# AQHA Mare and foal critque



## carshon (Apr 7, 2015)

I do not see anything overly glaring although it appears the mare is a little post legged in the back. The roan foal seems to have the same issue. Her underside seems long compared to her top line but her shoulder angle looks good.


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## Follow (Mar 4, 2014)

Will the colt's postiness keep him from working long days at a ranch? Will he hold up for that or do we need to wait until he is older and re-access the horse to have that answer?


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

Some things can change as a horse matures...some things don't.
I think it to soon to make a decision on such a youngster.
As for posty legs and not holding up...:shrug:
Some horses can have the best conformation and still fall apart and the "train-wreck" keeps on going.
Many things come into a horse staying active, productive and sound during their lifetime.
:runninghorse2:....
_jmo..._


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## Follow (Mar 4, 2014)

Okay good to know. 
But being a "little post legged", is that typically thrown into the trainwreck category?


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## LoriF (Apr 3, 2015)

I have a mare that I got when she was six years old. She is a little post legged and has not had a lame day so far. She's ten now.

Now, she doesn't work long day after long day doing ranch work, but I have worked her pretty hard.


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## Juicycouture (Jul 5, 2017)

A slight goose rump as well


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## carshon (Apr 7, 2015)

My friends former reiner is post legged - and that is why she is no longer a reiner - she could not get underneath of herself enough for a great spin or slidestop. Unless the ranch work requires a lot of that type of work I don't think the post legged-ness will make much of an issue


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## Follow (Mar 4, 2014)

He would be some doing cow work as well. He's primarily cutting bred. 
He wouldn't be doing spins or slides. But he will need to be able to get under himself. Again as a foal, is there any way that he might grow out of it to an extent? I guess at this point there is no way of knowing how bad it will be.


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

Subbing <3


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

I don't think you can really say that the colt is either posty legged or goose rumped . . . yet. Too much growth is yet to come, and this can really change the way he looks.

I like the dam quite a lot. She has good bone and both a nice shoulder AND nice hip. 

wait a year (I know, long time) and come back with good photos of the baby. I think we will be pleasantly surprised.


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## Follow (Mar 4, 2014)

Thank you! She is bred to Sophisticated Catt for 2018. We're hoping for a very athletic baby out of this cross.
If the colt on the ground doesn't cut it for the ranch work we will keep him on as my SO's trail horse. Providing he keeps the cool little nature that we've been hearing about.


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

i have seen some posty legged cow horses. as long is its not extreme (ill post a pic) i dont think it will be an issue.

Posty legged










this is Smart Little Lena. we all know who he is and even he was slightly posty legged.









so i would not bee too concerned. just dont breed her to a posty legged stud. no horse is perfect but she is close.


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## Follow (Mar 4, 2014)

Thanks for giving me an example like SLL. That's very helpful!


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

Kiger -- helpful comparison!
That poor baby o,o


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## Kaifyre (Jun 16, 2016)

Oh my god what happened to that colt? Eeww, halter breeding to the extreme! He'll never be good to really ride .... poor thing. I hope he didn't win. Or show. Or place. I hope judges don't encourage that sort of conformation ...

-- Kai


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

yeah when people think posty legged a horse like smart little leana is what most refer too and look what he did. a posty-ish legged horse may not excel at say reining but they can still be good using horses. its when you start getting like that halter horse that things get to the point of no function.

here is another example of questionable conformation. out 27 year old apache pony/mustang. she is 14hh at the withers and 15hh at the rear (i know you dont measure the rear end but she is SERIOUSLY butt high). she was always placing or winning barrels with someone who fell off every other ride (imagine sack of potatoes strapped to a barrel horse). she would spend days working cattle with my 6'4" 270lb fiance riding her and act like he was not even there (still dose). she has never had a soundness problem and she still has 110% no arthritis. i have yet to see her even be stiff in the winter (i have that issue and im 2 years younger than her!)

and yes side note that halter horse is terrifying.


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

^Totally agree. No (or very few  ) horses are conformationally perfect. Additionally, there are horses who have 'screaming' conformational flaws that are great riding horses, and conformationally beautiful horses that wind up hurting themselves, are lame, have a penchant for illness, or simply don't have the mind to be a good mount.
It all comes down to the total package, and sometimes a horse is blessed with strengths that far outweigh their conformational shortcomings. 
@Kaifyre -- To be fair, that photo looks like it was taken as a sale photo. Despite the banding, this picture doesn't scream "show turnout" to me.


