# Critique on 2yr old AQHA Gelding



## Elly01 (Nov 25, 2013)

This is my 2yr old ever growing QH. The side shot of him facing right he is on uneven ground if that makes a difference


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## ForeverSunRider (Jun 27, 2013)

So I'm just going to sub on this thread because I'm trying to teach myself to critique and I figure I may be able to learn from watching this...sorry, no real advice.

I like him though. I personally don't see much wrong with him. His one hind pastern seems rather long compared to the front in one of his pictures but that very well could be the way he's standing. 

I'm also learning this myself so I could be totally wrong.


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

Post legs and something weird about his shoulder/withers/neck that I can't really place. Super cute face. Would love to see pics when he is done growing.


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## DixieMay1996 (May 2, 2013)

His front legs seem a little short haha. beautiful horse though. I'm on my school's horse judging team and have studied a bit about conf. His shoulders are set a little bit forward making his neck tie in low but still look odd and long.


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## Dustbunny (Oct 22, 2012)

I'm no good at this confo stuff. I'll let others find the faults.
I will simply say this...Gosh, that is one terrible looking horse! You can dump him in my pasture. I suppose I can eventually get him to hobble down a trail. : )
Welcome to the board!


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## Endiku (Dec 6, 2010)

He has incredibly upright pasterns. Is he halter bred? It almost looks like 3 out of 4 of his hooves are clubby to different degrees, and I'm honestly wondering if that might be the result of a poor trim job. 

In the first picture his right rear leg looks kind of...puffy to me. 

This colt is cute and well cared for, but nothing screams 'using horse' at me. he does have better bone than some QH that I see, but his hooves/pasterns are all kinds of funky and he has a straight shoulder. I'm willing to bet he is halter bred on at least one side.


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

Dixie, the downhill look could be a growth spurt, based on his age.


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## Elana (Jan 28, 2011)

Pasterns are a little upright but this is a pretty nice horse. The second photo with the horse standing on lousy footing and with the front end closer to the camera than the back end and the camera at an angle makes him look much more down hill than he is. He is a little long through the coupling and a little straight through the hocks. 

His shoulder is adequate and his neck ties in correctly. The base of his neck ties in at the correct place. He has good withers and with maturity they should become less prominant. 

I like this horse quite a lot. He is quite mature for a 2 year old.. so he will bulk up some I expect and at that point I may not like him as much! right now I would like to see this horse in some English classes.. maybe hunter over fences eventually and maybe as an equitation over fences horse as I think he will be pretty in the air but maybe not super scopey. 

Nice horse.


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## Elly01 (Nov 25, 2013)

Thank you everyone for your opinions! He is very much butt high right now and has hit his growth spurts a little later than some of my others. You are correct Endiku his sire was a producer of nothing but big player Halter horses, however his mother is by a leading working bred sire. As far as his feet yes they are all still off, I got him just under a year ago, and his feet had never been touched it was a mess, so they are still a work in progress I recently have had him shod to correct some heel support issue's and his angles are looking so much better. He is a huge boy almost hitting 16hh at just 2 and bred to be a big huge Halter boy, I often wonder if my refusal to put that major bulk on him instead opting to try for a leaner muscle base has made his overall "look", look rather "wonky" at times as he grows upwards then out, then up and out again. His butt has currently shot way up again, and to me looks as though it has given him a predominate "Goose Rump" appearance.. Elana I actually intend on using him both WP and HUS, he oddly enough for how he is bred has long fluid gate, and I hope he will be competitive in these disciplines, if this will not be his nitch in life we will have to go from there.. Again Thank you everyone for your replies and opinions


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## Elly01 (Nov 25, 2013)

*Him moving at a natural pace in round pen.*

2yr old Gelding in round pen last month!


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

I'm no confo expert, but I think he's real nice looking <3!


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

nice horse. very healthy looking and I like your plans. once his feet are made better, I think he'll be a very nice riding horse.


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## Elly01 (Nov 25, 2013)

*Another side shot*

I thought I had attached this photo in my original post, but I do not see it there. This is a little more current the two original posted pictures of my boy..


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## Elana (Jan 28, 2011)

I like this horse even MORE here.

Here are the lines. 
Almost as level as you would want. Peak of croup a little too pronounced and tail set a tiny bit low. Coupling a little bit long. Nice shoulder. A little steep in the front pasterns. 

