The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread NINE

See our "who's who" page! ^

[CindyDawg]

:') What didn't you like.? None of them impressed me either. Now that baby on the front cover with that long mane is a different story.

[Duchess47]

Isn't he something - a beautiful blonde :)

Well, #C - the one she placed first. He has a longer head and back than I like, and I like a heavier hip and rear end - not a lot of muscle there that I can see.

#A that she placed second - the black and white. He looks like he has a short thick neck and I don't like his rear end. The thing with him though is that it's hard to tell because of his color and markings.

#B which she placed third has a pretty straight shoulder and pasterns so I would think he'd be rough to ride, but I really don't like his eye - he reminds me of a Two Eyed Jack horse, which I don't like.

Fortunately for the rest of the world, I'm not a judge and no one pays any attention to my ravings. :)

[CindyDawg]

Such a waste lol. You ever see a horse like on page 101? That's got to be air brushed.

[Duchess47]

Nope, believe it or not - not airbrushed. Just a good looking halter horse. I'll have to get some pictures for you at the next show. His color makes his muscles and good health really show up. Plus Show Sheen which will make him shine. Completely shedded out, ears, face and legs clipped. He's a beauty.

[CindyDawg]

He just looks too perfect.

[Duchess47]

:) He does doesn't he? It's an awful lot of work and sweat to get them to that shape but halter classes are essentially beauty contests.

[CindyDawg]

How's the retirement plan going? I'm supposed to get an answer Wed about part time status. Tomorrow though, I have to make a big decision. I either have to throw in the towel about opening a school or pay an accountant big money to review my financial records, with no guarantee the state will approve me. It's a dice roll and I'm not much of a gambler.

[CindyDawg]

Well I could draw blood from him, real easy. Look at those veins. He looks like a body builder.

[Duchess47]

Oh - don't give up now. Shop around for accountants and see if you can find someone who is familiar with what you are trying to do. You've done too much work to quit without trying. If they don't approve you (which I would doubt), they will give you reasons and you can fix whatever the problem is.

[Duchess47]

Body builder is a good term. I'd not thought of it before but that's about what he is.

[HairOfTheDog]

Conformation Clinic: 4-Year-Old Geldings
Evaluate and place these 4-year-old geldings' conformation in your order of preference. Then see how your choices compare with our expert judge's.

By Margo Ball

Whether I'm judging a halter or performance class, the qualities I look for in a horse are balance, correct structure, eye appeal, and adequate muscling. (The latter is especially important in halter.)

Essentially, balance is when a horse's body parts appear to go together well. From a detailed perspective, though, balance includes a long neck (from poll to point of withers) that ties into the shoulders high; long and sloping shoulders, pasterns, hips and croup; and an underline (from just behind the elbow to the flank) that's twice as long as the topline (from point of withers to loins). I underscore topline structure, as horses with strong toplines tend to also be the most athletic individuals.

Structurally, I want a horse's front legs to be properly aligned from forearm to hoof, and his hocks to be placed well beneath his body with adequate set (angle). Both are important for soundness.

Eye appeal is indicated by an attractive head and an overall pleasing appearance. Well-defined muscling will enhance a horse's eye-appeal and strength.

Click below to find out how I placed these three geldings.

Conformation Placings: 4-Year-Old Geldings

[Duchess47]

Yep - they're the ones we were gossiping about :)

[CindyDawg]

What order do you put them in?

[HairOfTheDog]

Well, I was curious so I looked online :~D H&R doesn't put much online, they want you to buy the magazine... but they did have that feature there, so that was good :~).

I'm with you on these guys, none of them would win beauty contests, but C is the only one that looks like he would be a good English horse, followed by B... the paint is just headed too downhill for my taste. Maybe these guys have other redeeming qualities, they won't make it in halter :~\

When I used to get H&R, I used to read who the judge was before picking, because it makes a big difference in their preferences. An English or Dressage or reining type would pick a horse based on different factors than a Western Pleasure judge. Of course, since H&R is predominantly a Western magazine, I didn't often agree.

[Duchess47]

:) Like I said, I wouldn't buy any of them. I have a hard time figuring out what it is I don't like about a horse when I look at them - you do a much better job of describing it.

[CindyDawg]

Were you able to see the cover horse? He's one pretty boy.

[HairOfTheDog]

Yeah - the cover art was on the website, but I can't see the other chiseled fella you guys are talking about.

[CindyDawg]

He's under "set up smarts" but I couldn't get anything to open up.

[Duchess47]

He looked a lot like this kid-

[HairOfTheDog]

Ah - well he's cute... but not yet a bodybuilder... he still looks like a teenager :~D

Good night ladies.