# Critique my New Stud Colt



## lilruffian

Pictures are kind of small, but from what i can see, he has a rather upright shoulder but front legs look good.
Bum high at this stage in his development 
I really like his hindquarters
Back legs may be a touch on the posty side


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## TimberRidgeRanch

Why is it people ask for conformation on growing horses especially ones under 2 years old. Most are at the lanky stage and your not going to get a good picture of their actual conformation at growing age. One day they may be bum high 5 days later bum low. head can be bigger then body then vice versa. To me judging a baby can make some think their filly or colt is lacking quality. ( sorry a bit tired today to sound specific lol ) He is cute though. JMHO

TRR


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## RunSlideStop

What is his HYPP status? 

Agree that it is hard to tell much; he has an upright shoulder (not bad, he will just have an upright gait more so than, say, a WP horse), and legs look camped out and posty. Also not a fan of how his neck ties in and is cresty. 

I would wait a while to see how he fills out - it is hard to pinpoint much at this point and that could be discouraging. He could grow into a very well-constructed boy.

Cheers,
RSS

ETA: I see he is double Impressive bred. If he is anything but HYPP N/N, I would geld him. He doesn't trace to Poco lines so he should be fine for HERDA. Get him tested ASAP if you haven't already, especially since he has Impressive still on the paper (his great grandsire on dam's side I believe, if I remember right).


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## palogal

He is tested and confirmed N/N, on his papers.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## paintedpastures

Hmm isn't there a bunch of posts missing from this thread??


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## palogal

Not that im aware of, why?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## paintedpastures

My mistake,just remembered this horses picture & more info,plus comments. Seems though It was on another horse forum:-(


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## Golden Horse

paintedpastures said:


> My mistake,just remembered this horses picture & more info,plus comments. Seems though It was on another horse forum:-(


:rofl: It is so difficult to keep it all straight isn't it, especially when his HYPP status changes form being told about it by a broker, and actually having it on his papers.

It will be nice to see some bigger pics of him, but sure looks like he is going to be a cute gelding


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## palogal

AQHA now puts HYPP status on registration papers, including his papers which have now been received....not that its any of your business.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Golden Horse

Palogirl, gentle reminder that when you start posting on the internet you make it my business, you make your business public to the whole world in fact.


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## MsBHavin

palogal said:


> AQHA now puts HYPP status on registration papers, including his papers which have now been received....not that its any of your business.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Why ask for a critique if you didn't want to hear anything? I'm really, really confused.


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## palogal

Critique away, please.  I would love to hear constructive comments like the first ones on this thread. Snark for no reason is stupid and immature.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Golden Horse

palogal said:


> Snark for no reason is stupid and immature.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


In which case I wont point out that you were snarky, because that would be snarky


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## NdAppy

IMO cute guy, but not stud material. Would make an awesome gelding.


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## paintedpastures

For critique some bigger pictures would help,can't tell alot from the small ones posted:-(.From what i see from the pics there is, i'll comment. If you get bigger pics we may see more He looks cute enough,Angle of legs look ok , proportionate ,but still lacking overall balance which is not surprising with his age,has muscle defintion.He definitely has something to work with & with conditioning should make a nice show gelding.He looks too small to fit in/be competitive at breed show level that may change as he gets older,but should do pretty well now at open venue.


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## palogal

Thank you. He has an injury to his hind leg right now....goofy baby. When the swelling is completely gone, which should be very soon, I will post bigger pics.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Britt

He is extremely cute, though very bum high. 'm not great shakes at conformation, but I like him and think he would make an awesome gelding!


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## palogal

Made them bigger


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## equiniphile

Upright shoulder, seems to lack substance and depth of heartgirth up front but that may come with maturity. He's at a pretty bum-high and awkward stage of development right now, so if wouldn't be fair to critique much more, but I will say that he has a nice long neck (is it slightly ewed or just over-muscled along the underline?) and straight legs with good angles.


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## palogal

Thank you.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Arksly

I think he's a cutie. Right now there are a few things that I think make him not stud quality but it's very difficult to tell at this age. I really like his overall look though. Sure seems to be happy and healthy. Good luck!


