# 4y Anglo-Arab Critique please!



## IndiesaurusRex (Feb 23, 2011)

Not great on critiques, but I'll give it a bash :lol:

I don't see a short neck as such, it looks in proportion to her back, which I like, nice and short, strong. It is a more "thick" neck in comparison to the swan like elegant necks that are desirable in some parts of the Arab world, which may make it look a little shorter, but I don't see it affecting her stride at all. Her shoulder is a touch upright to my eye, which may make her stride a touch choppier. I like her pasterns, decent bone, she does look a little sickle hocked though, and her croup is fairly steep for an Arab.

Her short back will allow her to carry a decent weight, as will her bone. She reminds me of an Arab I worked with, Taz, very similar build, and he could have carried me (~11st) all day.

Cute! Those who know more about endurance will chime in I'm sure.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

very nice horse. i don't think her neck is really short. she has kind of small hooves, though.


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## SullysRider (Feb 11, 2012)

Her neck is actually quite proportionate with her nice strong, short, back (though do be aware when saddle fitting). Her hind end is a little on the slight side, with a steep croup. She has ehh bone, and is sickle hocked. She does have fairly small hooves, and in my experience that has caused issues.


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## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

She is not sickle-hocked, if anything her hind leg is too straight, but I don't care for her hip at all. I would have to see her moving before I would say "don't do it".

I like her front end. 

Nancy


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## Elana (Jan 28, 2011)

I always used to think an Anglo Arabwould be the perfect cross but rarely do I see one I really like. 

First off she is FAT. This makes some of her look better than she is and other things not so much. About 100 pounds off and she would look better. 

Her neck is not too short, but it is very meaty and wide at the base. Her haircut growing in along the top does not help. She has a huge shoulder from her thoroughbred side but the angles are only adequate because the point of shoulder is just a wee bit low. I like her low knees and her front legs seem to be adequate bone. She has a short back which ties into an adequate coupling but with a too high and poorly placed point of croup. She is slightly down hill in build. All that is fine.

Then we get to the hind leg. Her hind leg and hind quarter is from the Arab side of things and not so good. She is light on gaskin, VERY light on bone below the hock and she has small round hocks. Her angles behind are inadequate and her muscling is naturally inadequate from point of buttock to gaskin. Due to her high point of croup she has a slightly steep croup angle. 

I find that most Angle Arabs are like this.. clearly Arab and Clearly thoroughbred mixed and often not getting the parts of either that you really want! In this case this horse has the nice short back of the Arab but then the not so hot hind leg. I do not know why this cross does not work better. Maybe it is that both breeds are quite prepotent for certain tendencies. Maybe it is the blood stock. 

Better to get a good representative of either breed than a mix and I am frustrated to say that as it seems the mix should work better than if often does.


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## Maya Kali (Apr 3, 2014)

Thanks all for the comments. So much appreciated!
I understand the neck is not too short. The hoofs had a (radical) trim the day of the pictures and I maybe since the flare is filed off it makes the hoofs look even smaller.

The sickle hock or post leg question I found difficult to see. I have drawn a line from the front leg chestnuts to the hocks and it does not really seem to be 1) hock to high: post legged or 2) tibia too long: sickle hocked. Please correct me if I'm wrong. Still something looks off. (see picture below)

@Elena
Can you explain what you mean with ‘poorly placed point of croup’. Can that also influence how the back legs are placed?

Since hocks grow still at her age, is there a change these hocks can still change for the better?

Thanks every one!

O, ya, I gave her a hair cut to be able to see her neck more clear:


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## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

greentree said:


> She is not sickle-hocked, if anything her hind leg is too straight, but I don't care for her hip at all. I would have to see her moving before I would say "don't do it".
> 
> I like her front end.
> 
> Nancy


Yes, she is not sickle hocked.


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## Elana (Jan 28, 2011)

Her hind leg will not change. Her hocks will not enlarge nor will she get more bone belowher hicks.

Her point of croup is too far back and too high. YES. The placement of every joint, the shape of her pelvis and the placement of the lumbo sacral joint is critical to hind leg angulation. The structure starts with the LS joint and spine to pelvis connection.


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## Maya Kali (Apr 3, 2014)

Elana said:


> Better to get a good representative of either breed than a mix and I am frustrated to say that as it seems the mix should work better than if often does.


I will keep this in mind. I would not be looking into Anglo's if it was not that I'm looking for a bit more height. It's a pitty, South Africa has so many Arabian and TB horses, but it might be hard to find a proper mix.

@Elena
Could I ask you if you could post a picture of a well formed croup? It might help me a lot learning what to look for. I believe different shapes of croups are for different specialist purposes. So maybe you can give some examples (if not too much work).

Thanks!


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## Elana (Jan 28, 2011)

Here is an Anglo Arab that is pretty nice. His back leg is stretched out by I would bet this horse is correct through and through. 
It is not easy to find a good hind leg and hindquarter on a horse.. and it is important. That is the engine.


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## Maya Kali (Apr 3, 2014)

Thanks! Yes I see. Good qualities from both sides. Only France I've read breeds Anglo's from 'closed stud book' if I put it correctly (I do not know how strict). So no crossing both breeds but making it a breed itself. (I have to look into this).

Thanks all!


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