# Critique Rueger! (Again!)



## CrossCountry (May 18, 2013)

Rueger is the Mustang I received for the Idaho EMM. I've had him for 8 months and he is the best horse ever. He is so smart and willing, I can't wait to start him under saddle, unfortunately he is very slow maturing. I'm hoping to put a few rides on him this spring, but unless he matures fast before the time comes, I'm not sure I will be. He is almost three, 14.3 and 750 pounds. 

The first picture is him in May. The rest are from today! These pictures aren't the best, but they were as good as I could do by myself. He's a squirrley youngin. Be harsh I can take it..(The kid is awkward I know.)

Thank you so much!


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## Tryst (Feb 8, 2012)

He is cute, but you are right, very immature... Looks like a late yearling... No where near three! Are they SURE on his age? Looks no more than an early yearling in May to me.

Anyways... Overall he is cute and looks like he will be a decent using type once he grows up. I like how his neck balances with his body and it appears to tie in well. Very short back. Hip is quite short and a bit small for his body. Shoulder is pretty upright and he is very narrow through the chest. He likely will widen some once he fills out. He looks a bit clubby on his left front foot. I am not 100% sure how the EMM works, but if it was me I would wait to back him and let him grow up a lot more.


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## CrossCountry (May 18, 2013)

Bumping this back up!


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## Rain Shadow (May 1, 2014)

I know nothing about conformation. What is going on here? It almost looks like he wants to toe out, but then comes back in?


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## Carrie94 (Dec 2, 2014)

He's definitely at an awkward stage. My first thought was, "That's not a coming three year old!" He looks like a yearling.

Let's start with the good - He's very cute. You say he's smart and willing? He LOOKS it! Conformation wise, he has good bone and his neck and shoulder look good. His hindquarters look good - he's no QH, but there's a fair amount of strength there. Those are about the only positives I see for now.

Bad points - I really don't like his legs at all, particularly his front. He's base wide and he has some strange pastern joints going on. His chest looks awfully narrow, but that could change as he matures and fills out. His head is solid but not very pretty, and in some pictures looks too big for the rest of his body.

You're right - no riding on this guy! He's extremely immature, and he's still bum high which likely means he's going to grow some more yet. I'd wait another year and see what he looks like then. I don't mean to just run him down conformationally, but he's definitely got a lot of growing to do - and even then he will never be perfect physically (but no horses are).


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## Endiku (Dec 6, 2010)

I think he has a naturally rotated pastern (toes out) but whoever is trimming him is trying to force his leg straight, which is probably doing more harm than good. I'm not sure though. It is a little worrying to look at though. His feet should be trimmed the way his body it built. Otherwise too much stress will be on the wrong parts of his leg.


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## freia (Nov 3, 2011)

I'm not a conformation expert, but my eye can still pick up some things.

First impression: Young, awkward, teenager. Going on two in the bottom pics, maybe? I don't think this will be his final shape at all. I really like his face. He won't win any beauty-pageants, but he has a cute look about him. He looks very alert, trusting, and gentle. He seems perfectly happy.

I like the shape and length of his back and croup. His proportions there are OK.

His hind feet really stood out to me. They look very short in the toe and high in the heel.

What are you going to use this horse for? Depending on what you do with him, he can probably be a perfectly good mount even with his flaws. If you want to compete in something high-speed or high-stress, I'd be a little concerned about his legs/feet.


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## CrossCountry (May 18, 2013)

I got some new pictures of his legs. *Please note that he is overdue for a trim, the farrier comes out next Friday.* I think the picture made his leg look funky, it doesn't look like that in real life. We are 100% on his age, right now he is 2 years and 9 months. 

My plan was to start him this spring, but that is just not going to happen unless there's a miracle. Luckily he's just a fun horse to mess around with so I can take the extra time to solidify our ground work and take him to some new places. Whenever I do start him, he will be my bareback/bridleless horse. No barrels or anything for him other then a few possible playdays. Just a fun riding horse to take to shows and mess around on. So most definitely not a high-speed or high-stress horse. 

Hopefully these pictures give you a better idea of his legs. The way the hair lays on his left leg makes the knee look swollen, but it's not. I checked to make sure. *I'm not sure if this matters but he has reached 15 hands.*

Thank you guys so much for the critiques so far, I really appreciate them.


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## freia (Nov 3, 2011)

His legs look FAR better in those pics. What a cutie. From what you're saying you want to do with him, he looks like he'll be great!

One nice things with the horses that mature slowly, is that they are often healthier and sturdier in the long run. Kudos to you for not rushing getting on him, but letting him mature and using the time to build training and trust on the ground. It will pay off.