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## paintedpastures

Better look with the increase pic size. He looks pretty unbalance & hip high right now.His front pastern look longer & weak/lax. back legs look ok. He doesn't have the substance/muscling I thought, viewing the little pics.Upright shoulder.Pretty head & length of neck, but not liking how it ties into chest.His neck & muscling will improve with conditioning.Still think he is cute but not real tough halter competitor for breed level showing {despite his halter breeding}.Not stallion material but pretty darn cute gelding:wink:


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## palogal

Thankyou. He's not going to be gelded- fyi to all. Yes, the nasty comments will fly now which is fine. He's still not being gelded.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## palogal

I will add, I do appreciate everyone's conformation comments. Critique away 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## IndiesaurusRex

palogal said:


> Thankyou. He's not going to be gelded- fyi to all. Yes, the nasty comments will fly now which is fine. He's still not being gelded.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_



Can I be as impudent to ask why not?


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## ThirteenAcres

I have to agree that at this point in time, he doesn't seem to be stud quality. I'd like to see better conformation on a breeding stallion as other will want good conformation to be passed to their foals. I agree with the critiques thus far. 

He may improve a lot, but he still isn't stud quality. 

He is very cute, though! I love his color and his chrome.


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## palogal

Sure . He's very well bred and so far very reasonable and easy to work with. I've not had him long enough to fit him for the show ring, so we are going to show next year and see how he does.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## palogal

You are all untitled to your opinion, just know that any comment to his "stud quality" falls on deaf ears. Critique his conformation all you wish, please. It helps me decide how to condition him. So if we could please focus on that, this thread would be much more helpful to me.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## ThirteenAcres

Commenting to the horse's stud quality is part of a constructive critique. It is a critique based on overall conformation quality.


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## DraftyAiresMum

I agree with ThirteenAcres. Commenting on his conformation (which in my opinion is on the weaker side) and his stud quality go hand in hand. You can have a horse that is bred out the kazoo, but it doesn't mean crap if he doesn't have above average conformation.


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## paintedpastures

That attitude & lack of insight is why we have so many sub -par Stallions out there breeding...Time to take off those rose colored glasses:-(.


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## MsBHavin

Why will he remain a stud? What does he bring to the breeding table? Being easy to work with does not mean he's breeding worthy. What do YOU see in him that has to be passed on?


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## Golden Horse

The only reason for mentioning it is to create a reaction, and get people to snipe, so the OP can get all offended. Most folk ask for opinions, and if the majority are against them they either rework their opinion or just go ahead and do what they intended without the broadcast.


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## palogal

Im not offended in the least. His stud quality is simply not up for discussion. Pretend he's a gelding.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## ThirteenAcres

I think everything has been said.


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## MsBHavin

palogal said:


> His stud quality is simply not up for discussion.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Of course it is, he's got testicles and will be adding to the gene pool...That in itself is up for discussion...just like if he was a extremely famous stallion.


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## paintedpastures

Golden Horse said:


> The only reason for mentioning it is to create a reaction, and get people to snipe, so the OP can get all offended. Most folk ask for opinions, and if the majority are against them they either rework their opinion or just go ahead and do what they intended without the broadcast.
> 
> 
> This is just a childlike, or trollish response "Nanananana you can't make me"


 Why should we waste time on a crtitique that doesn't respect others opinions just pics what she want from it:twisted:.Agreed she does it for attention.even goes from one forum to another to stir the same pot,for same type reactions.:-(


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## texasgal

He's cute, palogal! I won't comment on stud quality 1) because I'm not qualified and 2) he's your horse and you can do what you want with him.

But I look forward to seeing him grow up and you better post regular pics on the Texas Thread!


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## wyominggrandma

Just because he has testicles doesn't mean he should be bred. 
I have seen many colts with the same well bred pedigree that grow up to be nothing special. 
The OP will do what she wants, she has already stated that. Why bother to critique her horse, she is not going to listen anyway.


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## DraftyAiresMum

Since I somehow failed to provide my critique when I posted before...

