The brutally honest confo thread!

[DabDab]

My mare as a 3yo just backed

Now that's my kind of horse (but I'm biased as she's pretty much the spit of mine with a little less bone and a proper length neck). She's very well developed for a 3yo - be interesting to see what she does

 

[Lammy]

Ah I meant Aus's Alf, sorry! Your Alf always makes me smile there is an inner sports horse in there somewhere lovely to see him all sleek!

not enough ponies on this thread so not terribly recent, most of the time he has a habit of looking at the camera which makes his neck look even shorter!

and a naked one

I love a D and he's a great example of one good shoulder and hind end, nice and compact. Looks a lot like my mare actually!

 

[Wagtail]

Wagtail commented on 'severe muscle wastage from a too tight saddle' which made me smile as it had barely worn a saddle, it's just a raw under muscled Irish horse

Don't take it so personally. You said he was a four year old fresh of the boat from Ireland. Was he unbroken? I have never once seen a horse that had not had a saddle on its back with wasting like that. It also takes four times as long to build muscle than for it to atrophy. It only takes a handful of sessions in a tight saddle to cause it.

 

[ihatework]

Don't take it so personally. You said he was a four year old fresh of the boat from Ireland. Was he unbroken? I have never once seen a horse that had not had a saddle on its back with wasting like that. It also takes four times as long to build muscle than for it to atrophy. It only takes a handful of sessions in a tight saddle to cause it.

I didn't take it personally. Your definitive statement amused me.

 

[HufflyPuffly]

If anyone fancies this one, go for it from when she was 3 I think here Photobucket is on a go slow for a more recent one!

It has decided to play ball so recent ones!
4 years old:

This year at rising 5, sorry for the tack and generally rubbish pic

Bump, no one want to critic Skylla?

 

[LCH611]

I did a brief explanation of how to upload pics in reponse to the post you quoted. Give it a go

so sorry for sounding huffy - was having a rubbish morning & clearly missed the helpful comments about uploading pics during the laboured scrolling back & forth to try to comment on people's pics!!

Smig at 5:
http://s916.photobucket.com/user/lisahughes2/media/IMG_1492_zpsc0rwfuin.jpg.html?o=1

Bear at 4:
http://s916.photobucket.com/user/lisahughes2/media/IMG_1494_zpsnsqrohiv.jpg.html?o=0

am just going to park these links here and then go back a few pages to find out how to do it properly!

 

[LCH611]

im no expert, but this is a horse which really seems easy on my eyes, she is stunning.

I agree!

 

[Wagtail]

I didn't take it personally. Your definitive statement amused me.

Well that's okay then. So can you answer my question - was the horse unbroken? Only I have never seen muscle atrophy like that on a horse that had not been under saddle.

 

[ihatework]

Skylla - love her neck. Shoulder a little upright. Not liking the front hoof-pastern axis.
Her hind end overall looks weak

 

[ihatework]

Well that's okay then. So can you answer my question - was the horse unbroken? Only I have never seen muscle atrophy like that on a horse that had not been under saddle.

He would have been under saddle for approx 2 weeks before being shipped.

 

[Wagtail]

He would have been under saddle for approx 2 weeks before being shipped.

That's long enough.

 

[{97702}]

Really interesting thread It has to be done.....

On arrival last June:

Roughly last November:

And the other day:

Obviously only snapshots so I hope you can get some idea

 

[Damnation]

Go nuts!

When I bought her 6 snd a half years ago aged 9:











Summer 2016 aged 15:

 

[LCH611]

My brutally honest opinion is can none of you take decent photos of your horses stood square with their entire body on show including their feet and a plain back ground and the camera at a decent angle to show a true picture of the poor beast.

Oops. Did I say that out loud.

Truthfully I can't take good pictures of anything....... it's a life skill I have never mastered. Like putting on nail varnish

 

[LCH611]

Gray Mountain. Totally American born and bred. He had shocking feet in training, they couldn't cope with the work load. One had 3 cracks from top to bottom, the other front had 2 in. All were stapled together to keep him going. He did both front tendons before coming back and tearing one completely in 2. Very talented, stupidly fragile. He is only 6yo in that pic.

Now he has feet like rocks, doesn't wear shoes and pretends to be a show pony! Lol!

His reincarnation:

Wow!

 

[luckyoldme]

Bump, no one want to critic Skylla?[/QUOTE
Im very nervous about saying this but you did ask.
On the first two photos she looks like the neck and head belong to a different horse.
Luckily for you im definately no expert.

 

[ihatework]

That's long enough.

FFS are you missing the point?!
(No im not taking it personally btw)

Maybe you are right? Although I suspect you are not, he came weakly muscled all over.

You have a habit of making statements of fact. That is a serious flaw at times.

 

[FfionWinnie]

Truthfully I can't take good pictures of anything....... it's a life skill I have never mastered. Like putting on nail varnish

Ah well it's about taking lots and working out where you are going wrong. I like taking pics and for me if you want a good opinion on a horse from a photograph it has to be a really good photo and even then it's very difficult to paint a true picture. I don't reckon I have a single pic that is worth even critiquing the horse from and I have thousands.

