# Critique My Quarter Horse Filly



## lilruffian (Jun 28, 2010)

Not the best photos. Ideally you want them facing broadside and all squared up. NO motion.
From what I can see, though, she is bumhigh, as you mentioned.
Her neck is long and though better photos would help to confirm or rule this out, she appears quite sickle-hocked in the back legs.
It's usually best to judge a horse's build when they are finished growing, but legs will not change so more photos would be helpful


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## Josie7055 (Mar 18, 2016)

lilruffian said:


> Not the best photos. Ideally you want them facing broadside and all squared up. NO motion.
> From what I can see, though, she is bumhigh, as you mentioned.
> Her neck is long and though better photos would help to confirm or rule this out, she appears quite sickle-hocked in the back legs.
> It's usually best to judge a horse's build when they are finished growing, but legs will not change so more photos would be helpful


She's not sickle hocked lol. She just stands weird now that her bum is higher. Poor little girl [emoji1] growing when your a young horse must be very hard. Once she levels out again I will post another picture. 

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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

You need better pictures, those don't do her any justice because she looks very sickle hocked.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

if it's worth our time to review and comment and give you a critique, it's worth your time to take proper photos. otherwise it's just "cute horse" comments. but, if that's what you want . . .


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## Josie7055 (Mar 18, 2016)

tinyliny said:


> if it's worth our time to review and comment and give you a critique, it's worth your time to take proper photos. otherwise it's just "cute horse" comments. but, if that's what you want . . .


Well forgive me, if you want to come over and take pictures while I stand her correctly then your welcomed to do so. Unfortunately I have no one to help me take pictures of her. I've spent the past week trying to get someone to come over and help me, so sorry. She won't stand up correctly because she is butt high so I can't take pictures by myself without her looking weird.

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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

I know it's hard with a young horse and no help but those pictures don't make her look too good and I am sure she is a fine horse. We can only critique what we see. You can work on her standing still, good lesson for a youngster and will come in handy.


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## Elana (Jan 28, 2011)

What I can say and I like is her low set knees and hocks. She appears to have an adequate shoulder. I like the way her withers carry into her back. 

Her neck appears to tie in low to her chest. 

She is downhill in build, and probably will retain that as an adult but with her hocks and knees almost the same height she may be OK. She is not sickle hocked. 

Her head is overly large and coarse. She is also a little hammer headed.


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## Josie7055 (Mar 18, 2016)

Josie7055 said:


> This is Shasta. She is a bit down hill right now because of a growth spurt(She was uphill a week ago). Her father was a world champion hunter jumper and her mother was a trail horse(Interesting combo lol). She is dirty in this picture because we were just going to give her a bath. She also is super fluffy with her winter coat. Do you see any major flaws or anything I should be worried about? She is paint bred if that helps.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Okay!! New pictures!! Sorry for the wait!!






























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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

I don't see sickle hocks now at all! Nice low knees and hocks as Elana said, she can see stuff like that, I am just dabbling when it comes to picture critiques. I like her shoulder angle too. Cute filly with a bit of common type head but her white nose will make her attractive I think. Thanks for the pictures, appreciate that.


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## Josie7055 (Mar 18, 2016)

waresbear said:


> I don't see sickle hocks now at all! Nice low knees and hocks as Elana said, she can see stuff like that, I am just dabbling when it comes to picture critiques. I like her shoulder angle too. Cute filly with a bit of common type head but her white nose will make her attractive I think. Thanks for the pictures, appreciate that.


Thanks for the reply!

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## Elana (Jan 28, 2011)

In the new photos the one thing this horse REALLY needs is GROCERIES. She is about 200 pounds under weight. 

Nice horse. Like her. Get her weight up and she will be stunning!


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## Josie7055 (Mar 18, 2016)

Elana said:


> In the new photos the one thing this horse REALLY needs is GROCERIES. She is about 200 pounds under weight.
> 
> Nice horse. Like her. Get her weight up and she will be stunning!


She gets 6-8 flakes a day plus grain three times a day, I really hope she doesn't need more lol >.< she is one of those growers that get fat, have a growth spurt and get skinny, then repeats that pattern

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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

I assume that she is a young growing horse. While you don't want them fat, you also need to provide adequate protein, as that is the building block, which are then supported with balanced minerals and enough energy
Thus, a young growing horse should have free choice forage-either as good quality hay, and/or pasture. You then can add some concentrated source of energy, if needed
What 'grain' are you feeding?What type of hay, and do you know the protein content. Young growing horses should have ahay with protein around 14%
If she loses weight during a growth spurt, her requirements are not being met


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## Josie7055 (Mar 18, 2016)

Smilie said:


> I assume that she is a young growing horse. While you don't want them fat, you also need to provide adequate protein, as that is the building block, which are then supported with balanced minerals and enough energy
> Thus, a young growing horse should have free choice forage-either as good quality hay, and/or pasture. You then can add some concentrated source of energy, if needed
> What 'grain' are you feeding?What type of hay, and do you know the protein content. Young growing horses should have ahay with protein around 14%
> If she loses weight during a growth spurt, her requirements are not being met


Really? Thanks so much for telling me! I have no idea how much protein my hay has, but if I remember correctly my grain has 12-13% protein. I heard flax seed is a good source of protein? Would me giving her some with her grain help some? Any other stuff I can give her for protein? Thanks in advance!!

