Conformation Clinic # 9 ~ Appaloosa Gelding

[astablehand]

Before you respond with a critique, please make sure you thoroughly understand the guidelines. If you haven't already done so, please read them here:

http://forum.horsetopia.com/viewtopic.php?t=5936

Also, please forego comments such as "He sure is pretty." Or "I like him a lot". The participants here are looking for technical critiques.

Time for our next Conformation Clinic candidate!





Breed: Appaloosa

Sex: Gelding

Age: 7 years old

Hight: 15.3hh

Other Information: His current job is for team penning and cattle work

Have fun, and critique away!

[Renae]

His eye looks too small for his head. I like the overall shape and look to his head and his forhead is broad and flat (room for lots of brains). I can't say much about his neck as it doesn't really show well in either picture although it ties in well to the shoulder. His shoulder angle is good. His chest looks deep and clean and his withers are nice. He looks a little straight through the elbow area and his forearm is too short for his length of cannon bone. His knees look broad, flat, and clean and well put together. His pasterns apear to be a tad too short and just a bit too upright. His underline is good with good length although could be trimmed up more with some work. His back is too long and I don't like how weakly it toes into his hip. I also don't like how peaked he is in the butt. He looks to be standing on level ground but he himself apears fairly butt high. The slope in his croup is right and he has a nice low tail set. He has a nice round well built hip with a good angle. His hocks look well put together and clean but he slopes inward too much fron hock joint to ankle and again his pasterns are a bit too short and too upright. His feet appear to be of good size relative to his size and weight. In the snow picture its hard to tell but he looks to be toed out in front because his cannon bone is rotated to the outside as it comes away from his knee. Overall he's pleasing to the eye and a good color. I'd say he's well suited to his work and should be a good ranch horse.

[snickers]

First Pic:
Seems to have a nice head to him. Eyes may seem to small, but I think thats because the color throws that contrast.
From the angle of his neck, looks to be a tad short, looks to tie in deep in the chest.
His front legs looks to be set under him some, they look clean, dont like the way the hooves look. They are long in the toe, and the way his back one looks like it has no heel, the other looks toed out. Pasterns look shorter than I like, but could be the pic.
Back looks nice and clean, would like to see some more muscle tone in the rump area.

Second pic.
Neck still seems short, but cant tell much. Looks to tie into the the shoulder better. Nice sweet face with that splash of color.
Seems to have much more muscular look and filled out.
Legs look nice and clean, hooves seem to toe out some as stated.
Over all, I love his color and his build in the second pic, that I can see, is better than the first, nice. Looks to be well suited for his job.

[luvnhrses]

Over all looks like a nice horse. I would like to see just a little longer pasterns. Can't judge his neck from the angle. Good head, nice wide forehead. Looks like he is a little higher in the rear-end, but it could be the picture. I would say he should be good at what he does by the way he is built..

[TDH]

I don't mind the butt-high characteristic or the fact his hind legs look to be set a bit too far underneath, it could help him drop the front end to stick with a cow and yet be able to get underneath himself to "motor" the maneuver (assuming he'll actually be working cows as part of the ranch work). Pasterns are a bit on the steep side but not too bad, follows the slope of his shoulder. Pleasant expression that I like, neck comes off the shoulder at a good angle but photos don't allow much room for more opinions on it. I like his overall build and look, good-looking fellow. I'd guess pretty well-suited for what his use is, a good "using" horse.