# please critique my bella



## mlouati1389 (Jan 21, 2012)

i was told bella has extremely poor conformation. which really saddens me. i was planning on breeding her when she got older, just so i would be able to carry on a piece of her when she dies. she is 8 years old, and i have raised her since she was 3 months old. i do not want to breed her if she has poor conformation... i love her dearly. i just thought i would be able to handle her loss [which is a long time from now hopefully] easier if i had a piece of her left over. i always thought she looked excellent.. i guess i am biased? maybe i think she looks great because shes my girl, and i love her dearly. either way, poor confo or not.. she will remain with me for the rest of her life. the girl in the pictures is someone i have paid to ride her for me. bella hasnt been ridden in 4 years as i have been stationed in germany with my husband.. i couldnt bare to sell her, so i paid her board all this time.. along with $1200 for 6 months of riding for my bella. is she really that bad confo wise?


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

Bella looks like a very well cared for horse. She has a nice neck and very pretty head. Her knees are set a bit to high up but for what she is being used for, she looks fine to me. Very attractive horse.


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## mlouati1389 (Jan 21, 2012)

thank you waresbear. i appreciate the honesty. what do high knees mean? i know nothing about conformation.. bella was my first horse. never really knew much before i got her. will it be problematic when she is older?


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## redape49 (Jul 29, 2011)

I really like her. I see the high knees too. Maybe a lil long in the back as well. Her hooves look on the smaller side for her body but it might be the pics, they're kinda far away and hard to see her hooves. Not bad at all, I really like her!


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## mlouati1389 (Jan 21, 2012)

thanks for your response! im glad you like her  i think the short hooves may be due to the poor pictures i have of her. i think they are a tad bit long. she is due for a trimming in 2 weeks. but i could be wrong and they could possibly fit her body! this is why i joined this forum.. so i could learn. 

maybe these pictures will be a little better


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## redape49 (Jul 29, 2011)

Ah ok I think it was the pics =) she's sooo cute she just looks so sweet.


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## mlouati1389 (Jan 21, 2012)

thank you! she is a great girl. very temperamental.. but extremely sweet when she wants to be  lol she is a very high strung horse. i have been told she makes riding a "heck of a good time" by the woman in the pictures.


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## redape49 (Jul 29, 2011)

She doesnt look high strung. She has a good cover!!! I think it's that adorable face =)


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## mlouati1389 (Jan 21, 2012)

she has this thing she loveesss to do.. when you ask her to do something she doesnt feel like doing, she will back up as fast as she can and spin real quick. it is a pain in the butt lol we nearly broke a fence one day. i tried as hard as i could to get her to move forward, spurred her- whipped her.. the thing about bella is when you whip her, she just gets even more pi**ed off and acts out 2x as bad! normally i would just let her back it out, then i would force her to keep on backing until she got sick of backing. but in some instances, it isnt possible to do that. she has backed into other horses. all over opening a gate. and you can clearly tell it isnt a "scared" back because her ears are not pinned forward and she isnt antsy. her ears go straight back, her tail swishes and she just goes back. but 90% of the time, she is a sure footed and reliable trail mount. not much spooks her. she just has her off days.  thanks for the wonderful compliments on her! makes me happy atleast a few people thing she isnt completely deformed. i always thought she was a pretty girl. thats why i named her bella. it is italian for pretty.


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

The bone from her knee to her fetlocks is long & thin, therefore more prone to injury, it's a long span, the longer the more vulnerable to a variety of problems. You want the knees to be lower so her forearm is the longer part as it more muscular and thicker, so you want the thick, strong part bearing the brunt. But for what you are using her for, I can't really see it being a major problem, she looks just fine to me.


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## Cacowgirl (Feb 19, 2011)

I think she's a very pretty girl, & it's easy to see she is very loved. Breeding is a BIG decision, quite costly, & carries risks, so do a lot of thinking on it, please.