Love the neck and the way it sits on the shoulder. Lovely head. Open throat latch. Good rear end.. powerful. A tiny bit straight through large, clean hocks. Nice bone. 

Nice nice NICE horse.


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## Elana (Jan 28, 2011)

BTW what is his breeding?


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## Elly01 (Nov 25, 2013)

Thanks for your input Elana , and this boy's Sire is, Call Me Tardee Clu by Kid Clu, and his Dam is a daughter of Vantastic Too by Advantage.


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

Lovely!


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## Elana (Jan 28, 2011)

A LOT of Impressive in there. Has he been tested for HYPP? If he has not, he should be even if he is currently not symptomatic. 

Impressive truly WAS Impressive. It is a shame he started the entire HYPP genetic flaw. 
Rant//
The halter horses of today are not him.. they are some aberration of non reality with bad legs, diaper butts and hind legs so posty that they must have stifle issues. Shame really. Halter judges ought to look at Orren Mixer's painting of the ideal Quarterhorse and pin THAT, not what they are pinning today in the halter ring. 
//end rant


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## Endiku (Dec 6, 2010)

I think that mama's side is his saving grace. I really do like how much bone he has compared to the halter type that his sire would throw. I'm glad you're working on his feet and believe me, I understand the pains of having to fix hooves that hadn't been touched for years! 

He's going to be a really nice animal if those feet can be corrected and his pasterns don't get to him. I love his eye and neck.


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## Elly01 (Nov 25, 2013)

Yes, his feet look tons better I should get a current picture just for comparison. I try to keep a leaner muscle base on him, as I am sure the "bulk" would easily take over if nurtured. He has been tested for HYPP, and he is actually N/H. He is the 4th N/H horse I have owned I owned his older half Brother (same sire) as well. I am well versed on the whole HYPP mess, I am very cognizant of his diet and daily exercise regiment, and I have been very blessed to have never had any of my 4 to include this guy show any type's of symptoms what so ever. I have never medicated either. My one N/H gelding just passed at the ripe old age of 30 I owned him 29 of those 30 years with out incident.. But it can be a very ugly thing. I don't show Halter so yes his mother's addition to this cross is what drew me to this guy in the first place. I agree with you Elana, Impressive bred horses have been some of the best looking and best minded horses I have worked with over my many years, both my N/H boys and I had a N/N Impressive bred Mare as well. They have great work ethics, easy going temperament's, train like a dream, and are good looking to boot  And Endiku he does have a very upright pasterns I think the pictures may exaggerated it a touch, but he has them yes none the less. I believe that we have dealt with that the best we can for now with dropping some of his heel and letting his toe grow out a bit, like I said I will post some more current pics eventually. Again thanks everyone!


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## atomicfruit (Jan 28, 2013)

This is a great example of what a good picture can do for a horse. I didn't like him at all from the first images. This last one made me go wow!


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## Elly01 (Nov 25, 2013)

*Feet getting a little better*

These are still not real current maybe 2 months ago, and taken about 2 months after the previous pictures. They are not the greatest as just snapped on my daughters cel phone, but his feet even since these pictures now have shoes, and his angles worked on more.. It's been a work in progress over the last year, slowly but surly we are getting there. It does not help he has the slowest growing foot around and genetics that say he must have tiny feet


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## Elana (Jan 28, 2011)

I hope you try him over fences a little. I think he might be very nice hunter over fences, especially in AQHA shows (if you compete in those).


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## Elana (Jan 28, 2011)

As to jumping and upright pasterns, we are not talking huge jumps for hunters. You can always use a sling boot to help take up the shock. 

I like this horse quite a lot.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I agree with Elana, this is a very nice young horse. He's not perfect, for sure, but I don't really see any reason why he wouldn't make a really nice horse for just about anything. If he bulks up very much more, he will likely lose some of his athletic ability though.

I don't really have much bias against halter bred horses being good performance horses, but there are a lot of halter bred horses with poor conformation and that's what I have a bias against. IMHO, it's not halter horse breeding folks need to worry about, it's halter horse conformation LOL. One of the best performance horses we ever had on our place was a grandson of Impressive. Reining, roping, working cow horse, ranch work, etc all his life.

I agree with having him tested for HYPP if it's not been done though. Better safe than sorry.

Oh, and one thing that I didn't see anyone else mention. It appears to me that he also might be ever so slightly calf-kneed.


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## KRiley (Jul 6, 2010)

I am sad to see quarter horses with feet too small. Its' more and more common. Three round circles on little feet. :-(


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