His back looks long and weak to me. He's pigeon breasted and I don't like how his neck ties in. His neck is cresty, too, especially for a two-year-old. His shoulder is upright, as has been pointed out. His croup is fairly steep and drops off at an odd angle, from what I can see. His hip is decent. There's something about his hocks and rear fetlocks that bothers me, though. His hind legs are a bit posty, but his hocks, fetlocks and cannons seem...too thick for the rest of him. Like they belong on a draft horse, not a little QH. I also wonder if there isn't something up with his back. Not because his butt high, that's a normal two-year-old thing. But it just looks...off...to me.

Palogirl, I have an honest question. Not trying to debate anything. I'm truly curious. Why are you so determined to keep him a stud when he's quite obviously got serious conformation issues that will lead to poorly conformed offspring and to soundness issues later in life? Even bred against a truly stellar mare (which anyone with a truly stellar mare wouldn't breed to a colt like yours, regardless of his papers), his conformation faults are going to come through on the progeny. Hell, my three-year-old draft cross gelding was better conformed at two than your papered QH colt is and would have added flashy pinto coloring to the mix if I'd kept him a stud...and I still had him gelded.


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## QHDragon

palogal said:


> Made them bigger


Not a fan of his shoulder at all. Hopefully he grows out of that.


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## palogal

He's not a two year old, he's barely a yearling. Thank you for your critique.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## DraftyAiresMum

You're right. He is a yearling. Sorry. However, that doesn't change the fact that his back looks long and weak, his neck is incredibly cresty (especially in light of the fact that he's a yearling, NOT a two-year-old like I originally thought), and his hind legs still look off to me.

And you didn't answer my question...


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## Golden Horse

QHDragon said:


> Not a fan of his shoulder at all. Hopefully he grows out of that.


I believe that the shoulder angle is one of those 'set from the start' things, so it wont change.


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## wyominggrandma

I don't like his head at all, seems to long for a yearling halter bred horse. Nothing like you see at the QH congress at all.


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## oh vair oh

You should show him in yearling lungeline at AQHA shows and see how he does. That will let you know what you are up against as far as stud prospects.


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## palogal

I considered that but I haven't had him long enough to fit him for the ring this year, I've only had him for about 3 weeks. He popped an abscess in a front foot the third day he was here, and he is presently nursing an injury to a rear foot from being stuipid in his stall....so he can't be worked right now other than basic ground work, bathing stuff like that. I'm still trying to get him into the ring later in the season. He will definitely show AQHA next year.


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## MsBHavin

So this will be your second colt? Where is Tobi?


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## palogal

He belonged to my ex-husband, who sold him. 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## equiniphile

QHDragon said:


> Not a fan of his shoulder at all. Hopefully he grows out of that.


 Unfortunately, the scapula and humerus angle is pretty set-in-stone at this age. It's one of the few conformation aspects of a young horse that really should be taken into consideration.


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## StarfireSparrow

He looks like the front end of one horse the rear end of another. His hip triangle is not bad, but it is rotated out behind where it should be for good balance. His shoulder is very vertical. His hocks are high and too straight. His head is too course for a halter QH and his throat latch is pretty thick. His neck is very cresty for a youngster. It's not horrible, but his outline here looks a little wasp waisted. He has no significant depth in the heart girth. I do not like how his neck ties in either to his chest or his withers. He is very long bodied in relation ti his height, which is not typical at that age unless he is going to be a very long horse indeed. 

He is healthy looking and a lovely color though.


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## QHDragon

equiniphile said:


> Unfortunately, the scapula and humerus angle is pretty set-in-stone at this age. It's one of the few conformation aspects of a young horse that really should be taken into consideration.


That's too bad. All things put together I think he is an excellent candidate for gelding. I know I wouldn't even look twice at a horse with a shoulder like that.


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## Elana

I had a horse like this... a bit smoother all the way through.. years ago.. her name was Pat's Twin Maple. She was by Pat's Jim Bob AAA and a really really good horse. Give this guy some time to grow up and let's see him again then. 

Not sure I would I would keep him intact.. a horse has to work very hard at showing or racing to be worthy of being a stud (in addition to having good conformation).. but there is much to like about this young horse right now. 