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## mlouati1389 (Jan 21, 2012)

i know it is a big responsibility, and very costly. i remember having bella as a baby.. she was very expensive. but my family and i love bella more than anything. we have not been in the united states for 4 years.. but we have STILL managed to take great care of her. we just paid 800 to ship her from maine to tennessee- because board was cheaper.. we were paying 260 a month for her for the first 3 years of being in germany. now we pay 125 a month and we are also paying 1200 to have a girl i have never met, so she'll ride my horse. i got sick of people telling me that my horse is "crazy".. you cant "get near her".. etc.. she was the only one willing to open her heart to my girl, so we paid this girl to ride her for 6 months until i am back in the states. i am just telling you this as basically me letting you know, i always think of the best interest of my horse. i have 2 kids. if we didnt think we could afford it, we wouldnt spend so much on her. but bella is a huge part of all of our lives. and when she dies, it is going to crush all 4 of us. we figured breeding her, and keeping the baby.. may make the paid hurt less when the time comes. i would not even think of breeding her until she was around 16. give or take a year or 2. i appreciate your response and i am very thankful you took the time to be concerned


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## mlouati1389 (Jan 21, 2012)

it has been a long time since i have seen my horse.. but she looks like she has grown since i have seen her last. could anyone estimate the height of her for me? i know it wont be 100% accurate.. but anything is better than nothing. the girl riding her is 5'6". last i knew, bella was right around 14'2hh. i am assuming she has grown because she looks taller? but not as tall as 16hh, as the girl's personal horse is 16hh and looks a bit taller then bell. TIA


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## BarrelracingArabian (Mar 31, 2010)

Personally breeding "just to have a piece of her" is never a good idea for many reasons. Just because she is great doesn't mean her baby will have the same tempermant or be anything like her. She is very cute but no I would not breed her
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## mlouati1389 (Jan 21, 2012)

i appreciate your comment.. but if i can afford to take care of a foal, which i have already done with bella.. i have raised her since she was 3 months old. why not take the chance with a baby? i have had bella for 8 years.. and i never plan on selling her. i would not be breeding for money or to sell the foal. if i bred her, it would be a one time and one time only thing, and it would remain with the family the remainder of its life. whether it has bad conformation or not.. i am not a competitor. i do not need a horse that HAS to be ridden. if the foal was born with a deformity, so what.. it doesn't deserve love? it would still be my horse's baby. and it would live out it's life with love and care. some people only get horses for a specific job. my horse is apart of the family. she is not just a pet. id love to have gradbabies from my daughter's at one point in their lives. so why wouldnt i want to have a baby from the one thing that saved me during the worst part of my life.. just because she doesnt have perfect conformation?.. we all have different opinions and views. and i respect everyone's as i hope they respect mine. i know there are many horses that need rescuing, and that i should not add to the unwanted horse population. but the thing about that is.. this would be a WANTED horse.. and a well thought out and planned for horse. i would never breed irresponsibly. my husband is in the military.. we make quite decent money with his income along with mine. enough money that i have kept my horse all these years- always made sure she had a good life. was current on all vaccines.. farrier and dental.. and she will stay until her dying days. whether she goes lame or not at some point in her life. as would her foal. i love her dearly.. and id love her foal the same. perfect or not. she changed my life and i dont want to lose her when she goes. i may not have HER, but atleast i would have a constant reminder or her everytime i look out my window. sorry for the long response. i understand if no one reads it. but if you do, thank you for taking the time.


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## BarrelracingArabian (Mar 31, 2010)

I understand what you are saying however so many things could go wrong and in breeding her you could lose her or the baby or both if anything happened during the pregnancy. That is a risk in itself however I'm not telling you not to just my opinion. She is quite cute and I give you major props for keeping her throughout everything.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## mlouati1389 (Jan 21, 2012)

thank you. i think she is gorgeous. but i do believe everyone thinks their own horse is gorgeous. all in all, it goes back down to the way you feel about your own horse- being the only thing that matters.  i appreciate what you said about the chances of losing her.. and you are right.. i do not think i could bare to lose her. that horse saved me. i was in a really bad spot when i got her. some say i was stupid for getting a baby horse as my first horse, especially during my "crazy" days... but she helped me out of those days. i spent every waking minute with her that i could. and instead of focusing on myself and my problems, i focused on her. i taught her, as she taught me. we both learned and i think that is how we have such a strong bond. she got me over the toughest point in my life- as i helped her develop into a confident young mare. some say horses cant love their owner.. and that they will go to whoever has the grain. i have been in germany for several years due to relocation [dang the army].. but i went home on vacation in may 2 years ago. i hadnt seen my horse for 2 years before that. i walked to her pasture, and the second i called her name.. she came whinnying and galloping as fast as she could to the gate at the top of her pasture where i was standing. the stable owner told me that bella had not shown that sort of excitement since i had left her. it shocked her, and myself.. as i thought bella wouldnt remember me.. i was very very wrong. as i stood there, rubbing her chest- she wrapped her head around my shoulder and tugged me toward her. and let out a few more small whinnies. she is just so amazing. it has been very hard to be so far away from her.. people think i am selfish because i have kept her for so long.. as a pasture ornament.. but i could never sell that horse.. even if i tried.. it isnt possible. i dont think i could physically do it. we would have to be on the brink of being homeless for me to rehome that horse. and the thought of ever losing her, kills me inside. that is why i want to breed her. there is a chance she could die during birth, but there is also a chance that it could be successful. and when she dies, a piece of me will die with her. so if there is a chance, even a small one, that i could get a baby from her, i think i should take it. i get very emotional talking about bella. dont mind me. a lot of people think i am a "stupid" horse owner, because i view bella as family and not just a horse.. but we have a connection unlike many people i have seen, so it is okay. they can call me stupid... it doesnt hurt me. i would never breed her without fully vetting her, making sure she was 100% healthy and capable of birth.. and i would look very carefully for the perfect stallion for her. and this would not be in the works for several years from now, as i return to the states in may this year!! and my main priority will be reestablishing a relationship with my girl. afterall, she is only 8. so i have years before i should have to consider this..