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## CrossCountry (May 18, 2013)

Thank you so much, I try to make the best decisions for the horses in the long run. I'm adopting another mustang in the spring to start, so there's no reason to rush starting Rueger.

He is extremely smart and will be a joy to start when the time comes.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Endiku (Dec 6, 2010)

They do look better. I guess it was just the picture  good thing too- I was a little worried at first! They still don't look like they're trimmed GREAT and like you said, he is in need of a good trim...he has very tall hooves from what I can see. I know some horses grow taller rather than forward. It looks like he needs a lot taken off because I doubt his frog is touching the ground, which means it can't do its job.

Over all though I love Reuger. He's such a neat little colt and I love seeing how far he has come.


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## No Spots Here (Jan 26, 2012)

*Agree!!*



Endiku said:


> I think he has a naturally rotated pastern (toes out) but whoever is trimming him is trying to force his leg straight, which is probably doing more harm than good. I'm not sure though. It is a little worrying to look at though. His feet should be trimmed the way his body it built. Otherwise too much stress will be on the wrong parts of his leg.


He does toe out. Trying to change him will cause problems when he starts carrying weight. Just level the foot.

PS - One minor suggestion - Keep him on a strict 60 day worming schedule for the next year. My favorite trick to get those youngsters growing is soybean meal. Inexpensive, safe, palatable. Start with 1/2 cup per day added to regular feeding.


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

My finance's mustang grows up not out with his hooves. amazingly his frog grows too and even though his hooves can look about 4in long his frog is still hitting the ground 0.0


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## CrossCountry (May 18, 2013)

His feet definitely grow up and not out. He has some flare when I got him, but my farrier quickly got it under control. He is definitely overdue but the farrier is coming out so it will be fixed soon. His feet were not the best when we got him and my farrier is making small changes at a time so as to not stress his legs too much. They look so much better then they did when I first got him. 

He's such a good horse, thank you Endiku!!



No Spots Here said:


> He does toe out. Trying to change him will cause problems when he starts carrying weight. Just level the foot.
> 
> PS - One minor suggestion - Keep him on a strict 60 day worming schedule for the next year. My favorite trick to get those youngsters growing is soybean meal. Inexpensive, safe, palatable. Start with 1/2 cup per day added to regular feeding.


 Yep, he's currently in a very strict worming regimen. Very interesting! That's the first time I've heard of soybean meal being added to help them grow. How much do you go up to? I will definitely have to try it.


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## TessaMay (Jul 26, 2013)

He's very cute, I won't say anything about confo, leave it up to those who know more. 

I did want to mention that you are measuring him incorrectly though. You are probably adding at least 2 inches to his height by pressing the tape to his body like that. Hold it straight up next to him without touching and use a level or something similar from the top of his withers to the tape.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## CrossCountry (May 18, 2013)

TessaMay said:


> He's very cute, I won't say anything about confo, leave it up to those who know more.
> 
> I did want to mention that you are measuring him incorrectly though. You are probably adding at least 2 inches to his height by pressing the tape to his body like that. Hold it straight up next to him without touching and use a level or something similar from the top of his withers to the tape.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Hmm I thought that was how the tape said to do it. I will have to check. I know for a fact my mare is 16.1 (sticked her at my old barn because I was preparing to sell her) and the tape says she is 16.1 too.

I will check tomorrow as its really cold and dark now..Brr.


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## Goldilocks (Jan 30, 2015)

He looks sweet. I have a few concerns about his conformation though, esp his hind pasterns an hooves. They are very upright, so he could struggle a little if pushed too hard. I think that front one is just a picture boob though?


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

much better in the 2nd pic. He is not 15hh, probably more like 13.3 or 14 , as stated not the correct way to measure.
Just feed him good hay . He is cute.


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## No Spots Here (Jan 26, 2012)

CrossCountry said:


> His feet definitely grow up and not out. He has some flare when I got him, but my farrier quickly got it under control. He is definitely overdue but the farrier is coming out so it will be fixed soon. His feet were not the best when we got him and my farrier is making small changes at a time so as to not stress his legs too much. They look so much better then they did when I first got him.
> 
> He's such a good horse, thank you Endiku!!
> 
> ...


If you look on any horse feed that says it is high protein (actually any horse feed), you will see soybean meal as an ingredient. It has lysine, a protein from the soy beans, which is the most digestible protein for horse. Dr. Lon Lewis wrote a book on horse care and feeding 30 years ago and he put that in BOLD print.

I have so many friends who pay $18.00 to $20.00/bag for horse feed. That's outrageous to me. Another thing, I don't get all the hype about beet pulp. It's a by product of the sugar beet industry and the processing plants used to give it away, Farmers would pick it up and spread it on their fields. Now feed companies act like it is gold and they are laughing all the way to the bank. There may be certain cases where beet pulp works, older horses or horses who need extra fiber, but it is not for growing horses. Horses should get their fiber from a good quality hay and grazing.

