ought to turn his hoof to most things to a reasonable level.
Head - large expressive eye, nicely marked. Good size of head for the rest of him. Large ears (sign of generous nature, supposedly). He has a slight curve to his nose suggesting some common blood (sorry), and perhaps slightly small nostrils. His mouth looks wide, but again quite short so maybe difficult to squash a double bridle in there. If I am to be picky, I'd say he's a bit thick through the jowl, so may find it harder to flex into an outline.
Neck - length is ok, but seems to come out of chest without as much definition as it might. Has good muscle on topline - but perhaps a little too much development of the muscles under the neck too (brachiocephalic etc) which can indicate resistance to the bit. He's a bit undeveloped in the side muscles which control lateral bend of the neck - so may not bend in a stable way on circles.
Withers - fine for his type, shouldn't be too difficult to fit a saddle to.
Shoulder - a little short, and a little upright, both of which will shorten the stride length.
Body - has reasonable depth, so heart and lungs should be ok for stamina.
Back - nicely proportioned through the thoracic vertebrae, but a touch long in the loin, which makes the back weaker (the longer a bridge is, the more support it would need), but the rest looks ok. Has decent muscling over back, so appears to usually work correctly.
Front legs - appears slightly short in the forearm (the low clip doesn't help this!), and the joints could be more clearly defined. Good short forearm for tendon strength. Pasterns are an appropriate length, but quite upright - this is often paired with an upright shoulder, and again shortens the stride and reduces the concussion absorption. The hooves look a little boxy, and I can't decide whether his HPA is broken or not. He also appears a little toed out in front which may result in a less than straight action, but I can't really tell.
Hind legs - straight, quite short and upright from hip to hock (this again will result in a shorter stride and make it harder for him to engage behind). The hind cannons and pasterns are a good length, although again the latter are a bit upright, and the hooves similar to the fronts (good quality horn though).
From behind, his pelvis appears level, and he has a decent width between his back legs, which are nice and straight - suggesting he moves true (slight cow hocks are fine).
I don't know why, but despite him having a few conformational faults, I really like the look of him - I think many of us would rather ride a horse with a nice nature who'll try, than a horse with perfect conformation who won't.
Now - can I have him?
S![]()
Aw Shils thanks that last sentence sums him up exactly, he tries his heart out whatever he is doing whether its dressage, SJ or XC, he positively enjoys any sort of work and will just do whatever I ask him to. He owes me nothing and I owe him loads. LOL sorry Shils he has a home for life, plus what would owning and ISH do to your reputation grin thanks so much for taking the time to do a confo critique on my boy, very much appreciated"
oh well tried a reply then tried a delete - may not have worked. if not, please ignore.
Has good muscle on topline - but perhaps a little too much development of the muscles under the neck too (brachiocephalic etc)
The hooves look a little boxy, and I can't decide whether his HPA is broken or not. He also appears a little toed out in front which may result in a less than straight action, but I can't really tell.
PMSL as if you'd even look at a horse that was half shire![]()
Shills, can I be nit picky in the interests of learning?
Do you mean sternocephallic, which I thought was the lower of the neck muscles, rather than bracheocephallic which I thought was up near the rhomboideous (yes spelling probably is dodgy!) *off to look in textbook once I've typed this*
...and for the HPA, with regards to the hind feet is it just me or does one look broken one direction and the other in the other direction? Is this to be expected for the stance the horse is in, (I wouldn't have thought so in the direction the one closest to us appears to go) and if the horse were stood truly square could this horse actually have a perfectly straight HPA?
Thanks teach![]()
Am intrigued AB at what you posted and then deleted?
half shire![]()
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*wonders if shils really would be able to resist Frank cob in the flesh*............hmm.......... probably![]()
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tut tut tut how could anyone possibly be anti daemon in a post directed at you "trundles off whistling innocently"