As for the nail vanish can't help you there

 

[SpringArising]

Bump, no one want to critic Skylla?

Looks tied-in at the knee, and pasterns are a bit too upright. She also looks cow-hocked, particularly in the second picture, but a picture from behind would be better to see that.

 

[Casey76]

Go nuts!

When I bought her 6 snd a half years ago aged 9:













Summer 2016 aged 15:

She has a nice neck tie-in, and a good sloping shoulder, a strong loin connection and a good hip angle. She is a little down hill, and very light of bone for her overall build. Long upright pasterns and in the first photo she is standing a lot under herself, though soften this can be affected by hoof care.

 

[HufflyPuffly]

Skylla - love her neck. Shoulder a little upright. Not liking the front hoof-pastern axis.
Her hind end overall looks weak

Bump, no one want to critic Skylla?[/QUOTE
Im very nervous about saying this but you did ask.
On the first two photos she looks like the neck and head belong to a different horse.
Luckily for you im definately no expert.

:lol: Fear not we're being brutal!

She still looks like a very long cut and shut , I am holding onto the fact that Topaz had no behind to speak of at 6 but now has one to be proud of :lol:. Funny thing about her generally awful hind quarters is that her movement behind is pretty lovely (moves bigger behind than in front), so I'm hoping when she matures she will look better :eek3:.

Interesting at the hoof-pastern axis as in person this is good so might be my pictures, but will have a good stare at them tonight to make sure!

 

[Damnation]

She has a nice neck tie-in, and a good sloping shoulder, a strong loin connection and a good hip angle. She is a little down hill, and very light of bone for her overall build. Long upright pasterns and in the first photo she is standing a lot under herself, though soften this can be affected by hoof care.

Thank you She always stands camped under to varying degrees and never found out why really, even minus shoes. But I think her biggest weakness is she is slightly croup high and it does make her downhill. I see what you mean about her bone compared to her overall frame but would you believe me if I said she is actually quite narrow across her shoulders! She does look like she should have more bone.

ETA:

Front on shot, 2nd time I'd ever ridden her here so excuse the bizarre hands!!!

 

[Annagain]

I'm going to shamelessly bump my two as well, or are they so bad you can't comment on them even when we're being brutal?

 

[oldie48]

Same horse on same day but from a different angle for Alex Hyde. I think it shows how difficult it is to take a good confo picture. Considered opinion is he is long in the cannon bone, a bit straight in the hocks and my farrier says his feet are too small. I don't think he's croup high or has a short neck but a slight angle in a pic can make a difference and sometimes I think with coloured horses they can look deceptive because the eye is drawn to the light parts. He's lacking topline, especially just in front of the whither and muscles in his hindqs but with correct work this has improved.

 

[Dusty M Yeti]

Another bumping my 3yo, would be really really interested in opinions (however awful they are )

 

[Wagtail]

Really interesting thread It has to be done.....

On arrival last June:

Roughly last November:

And the other day:

Obviously only snapshots so I hope you can get some idea

Lovely front end with nice length of forearm and good shoulder. Slightly thick through the gullet but nice head. I like his overall proportions. He has nice quarters. He could possibly be a little straight through the hocks but it may be the photographs. How old is he?

 

[Wagtail]

Another bumping my 3yo, would be really really interested in opinions (however awful they are )

She is at that age where she is very bum high and so this throws off everything else such as her back and hocks. If she grows in front the amount she looks as though she could, I think she'll be very nice, but there is a lot of maturing to do. At the moment her cannons look too long, but at three, the cannon bones have stopped growing and all her height will be gained higher up. I think she will always be quite long in the back. She has the potential to be lovely.

 

[{97702}]

Lovely front end with nice length of forearm and good shoulder. Slightly thick through the gullet but nice head. I like his overall proportions. He has nice quarters. He could possibly be a little straight through the hocks but it may be the photographs. How old is he?

Thank you! He will be 7 in May, he had done next to nothing before I got him on loan last year. He does please my eye even though I realise he isn't perfect

Sadly I'm frequently told I can't take a pic of him that does him justice lol, so I totally accept they don't give a clear representation of him

 

[Dusty M Yeti]

She is at that age where she is very bum high and so this throws off everything else such as her back and hocks. If she grows in front the amount she looks as though she could, I think she'll be very nice, but there is a lot of maturing to do. At the moment her cannons look too long, but at three, the cannon bones have stopped growing and all her height will be gained higher up. I think she will always be quite long in the back. She has the potential to be lovely.

Thanks Wagtail tbh she has always grown bum high the only time she was level was aged about 4 months! I'm hoping at some point the front end will catch up, over all she is a large mare so I think will take a few more years to finish growing and furnish. She wasn't bred for good conformation (foster foal) so hasn't turned out too badly so far.

 

[Rosiejazzandpia]

Phone is playing up so chocolate biscuits to anyone who can make a few of these pop up.
http://imgur.com/a/ZWrEk

This is a really interesting thread filled with some lovely horses, I'm learning a fair bit here as I've never been a conformation expert in the slightest