I would like to see him at age 3.


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## spurstop

I am not a fan of this horse as a breed show contender. 

Very coarse headed, thick and low-tying in the neck. Low point if shoulder and very upright. 

His hocks are significantly higher than his knees, and the chance of him leveling out over the topline is small.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Kawonu

I'm in agreement that he's best off a gelding. He's cute, but, as stated prior, not a stallion I'd jump on boat for as someone who wants quality over cuteness.


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## GoAppendix

oh vair oh said:


> You should show him in yearling lungeline at AQHA shows and see how he does. That will let you know what you are up against as far as stud prospects.


This isn't an AQHA class. It might be offered as part of a futurity, but that's it. It really isn't a basis for determining stallion prospects.


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## oh vair oh

GoAppendix said:


> This isn't an AQHA class. It might be offered as part of a futurity, but that's it. It really isn't a basis for determining stallion prospects.


Whoops. We have them in paint, so I just assumed. Not that it would be a determinant of stallion prospects, per say, but it would allow the owner to go out and see how great these younger horses _can_ look in comparison to hers and make a better decision from there.


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## wyominggrandma

I don't think it would matter, the OP has already said that gelding this colt was not going to happen....... no matter what.


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## paintedpastures

oh vair oh said:


> Whoops. We have them in paint, so I just assumed. Not that it would be a determinant of stallion prospects, per say, but it would allow the owner to go out and see how great these younger horses _can_ look in comparison to hers and make a better decision from there.


Don't think the OP has had much experience at the breed show level or she would see the shortcomings on this colt too know he wouldn't measure up:-( 
on the level she perceives him to be.


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## OutOfTheLoop

Maybe this will help... your colt is not stud material, never will be. Go waste your money showing him as a stud prospect, and try to gain it back when all you can breed to is backyard mares. Does that help? Yoobviously do not want fair opinions, all you want people to tell you is what you want to hear. Good luck though, I just hope you don't think your going to get rich off him, you will sadly disappointed.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Kawonu

palogal said:


> Im not offended in the least. His stud quality is simply not up for discussion. Pretend he's a gelding.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


If you ask for critique on a horse and tell us he's a stallion he will treated as so.


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## FeatheredFeet

Well, I think he's cute enough and pretty enough and will probably stay that way as an adult. 

I do agree with most others have said. Some of his present problems might improve with age, or at least be less noticeable. He really is very young still. However, if I were to have looked at him to purchase as a 'possible' future stud horse, I would probably have moved on and looked at others. 

The OP has said she intends to keep him whole, but has not told us why. Maybe she has a herd of mares, or a couple or even just one, with whom she intends to breed to him. Looking at him at the moment, any mare bred to him in the future, would have to be incredibly correct and known for passing on her excellent conformation before, when bred to iffy stallions. 

There again, the OP might just like stallions and not be thinking of actually breeding him at all. I happen to like stallions and geldings, over mares. However, even if stallions are well behaved and sweet, they can have their moments and make life difficult for the owner. 

If the OP considers putting him at public stud, sometime in the future, I'm afraid only those with iffy mares, BYBs or those who know little about conformation, would present their mares for breeding. There are SO many really top quality stallions out there, from which to choose.

Can't quite remember now, but I believe the OP at some time, said this colt has a nice pedigree. If so, then I am also a pedigree hound. I don't want a pedigree with no known horses or dogs, up front. I want to see some well known animals with a record to back up their pedigree. I also want to see what the sire/dam have produced in the past. A good pedigree will give the breeder some indication of what that sire and dam might produce. 'Might' is the word to remember here. While most of the time, quality breeding produces the same, it doesn't always happen. This especially if one or the other is not top-knotch. 

Maybe, if the OP could tell us her plans for this colt in the future, we might get a better idea of how to proceed. I think it is obvious, the colt is not exceptional and one hopes she didn't pay much for him. But it could be, that she doesn't intend to breed him at all. 

I will bet though, that if we were to see pics of his sire and dam, we would see some of his same faults in one or both, as he now possesses.