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## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

tinyliny said:


> if it's worth our time to review and comment and give you a critique, it's worth your time to take proper photos. otherwise it's just "cute horse" comments. but, if that's what you want . . .


If someone is being polite they might say cute horse. If being honest I don't think the horse is at all attractive. It's neck is poor, it doesn't look very welltaken care of. I would not have guessed it was more than a back yard breeding. It will be interesting if it blossoms as it grows up.


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## Josie7055 (Mar 18, 2016)

churumbeque said:


> If someone is being polite they might say cute horse. If being honest I don't think the horse is at all attractive. It's neck is poor, it doesn't look very welltaken care of. I would not have guessed it was more than a back yard breeding. It will be interesting if it blossoms as it grows up.


Have you seen the new pictures? And yes she was not taken very good care of at the original owners home. She was the "Wrong Color" so she was never worked with or brushed.

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## Fahntasia (Dec 19, 2011)

what grain are you feeding her? your filly needs groceries.....


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## Josie7055 (Mar 18, 2016)

Fahntasia said:


> what grain are you feeding her? your filly needs groceries.....


Stay tuned because I'm going to post a picture of her front tomorrow. You can see how big her sides actually are. The vet said her head is too big for her body so it gives the illusion of her being starved [emoji1] it was quite funny.

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## Elana (Jan 28, 2011)

I based my statement of needing weight on her body score which is below where it should be. Her head is not part of that. I stand by stating she needs the weight I said. It won't make her fat, but it will make her look much better. 

"Flakes of hay" is not weight. Just so you know, a "flake" of hay size is determined by baler goround speed, size of the windrow being baled and the speed of the baler running off the tractor. The windrow is fed into the front of the baler and carried across the to plunger chamber. The plunger has a knife on one side and packs the hay into the bale cutting the stems off at the chamber entrance. The metering wheel behind the knotters controls the over length of the bale. As the metering wheel reaches a pre-set point, the needles come up from the bottom to feed around the end of the bale to the knotters.. the knot is tied and the needles retract while the plunger is retracted. This is all timed (some balers time with beveled gears and others with a chains). If the plunger moves forward before the needles are retracted you break shear pins (and often need to retime the baler). Sometimes the needle brake will slip (needs adjustment) and the needles can "drift" back and break shear pins too. 

And that folks, is how a bale of hay is made. 

The bottom line is a bale of hay is made to be tight and compact and handle well and have sufficient weight for handling multiple times from baler to wagon to barn to truck to farm!! The weight of bale "flakes" is HIGHLY VARIABLE. 

Weigh your hay. I cannot say it enough. WEIGH YOUR HAY. There are lots of charts that will give you a range of hay requirements for horses depending on size and age! TEST your hay.. find out what is in it for protien, energy and neutral detergent fiber. The higher the NDF the less digestable and palatable the hay (and young horses need hay to have a low NDF). 

Hay is the staple that feeds the horse. So many people feed "XX flakes" and have not the foggiest idea WHAT they are feeding in weight or in feed value. 

I am betting the amount you are feeding is insufficient and I am betting the quality of the hay for a young growing horse is also insufficient.


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## Josie7055 (Mar 18, 2016)

Elana said:


> I based my statement of needing weight on her body score which is below where it should be. Her head is not part of that. I stand by stating she needs the weight I said. It won't make her fat, but it will make her look much better.
> 
> "Flakes of hay" is not weight. Just so you know, a "flake" of hay size is determined by baler goround speed, size of the windrow being baled and the speed of the baler running off the tractor. The windrow is fed into the front of the baler and carried across the to plunger chamber. The plunger has a knife on one side and packs the hay into the bale cutting the stems off at the chamber entrance. The metering wheel behind the knotters controls the over length of the bale. As the metering wheel reaches a pre-set point, the needles come up from the bottom to feed around the end of the bale to the knotters.. the knot is tied and the needles retract while the plunger is retracted. This is all timed (some balers time with beveled gears and others with a chains). If the plunger moves forward before the needles are retracted you break shear pins (and often need to retime the baler). Sometimes the needle brake will slip (needs adjustment) and the needles can "drift" back and break shear pins too.
> 
> ...


