How to submit your horse for critique

[Horsetopia-Annie]

If you would like to post your horse, please read the instructions below!

1. Please understand that our forum members are not all experts!
People will honestly critique your horse -- you should be prepared to hear the good along with the bad.
People have different tastes when it comes to horse conformation. By submitting your photos, you acknowledge that people will probably say things that you do not agree with.
If you think you might get upset if somebody says something you disagree with, DO NOT SUBMIT YOUR HORSE!

2. Take a few high quality photos of your horse:
One photo MUST be taken from the side, with your horse standing as squarely as possible.
If your horse has a specific flaw you want to show up close, please feel free to include closeups of specific areas.
Other shots to include: head on shots, butt shots, face shots
If the photos are too small, or are not clear enough, we won't be able to critique your horse.

How to take photos of your horse (thanks to Renae for the following explanation!)
* First off, make sure your horse is groomed and clean. Put on a well fitted halter. It should be adjusted so that the cheek strap runs just under the eye and the nose band sits one finger below the bone in the face. Same with a bridle if you plan on going with one instead of the halter

* Secondly, find a good spot to take the photo. Hard solid ground that is level through the entire plane of the picture is best. Remove any clutter in the background and make sure the lighting is good as well. Be sure there is nothing between the horse and the camera and no shadows across the horse.

* Lastly, set your horse up...the best way to judge conformation is when all four of the horse's feet are placed directly underneath them...make sure the legs closest to the camera a directly underneath and the two legs furthest should be set just inside those one so they can be seen by the camera. Take the photo so that the horse isn't angled either towards or away from the camera. Rather a straight side shot from the middle of the horse is the best angle and doesn't hide or create flaws. And don't forget the ears...a happy horse always looks nice and pleasant![/i]

3. Please also include the following information about your horse:
Breed (if known)
Age, Height & Gender
Horse's current job and future intended uses
Anything else you think our members should know about the horse
(Optional) You can include a description of the "breed standard" for your horse if you would like your horse compared to the standard.

4. You cannot submit a horse that you do not own!!! The only exception to this rule is for a horse that you are leasing, if you have the permission of the owner.

Post all submissions yourself -- you no longer need to email them to us.

Please note that we may remove threads that do not contain all the information we require, or that do not contain high-quality photos. You can submit as many horses as you'd like, but please space them out if there are a lot of other horses being critiqued at the time.