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## redape49 (Jul 29, 2011)

I think you should breed her. I agree with you %100.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

She's a cute mare but, IMHO, definitely not breeding worthy. Her conformation isn't bad, but its not great either.

The thing that would concern me the most is her temperament. You already said that she was temperamental and very high strung. Even on a prime breeding prospect in every other way, those would be deal breakers for me. I've dealt with enough young horses from "temperamental, high strung" lines and let me tell you, they are a ***** to get them broke enough for anyone less than an expert to safely ride and they are a ***** to keep them sane and calm.

Some light reading that would likely benefit you.
http://www.horseforum.com/horse-breeding/things-think-about-before-you-consider-81824/


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## flyinghooves (Jan 25, 2012)

Bella is pretty little thing. Listen if you aren't breeding her to produce a show horse then it doesn't matter what her conformation is to others. The foal would be for your enjoyment. I have th same issue with one of my horses I think she is just amazing but I'm sure she's not perfect in conformation. If your not looking to sell then don't worry about it. Bell might not be perfect but she is perfect enough  Look for a great stallion if it makes you feel better.


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## Cacowgirl (Feb 19, 2011)

You have taken wonderful care of Bella,& you two do have a very strong conection. If you want to go ahead w/your plans, I would do it before she hits her teen years. Having a first foal as a "teen-ager" can be harder than if you do it earlier. I have to say most of my foals, didn't turn out as well as I anticipated, but they were useful horses,& the one that was a "little crazy" I had PTS, as I didn't feel right in passing on a "problem".


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## Endiku (Dec 6, 2010)

She is a beautiful animal, though there are a fair share of faults in her conformation. Not terrible, mind you, but enough that I would not want to breed her.

As stated before, pregnancy is horses can be a very risky business. Because of their anatomy, they are prone to difficult pregnancies and labours, and are not able to have many of the life-saving surgeries that a dog, a cat, or even a cow could have. 

I have a young mare (much younger than yours, as she's turning four this year) who has a similar story as you and your Bella do. She was a crazy, untouchable animal that many people deemed to be a 'psychotic monster' before I began to work with her, and it's taken me years to get her to become the half-way decently mannered animal that she is now.

Last year, she was 'accidentally' impregnated through bad handling and care at our barn of one of our stallions. I made sure to get her good vet care, lots of exercise, good nutrition...the best that I could afford, in order to keep her healthy and safe. I thought that everything would be fine, and that I didn't have anything to worry about. She was young and in top condition, and both she and the stud that she was bred to have decent conformation. 

Well a little over 9 months later, she went into labour. We tried to stop it, but her body had already rejected the foal. The little colt was still-born upon arrival, and completely emanciated. It turns out that her body has actually rejected the foal and cut off his nutrition quite a while before her body disposed of the foal, and that he had actually starved to death inside of her body. Not only this, but after birth, Sour (my mare) contracted a bad infection in her uterus, almost killing her. It took almost a month of stall rest and many antibotics to get her healthy again. I remember wondering multiple times if I was going to loose her.

I don't tell you this to keep you from breeding your mare. Some mares don't have any complications with birth. But the cold, hard facts are that pregnacy is VERY risky, and throws both the mother and the foal into jeprody. Do you really want to risk it? Make sure that you understand the possibilities of problems arising, before you breed. And always be prepared to loose her or the foal at any given time. 

But I also agree with Cacowgirl. If you DO go ahead and breed her, I would advise in breeding her while she's in her prime, before she hits her teenaged years. Maiden pregnancies are always the riskiest, and the risks just get higher and higher the older the horse is.


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