I'll look into testing the hay. Unfortunately though, we have found a new hay person because the price of grass went up from $12 a bale with a 6 bale minimum to $19 a bale. That's a $42 increase. The hay we were using does look good but then again, your right, it's not the hays looks that feed the horse. I'll look into testing this new persons hay.

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## Fahntasia (Dec 19, 2011)

I based my question not on the size of her head..... I have never seen a thin QH, her hip bones are visible, as is her spine. She needs more than "a few flakes". As Elana said, not all hay bales are created equal..

She needs grain, good grain, not sweet feed. My mare is 16 HH, 1087 pounds and just turned 7 years old. She gets 30 pounds of hay per day, weighed, her grain is weighed as well : 375 grams of All phase 20 am/pm, 125 grams fit and fiber am/pm, 3/4 scoop probiotic am/pm, 1 scoop magnesium AM, 1/4 scoop flax am/pm. I do this all myself since the barn will not weigh the grain or the hay.

As horse owners we should stay on top of what they get and how much of it. too many people leave it up to the barn owners and then wonder why their horses are skinny/fat/hyper/slow. Weigh your hay, that way no waste, we feed grain for energy and to supplement what the hay is lacking. 

Put some fat on that fillies ribs and you'll notice her head is not that big  Good luck =)


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## Josie7055 (Mar 18, 2016)

Fahntasia said:


> I based my question not on the size of her head..... I have never seen a thin QH, her hip bones are visible, as is her spine. She needs more than "a few flakes". As Elana said, not all hay bales are created equal..
> 
> She needs grain, good grain, not sweet feed. My mare is 16 HH, 1087 pounds and just turned 7 years old. She gets 30 pounds of hay per day, weighed, her grain is weighed as well : 375 grams of All phase 20 am/pm, 125 grams fit and fiber am/pm, 3/4 scoop probiotic am/pm, 1 scoop magnesium AM, 1/4 scoop flax am/pm. I do this all myself since the barn will not weigh the grain or the hay.
> 
> ...


She is now on Calf Manna and Ultium Growth. She looks like she has gained a lot of weight. We contacted her owners and they said that her problem was that they didn't have enough money (Husband retired due to medical issue) so she was only getting 2 flakes A DAY!! Yikes! I'll be posting pictures soon. Head definitely doesn't look huge anymore lol. Now we need help fattening our old gelding >.<

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## FrostedLilly (Nov 4, 2012)

I think she looks pretty good as far as conformation goes - everyone has already said what I would have. Looking forward to seeing her with a few more pounds. I understand the challenge of a young growing horse too. My just turned 2 filly will get a giant hay belly and it's almost like I blink and it's gone with a little bit of rib showing as she enters a growth spurt. Luckily, I suspect she will be an easy keeper once she's finished growing because she's never lost too much weight, more just slims down periodically.

How old is your gelding? If he's having trouble keeping weight on, the first thing I would have checked is his teeth. In my experience, dental issues are a prime source of weight problems in older horses. We had an old mare who lived until almost 32. When she was 29, she really started having a tough time keeping on weight. Suspecting dental issues, we took her to the vet and she ended up pulling 4 teeth along with the regular float. Once those teeth were gone, she put weight back on, but we did soak her feed to make it easier for her to chew after that.


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## Josie7055 (Mar 18, 2016)

Glynnis said:


> I think she looks pretty good as far as conformation goes - everyone has already said what I would have. Looking forward to seeing her with a few more pounds. I understand the challenge of a young growing horse too. My just turned 2 filly will get a giant hay belly and it's almost like I blink and it's gone with a little bit of rib showing as she enters a growth spurt. Luckily, I suspect she will be an easy keeper once she's finished growing because she's never lost too much weight, more just slims down periodically.
> 
> How old is your gelding? If he's having trouble keeping weight on, the first thing I would have checked is his teeth. In my experience, dental issues are a prime source of weight problems in older horses. We had an old mare who lived until almost 32. When she was 29, she really started having a tough time keeping on weight. Suspecting dental issues, we took her to the vet and she ended up pulling 4 teeth along with the regular float. Once those teeth were gone, she put weight back on, but we did soak her feed to make it easier for her to chew after that.


The gelding is a 26approx rescue. He came skinny. He is finally gaining weight though!!

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## Josie7055 (Mar 18, 2016)

Here is the filly now. These pictures were taken last week.



















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## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

She looks much better, good work Josie!


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## Fahntasia (Dec 19, 2011)

much better, good work josie


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## Josie7055 (Mar 18, 2016)

churumbeque said:


> If someone is being polite they might say cute horse. If being honest I don't think the horse is at all attractive. It's neck is poor, it doesn't look very welltaken care of. I would not have guessed it was more than a back yard breeding. It will be interesting if it blossoms as it grows up.


Take a look at her new pictures.




























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