# AQHA Mare 6 year old 15.2 HH



## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

At this point, the most obvious thing that I see if lack of muscle. Depending on what level you're wanting to show, she's just not in the condition to do so.

I'm bad at confo besides that... Looks like she has a long back, particularly for a QH. Just overall doesn't have the Halter look that I'm used to. But we'll have to see what others say!


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## Tryst (Feb 8, 2012)

If you are talking about local shows, then with proper conditioning she might do ok. She has some faults, but is not a bad looking mare for ranch type work.

If you are talking AQHA then no, she is not at all the style they want for halter.


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## Elana (Jan 28, 2011)

She is more of a using horse than a halter horse. I like her hind leg. wish her front legs had more bone and she was not tied in at the knee. Neck may be set a tad bit low off her withers. 

This is a really nice horse.. and she is built to be ridden and used


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## HealingHorseRanch (Oct 20, 2013)

Elana said:


> She is more of a using horse than a halter horse. I like her hind leg. wish her front legs had more bone and she was not tied in at the knee. Neck may be set a tad bit low off her withers.
> 
> This is a really nice horse.. and she is built to be ridden and used


What do you mean by tied in at the knee, I have never heard that before?


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

I wouldn't WANT a Quarter Horse bred for halter. Your horse is much better than that. 

The only think I don't like about her is she is light boned. But that is pretty normal in Quarter Horses nowadays. 

She's a pretty girl!


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## loosie (Jun 19, 2008)

Elana said:


> She is more of a using horse than a halter horse.


So halter horses aren't bred for using?? You lose points from many judges if your horse isn't mud fat... Show dogs aren't bred for health & temperament... WTF is wrong with the show world??


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

loosie said:


> So halter horses aren't bred for using??


Apparently not. 

When I think of halter horses, this is what comes to mind:

Have halter horses become the bodybuilders of the equine world? | EQUINE Ink

The Perfect Horse: World-class halter horses

This bothers me because I hate to see a great breed reduced to unsoundness. And just plain freaky weird conformation. Horses should be sound and usable....whether you actually end up using them or not.


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## Chickenoverlord (Apr 30, 2013)

Thank god that she is not a halter horse xD. I like her, a lot. The only thing that bothers me is her front pasterns are a bit long, but not bad.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Put a little weight on her, get her well exercised with lots of long trotting, work on your showmanship, groom the hell out of her and go for it. Someone else's horse will have worse flaws than yours.


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## Elana (Jan 28, 2011)

Tied at the knee means she is narrower below the knee than at the center of the cannon. 

the horse that started the current crazy AQHA Halter Horse trend for post hind legs, super light bone, upright pasterns and over muscled bodies with pencil necks was the horse Impressive who also passed on a genetic defect disease Hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HYPP). Impressive was its source and its start. It could be wiped out of existence by genetic testing and never breeding horses that are carriers OR exhibit the disease. 

Impressive himself WAS Impressive. He looked good and while he was a bit tied in at the knee and a bit light in his front cannons he did not look to be the freak of nature that current halter breeders and halter judges go for! You could have ridden Impressive I think. 

This little palomino of some other shade of dun is a nice useful looking horse. Use her. This halter horse stuff is.. in most breeds (be they Arabians, Quarter horses or other breeds) stylized and inappropriate. Arabs with muzzles so small and weak I wonder how they hold teeth. Quarterhorses that cannot be ridden they are so post legged and light in bone and who woild run (if they could run) at the very sight of a cow. Halter Hunters who could not jump an 18 inch cross rail.

Don't get me talking about dogs.. there it is structure and temperament.. for the beauty contests.


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

loosie said:


> So halter horses aren't bred for using??


Typically, no. Could you imagine riding this horse around?










And you wouldn't want to. He's bred and _maintained_ to *WIN* in the AQHA world show in halter.

And that particular breeding of conformation looks pretty, but does not hold up to the daily strains of hard riding and hard work. It doesn't mean he can't be ridden, but this horse wouldn't hold up as well as the OP's horse that is built to be a "using type" halter horse. 


HealingHorseRanch: You have a very nice looking horse there, although I do agree she is a tad bit long in the back, maybe a teeny bit cow-hocked (hard to tell with the picture angle), and is in need of toning and muscling. But really put together pretty decent. If you just want to show locally, I would say she would place well. But not at an AQHA breed show.


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## loosie (Jun 19, 2008)

Ugh! Trailhorse, they're truly disgusting! You trying to make me lose my dinner?? They've got the amount of meat on 'em that'd make a Charolais bull proud! Oh well, beauty is obviously in the eye of the beerholder here!


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## loosie (Jun 19, 2008)

beau159 said:


> And that particular breeding of conformation looks pretty,


Looks pretty?? I suppose if you're a beef cattle loving beerholder! I personally far prefer the look of horses.


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## Tryst (Feb 8, 2012)

Some shows do offer Ranch Horse Halter classes, which are targeted more at using type QH. If you can find a show that offers that type of class she might do ok.


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## PixiTrix (Sep 11, 2013)

trailhorserider said:


> Apparently not.
> 
> When I think of halter horses, this is what comes to mind:
> 
> ...


 Wow. That article was scary! I didn't realize how freaky halter horses had gotten these days- how sad!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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