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

I'd want better conformation shots to decide if the mare is truly post legged,as in some pictures she looks posty and in others, slightly sickle hocked
Stand her up, with legs under her, and measure the inside hock angle.
Far as the foal, best to evaluate when he is a bit older

Hocks that are too straight (not enough bend) put the whole hind leg too forward--not directly under the buttocks. A horse is considered post-legged (hocks too straight) if the joint angle between the upper leg bone and the cannon bone is more than 170 degrees. Viewed from the side, if a hind leg is too straight, a line dropped from the buttock falls in back of the cannon; the hock is set forward almost under the stifle; the leg as a whole is almost as straight as a fence post. The tibia (above the hock) is almost vertical, rather than having a normal 60 degree slope.


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

Smart Little Lena is certainly down hill, which does not matter in a cutter, as they get down to work that cow
It matters on a saddle horse, that is going to put in long hours, covering ground, and ahorse, as [pictured, above, long backed, down hill is not what I would chose to ride any distance!
That \halter foal is an excellent example of a extreme post legged horse, just looking at the open inside hock angle and by dropping that imaginary line down from the point of the hip
Far as the mare the OP posted about-not so sure, as in the second top picture, where the inside hind leg (left) is under her, I don't see post legged


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## Mopy (May 8, 2017)

Both horses' front legs look toed out to me. Could be a bit post-legged, like said above, but nothing too bad. Overall, very nice looking horses.


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

said roan mare is an example of questionable confo still being a good using horse. my 10 year hold come up lame here and there. she has been lame ONCE in her 27 years of life so i give her that lol! and thats with hours of cattle work, miles of trails and 20 years of being a speed event horse. what i was trying to convey is to not necessarily rule the mare out for not being 100% perfect


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

Many sprint horses are built down hill, thus that trait often seen in lines of running AQHA horses.
Downhill built won't necessarily predispose a horse to un soundness, but those horses are also not smooth to ride, and don't hold a saddle well in all kinds of terrain, like steep hills, esp going down
Old timers used the term, 'saddle back horse', and it was a horse with an up hill build, good withers and long smooth muscles, versus bunchy muscles, as in halter horses
No, many slight conformation deviations, don't always predispose a horse to unsoundness,esp if not stressed to the max, and that is why in our horse evaluation program (AHIP ), scores listed minor and major faults. It is also a fact, that the more stress that is put on anything that is not architecturally correct, be it a building or a horse, the more likely that structure will fail, under incremental stress
The mare posted, to me does not have any serious conformation defects, and the foal is too young to evaluate definitively, esp from the picture posted


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## Follow (Mar 4, 2014)

They will both be here the 17th or 18th! I'll update the thread with new pictures then! The colt is shedding out to be extremely roaned out. I'm undecided if he is bay or actually brown. His sire is definitely bay looking but I wonder about his dam being brown as well. I'll get pictures in good lighting once he's here and through them in the 'guess the color' forum, if there is such a thing on this forum. 

We are very excited about this pair coming and some nights I can't even sleep. 

I'm expecting them to both look a bit rough when they get here. Momma , I'm sure is ready to soon be weaned from baby but with a few months of good nutrients I'm sure she will flourish. And baby will be in an awkward stage soon I'm guessing. 

We do still need name so if anyone has suggestion feel free to throw them out there! 
I was thinking about calling the colt, Sully. But the hubby likes Taco better, lol.


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## SilverMaple (Jun 24, 2017)

Congrats! I quite like this pair, and I think they will work out nicely. They look like well-bred, 'using' horses. Have they been on pasture turnout only? If so, baby will look a bit rough, but they catch up nicely and seem to turn out better in the end than the ones kept in stalls/pens and grained heavily.


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## Follow (Mar 4, 2014)

Thanks! I think they will do very well here. 

They haven't been on pasture much from what I know, but huge dry lots with free choice grass hay, so I still expect him to be rough looking. Not any grain from what I understand. 

I plan to put momma on some Purina Strategy when she gets here. That should get her the extra calories and vitamins she needs while nursing this baby and making another.


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## Follow (Mar 4, 2014)

These two got here last night. We are THRILLED. The colt is pretty shy and hasn't had anything done with him except halter and maybe leading a few steps. I think once he's settled in he's going to be very easy going. He has pretty chill attitude as long as mom is close by. Momma super sweet as well! Still needing some names for these two as well so if you have suggestions I'd be glad to hear them!


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## Follow (Mar 4, 2014)

Sorry that the photos are sideways. Not sure how that happened!


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

Congratulations on your new additions!


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