# Weanling



## peppersonlygirl (Jan 21, 2014)

Someone said this little guy may not have any power, smoothness or agility and he would likely be jarring to ride. This person said these things based off this picture. Would anyone agree or disagree with those things based on this picture?


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## LoveGus (Oct 4, 2016)

I am by no means an expert so take what I say with a grain of salt. To me from that pic he does have a longer back and more upright shoulder. 

However he is still a baby so he's growing so at stages I'm sure he's gonna look all kinds of awkward.


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## Prairie (May 13, 2016)

Babies are hard to judge simply because they go through so many phases as the grow and mature, some where they look really awkward and others where they're just too cute. This little guy is at the butt high stage where none of that parts and pieces seem to fit together. He does look to have a straight shoulder, but that may improve as he grows and matures. His back is much shorter than his underline so that's good. Love his cute face and kind eye along with his color.


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

Anyone worth their salt knows you can't judge a baby 100%, while I see why they might say that I look at the picture and see an awkwardly standing clearly growing baby. Giving ANY critique from that picture, or any solid critique at that age is absurd.

If the person said that without being invited to critique I wouldn't be too happy..


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## EpicApple (Oct 19, 2014)

It's pretty hard to critique babies. They can always surprise you as they grow. Also the picture is not the greatest to make a confo critique. Pictures make a world of a difference when judging a horse and it's never the same to judge a live animal, right in front vs. a picture. So usually people just go off on what they see that very instant and don't take other factors to consideration. It is important to always have an open mind and try seeing things from another "angle" when doings critiques based on one picture. 

Things I take into factor is that this is a weanling. Weanlings always grow uneven and oddly proportionate. Usually their butts grow, then their front end catches up, then their butts grow again and their front end eventually catches on. It's the odd baby cycle of growth. So I never worry too much if their butt is higher than the withers until after a certain age. Even though his butt is a bit higher than his withers in this picture, his back seems to be of good length and straight enough. The angle isn't the most flattering, his head being so high up creates a hollow back aspect and it might make it seem a bit swayed. To me it's not a conformation fault, more likely caused because of an unflattering position. A horses' body changes a lot based on the head and neck position. 

He has a lovely, powerful hind end typical of his breed. Hocks seem to be a little bit higher than his knees creating a downhill aspect, but this is also very typical of Quarterhorses. Also he is still growing so it will eventually even out more with time. Good fore arm and cannon bone length. Short, strong cannon bones. Good bone mass in general. 

What I am not crazy about is that his pasterns are a tad bit on the shorter side and his shoulder angle seems rather straight. You usually desire more slope on the shoulder for a smoother gate and a tad bit longer pasterns for better shock absorption. His neck is also on the shorter side but seems to tie in well at the shoulders, in the picture the neck looks inverted, but I don't think that's the case, just his current stance. He has a lovely head that really fits his current proportions. 

I honestly think he is a cute baby with lots of potential. To say he will have no power and will be jarring to ride is a bit harsh. This weanling as a whole shows a lot of promise as a good riding horse and doesn't have any major flaws that would detriment his ability to excel as a future sport horse. Overall there's more good than bad and the bad isn't really that bad. 


Hope my words helped some


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

First of all, he is a baby, and anyone that can judge how a baby will move, esp from a standing picture, obviously knows how to evaluate babies better then any professional! (yes, this is said with tongue in cheek)
Stock horses are never knocked for being downhill, until hey are age 2, thus it is very typical for them to be butt high, as growth rate there , often is faster.
Furthermore, high hocks on a working stock horse are NOT typical,or desired, nor can they be judged during a growth spurt that makes the horse butt high
At this point, a more accurate judgement of potential movement, is to see both parents move, and how they are bred
I evaluate legs, after growth plates at the pasterns and knees are closed

I don't have an opinion as to how he might move, due to his age, not knowing what type of movers his parents are, nor seeing that foal himself move
I do know, having bred horses of many different lines, that good movement is highly inheritable


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## paintedpastures (Jun 21, 2011)

Smilie said:


> I do know, having bred horses of many different lines, that good movement is highly inheritable


This is very true! Pedigree can play big part in predicting overall conformation/looks, athletic ability & way of movement. This why you see dominance of certain lines within the different disciplines. Breeding has become much more specalized

knowing what your goals are will assist you in evaluating a young prospect to fit your needs.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

He's very cute and while there's no such thing as 'the perfect horse', I certainly won't knock him at this point. He's a weaner and everything grows at a different rate on weaners. Their butts can get so high they look sway backed, then one day, they're dead level because the front catches up. I don't think a whole lot of someone who would be real critical of a baby at this stage. He may or may not move well, with power and may or may not have smooth gaits later on, it's way too soon to say. 

Right now, I'm more interested in his cute face, pretty eye and alertness and inquisitiveness. In those categories, he scores high. There's an old saying that bears repeating often, "Look at them when they're 3 days old, 3 weeks old, 3 months old and then don't look again until they're 3 years old.". Then you can get a pretty good conformation idea. There's a reason they call them 'yearling uglies'.


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## peppersonlygirl (Jan 21, 2014)

Thank you everyone for your opinion and advice!


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