# Critique the filly



## MyFillyAspen (Oct 28, 2012)

This is my 2.5yo WB filly Aspen, I would love some insight on her conformation. Please bare in mind that she is still a young horse so is still growing and developing (is currently bumhigh etc). 

I would also like some insight into what her conformation would make her suit dicipline wise.

Thank you!


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

She is SO shiny. To the point I actually had trouble critiquing her! LOL "Better pictures needed-please get her dirty first". I'm half serious she's hard to see!

She looks slightly tied in behind the knee. Rather big belly (hay/lack of fitness?)

Rather straight hind leg and small hock. Feel her hind leg is her weak(er) point.

Low neck set for a WB. Cute color, don't usually see warmblood so "sealy."

Overall I can see her being a very balanced horse when she grows into herself and while she looks like an "adult" I think she has a lot of growth to do. I hope you will start her later and give her time to grow.

Not good and discipline advice but just off how she looks now I see hunter type, long and low. What did her parents do? I think she could do anything pretty much but she doesn't have the typical "WB look".


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## MyFillyAspen (Oct 28, 2012)

Thanks for your critique Yogiwick.

She is a very easy keeper (am currently not feeding her at all unless I work her, then she gets a hard feed afterwards). I love having a clean horse - people have joked about getting white gloves and doing a dust check because I groom so thoroughly with multiple grooming tools. :lol: What can I say, she's my pride and joy - I love making her well presented and spending the time with her to make her squeaky clean .

With her summer coat (photos taken with winter coat) she is not sealy, so just her winter coat is a bit full on - I call her my Cadbury Crunchie pony in winter as she reminds me of a Cadbury block with the Crunchy pieces (muzzle etc). Yep.. I'm nuts, hahaha. :wink:

She's currently had one ride thus far, at a walk and only for two laps of the roundyard. She will be ridden very lightly until the end of this year, sparingly, before being turned out to mature for 5/6 months - I will be doing groundwork with her still during this time but wont be riding - just letting her body mature more before bringing her back into work mid 2015.

Dam was predominantly a dressage mount, and instructed under Hayley Beresford (International dressage rider and instructor) before being retired and used as a broodmare - Aspen is her third foal. 
Sire is a dressage stallion, who has competed at PRE level on numerous occasions (is currently out of work but I am told that he will be brought back into work and further campaigned undersaddle).

Hope that answers all your questions - if you have any more please don't hesitate to ask. 


Also included are a few photos of her moving which were taken the same day as the above photo. 








Thank you again.


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## jazzy475 (Sep 18, 2014)

She is a very beautiful mare


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## flytobecat (Mar 28, 2010)

She's really lovely.


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## MyFillyAspen (Oct 28, 2012)

Thank you both :grin:.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

can't say one negative thing about her. she's very correct and , . . shiny!


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## Tryst (Feb 8, 2012)

She is very shiny! Wow! I am kind of surprised to find out that she is strongly dressage bred, as she looks more huntery to me too.

Neck is a good length, but ties in a bit low to her chest. Her shoulder is average with fairly low point of shoulder. Well shaped withers. Coupling a touch long. Her hip is really quite short creating a smaller hindquarters. She is quite straight through the hind leg and maybe even a touch sickle hocked. She has nice bone, but is a touch back at the knee. Good heart girth depth. 

I think she will struggle at upper level dressage based on her build, but should be fine at lower levels. I'm not sure what her ability to get her knees up over jumps will be but would expect lower level hunters might suit her.

Thank you for posting such a nice conformation photo too! Your love for her is evident and she looks very sweet.


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## MyFillyAspen (Oct 28, 2012)

It's so nice to hear such wonderful feedback - thank you all, really. :grin: It's nice to know she is as good a horse as her biased mum thinks :lol:.

My plans for her is basically an allrounder with a bit more focus on lower level dressage, and maybe a bit of jumping when she is ready both physically and mentally. 

The photographer took some great photos - these ones were unedited as he gave them to me on USB (his daughter agists on the same property) to have a fiddle around with. I was able to get some great shots out of his photography - I am very pleased and will definitely get him to do some paid photography when miss Aspen is undersaddle/out and about. 

Thanks again for the feedback! :smile:


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## CrossCountry (May 18, 2013)

She's pretty ugly.. You need to send her to me!

No just kidding. She is one of the prettiest horses I've ever seen.


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## MyFillyAspen (Oct 28, 2012)

CrossCountry said:


> She's pretty ugly.. You need to send her to me!
> 
> No just kidding. She is one of the prettiest horses I've ever seen.


Haha nice try, she's not going anywhere :wink:. Thank you - I love the browns, and funnily enough ended up with one not based on colour, or therefore lack of. :lol:


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## Elana (Jan 28, 2011)

This is a very nicely turned out horse. Clearly she is loved and well cared for. 

She has a nice top line from poll to coupling. Neck carried nicely into well formed but not overly prominant withers into a coupling that is a bit long but smooth to a point of croup which is a bit far back resulting in a shorter than desirable length of croup. Her shoulder is adequate to steep and her shoulder angle is adequate. If she is jumped she will probably get her knees level but will just as probably hang her feet a bit. 

Her front leg has adequate bone but she is back at the knee and tied in at the knee. Her pasterns are adequate length. Her feet seem small. Her knees are nice and low.

Her hind leg is a bit straight and is coupled with the somewhat short croup and high stifle so will lack over all power. Her hocks are large and room but placed much higher than her knees. This uneven height of hocks to knees is coupled with an over all down hill build. She will be difficult to collect and get off her forehand. As expected, in all the photos of her moving she is heavily on her forehand. 

She is a well turned out horse and will probably provide an adequate ride but she will probably not excel in dressage due to her down hill build and she will just as likely remain in low level jumpers due to her shoulder and lack of power behind and her downhill build. She might not remain sound at higher levels jumping due to her weak front leg. 

She is a horse that will teach you hugely. Train her and enjoy her like you are and see where she takes you.


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

MyFillyAspen said:


> It's so nice to hear such wonderful feedback - thank you all, really. :grin: It's nice to know she is as good a horse as her biased mum thinks :lol:.
> 
> My plans for her is basically an allrounder with a bit more focus on lower level dressage, and maybe a bit of jumping when she is ready both physically and mentally.
> 
> ...


She is lovely you should be proud! And she is obviously loved too .

I can see her doing that no problem whatsoever. I can see her growing into a dressage horse but depends on how she develops. I was gonna guess her breeding was dressage so you CAN see it. Just isn't how she looks *right now* imo.


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## MyFillyAspen (Oct 28, 2012)

Thought I'd post a few recent Photos of Aspen this past week. Please bare in mind that she has been out of any kind of work for the last 3/4months and has just come back into work, hence her lack of muscling etc. 

What do you think of her now?


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## Lanagirl (Jan 21, 2015)

Still beautiful. Still a bit downhill.
lovely lovely girl.


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