Start with 1 /2cup in the am and pm. You can then work up to 1 cup am and pm. Now, do not feed with a high protein feed. Buy a good 10% pellet (save your money). I like Purina Impact 10%(pelleted) or DuMor Equistages sold at Tractor Supply. DuMor is made by Purina. Nutrena feeds are good. 

In this thread I posted a pic under "APHA solid filly - 2yo". She was raised on SBM, 10% pellet and Purina Amplify. She's just over 15 hands at 22 months.

Best of luck with your young horse.


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## No Spots Here (Jan 26, 2012)

CrossCountry said:


> His feet definitely grow up and not out. He has some flare when I got him, but my farrier quickly got it under control. He is definitely overdue but the farrier is coming out so it will be fixed soon. His feet were not the best when we got him and my farrier is making small changes at a time so as to not stress his legs too much. They look so much better then they did when I first got him.
> 
> He's such a good horse, thank you Endiku!!
> 
> ...


If you look on any horse feed that says it is high protein (actually any horse feed), you will see soybean meal as an ingredient. It has lysine, a protein from the soy beans, which is the most digestible protein for horse. Dr. Lon Lewis wrote a book on horse care and feeding 30 years ago and he put that in BOLD print.

I have so many friends who pay $18.00 to $20.00/bag for horse feed. That's outrageous to me. Another thing, I don't get all the hype about beet pulp. It's a by product of the sugar beet industry and the processing plants used to give it away, Farmers would pick it up and spread it on their fields. Now feed companies act like it is gold and they are laughing all the way to the bank. There may be certain cases where beet pulp works, older horses or horses who need extra fiber, but it is not for growing horses. Horses should get their fiber from a good quality hay and grazing.

Start with 1 /2cup in the am and pm. You can then work up to 1 cup am and pm. Now, do not feed with a high protein feed. Buy a good 10% pellet (save your money). I like Purina Impact 10%(pelleted) or DuMor Equistages sold at Tractor Supply. DuMor is made by Purina. Nutrena feeds are good. 

In this thread I posted a pic under "APHA solid filly - 2yo". She was raised on SBM, 10% pellet and Purina Amplify. She's just over 15 hands at 22 months.

Best of luck with your young horse.


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## CrossCountry (May 18, 2013)

A new picture while we're waiting for the farrier. What do you think? (Ignore the hooves - we're hoping to get them done today. Major fear of farriers/vets in this guy. Also if ignore the shedding and bite marks...annnnd the awkwardness of him.)


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## CrossCountry (May 18, 2013)

Hooves done! Woohoo! Anyway - no opinions on how he's maturing?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## deserthorsewoman (Sep 13, 2011)

He's looking good To critique seriously, we need better pics. Aim for the withers with your camera, and keep it level with them, also, or you get a pic from above with the wrong perspective.


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## MaximasMommy (Sep 21, 2013)

He is so adorable. I want him.


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## CrossCountry (May 18, 2013)

Thank you guys! I'm trying to keep weight on him and it's not working so he's a little skinny. Now that the weather is warming up, I think he'll put on a little weight.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Mercy98 (Jul 25, 2013)

Hes really cute  He looks like a mustang I trained a while back


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

The only criticism of his build I see is where his back falls away. But, Corporal had that, too, and I believe that with his light build he should be ok. I think that this would be a bigger problem if he was heavily built. You are light as a feather and he shouldn't have any difficulties.
Elana is the best critic of conformation here, so go by her suggestions.
Study up on conformation, bc it really makes a difference. I would search the Internet for very old photos of horses, early 20th century and study those photos as you study what makes a well built horse. People were using their horses every day and those with poor builds wouldn't hold up to labor.
My mother likes to give me calendars every year. This year she gave me one with photos from a rescue. EVERY ONE of the horses they have pictured is well cared for BUT they ALL have conformation faults. Once your train your eye, you can't help but see them. Most often (in no order) they are:
poor legs
toed out, pigeon toed, cow hocked
straight shoulders
overly straight back legs
bad knees
weak backs
weak pasterns
Every breed of horse has the same good conformation in it's best specimens.
No one is overseeing Mustang breeding, so it's always a roll of the dice.
If you count the hours you are putting into training with the hope of producing a horse that will last (for you, or for sale), you can see the value of understanding conformation.
Sure like following you and Reuger!! **hugs**


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## 4HGirl (Jul 17, 2014)

I think he looks a lot better in the last pic you posted. I'm mainly commenting on this because I'm also from Idaho though. Yay Idahoans!


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