Lizzie


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## texasgal

She said she wasn't gelding him because she wanted to show him when AQHA when he is fitted to see how he does.

The kinda indicates that his being gelded is pending his show record. If the judges feel the same way about him that ya'll do .. he'll probably be gelded at a later date.

Not everyone likes to geld early .. and I also know people who own and ride stallions that they don't breed .. just because they like stallions .. *shrug*


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## trailhorserider

His prettiest quality is his hip. He has a nice QH hip. 

Other than that, he is just an average QH (and that's a little generous).

One of my pet peeves is "papers make the horse." It encourages people to breed average horses because they have big names on their papers. Sometime grade horses make better stallion prospects conformationally but everyone will get in a tizzy saying "don't breed grade horses." While there are tons of lovely, but average, papered horses that's only claim to fame is famous horses on their papers but suddenly they are all stallion prospects. I know some folks like that in my area. Everything is a stallion prospect because it has testicles and registration papers. :x Sometimes I wish we could just judge horses as individuals, not on their papers.

He is a lovely horse......as a gelding. I honestly feel stallions should be held to a very high standards of conformation and temperment. 

So if you say "critique him as a gelding" we can overlook some flaws. But if you say "critique him as a stallion" he had better be the Brad Pitt of horses. :lol:


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## palogal

This is my final post on this thread. Thank you to everyone for your many supportive PM's and posts with the critique I asked for.


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## BaileyJo

This was a very odd thread. 

FWIW.... My critique if for the owner to be a little more open to what is being said. Not sure why headstrong people ask for critiques. ? That is usually why critiques are asked. Not sure what the point of this thread truly was.


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## OutOfTheLoop

She wanted people to tell her how lovely her stud was and how he was going to make pretty babies.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## texasgal

She likes her colt.
_She wanted to see what other people thought of her colt._
They did.
She still likes her colt.
She'll show her colt.
She'll make her decision about gelding him then.
She'll still like her colt.

imo


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## OutOfTheLoop

I don't think its about her liking her colt. I think its about her non chalant attitude and not being able to take constructive criticism. When you go to a public forum and ask opinions, your going to get told. It is what it is. Some people are passionate about breeding great horses, then you have ones like her who contribute to the population of poor horses. It boils down to why would you want to keep a sub par colt a stud? Thats what ds being asked.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## OutOfTheLoop

She only listened to the ones she wanted to hear, that's not what a critique is.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## natisha

When someone asks for a critique on their horse the first thing people want to know is the intended use for that horse. That's even the first thing vets ask during a pre-purchase exam.

If the OP had stated a career other than breeding I'm sure the issue of him being a stallion would not even be mentioned except in passing. 
As for his future talent of making good babies I have to agree with the others.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians

I think sometimes we take things others say a little too much to heart. If you put a horse up for critique and are told he's not as stellar as you think he is, the tendency is to get defensive. We need to remember a/ we asked for it and b/ we have the right to accept or not accept the critiques as we chose. We don't have to accept anything at face value. Ultimately, it's up to us what to do with our own horses regardless of what others think. However, hearing a bunch of folks say that the colt is not a stallion prospect would certainly make me keep that thought foremost in my mind when deciding his future.


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## BaileyJo

texasgal said:


> She likes her colt.
> _She wanted to see what other people thought of her colt._
> They did.
> She still likes her colt.
> She'll show her colt.
> She'll make her decision about gelding him then.
> She'll still like her colt.
> 
> imo


At first glance, I was thinking yeah, we know that. But reading again...you are right. Yeah, she does like her colt but we all like our horses whether they are in need of improvement or not...

So, why is she asking for the critique? She is closed to most of the responses. 

It was just an odd thread.


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## StarfireSparrow

She's "barn blind." She did not honestly think that anyone could have anything bad to say about him. I admit that it hurts my feelings a little bit when I put my horse up and I hear others point out the negative aspects of her conformation, but I come on here with the knowledge that I can no longer see the whole picture because I like her and I want to know what her weaknesses are. If you cannot accept the idea that you are overlooking negatives in your horses because of your emotional bias, this forum will do you no good.


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