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Due to decreasing use over the years, I have decided to disable the forum functionality of the site.

Forums will still be available to view but new posts are no longer allowed.

not a critique, just a general question

This is a general question for everyone here. Do you have a conformation flaw that automatically disqualifies a mare from being bred? I guess I got kind of used to seeing the truly horrible examples on FHOTD and then it's obvious they should not be bred. Then I see people's horses here and the flaws are generally so slight that it seems most could be taken to a carefully selected stallion and still produce a good foal. If you have a mare who has competed successfully and stayed sound with a slight flaw, do you take that into consideration when deciding whether to breed her? Do you think that this "what's inside?", as Heidi puts it, can be passed to her foal? I've never been a student of conformation. It's something I'd like to learn and I'm trying to piece it together, but until meeting people here I always just looked at each horse as a whole animal and either like her or I don't. I have a hard time pulling the pieces apart to actually do a critique. For me, I think the only thing (other than a FHOTD-type example) that would knock a mare out of consideration for breeding is an inability to track up, which is only partly related to conformation. Oh, also, poor form over fences.

Sara Mon, 04/13/2009 - 21:27

I'll have to find a better photo of her because she looks posty to me in person and she's a TB.

Then again maybe I won't, since I just stated my desire to shut down this part of the forum before it explodes us. :?

Jenks Tue, 04/14/2009 - 13:30

[quote="Sara"]I'll have to find a better photo of her because she looks posty to me in person and she's a TB.

Then again maybe I won't, since I just stated my desire to shut down this part of the forum before it explodes us. :?[/quote]

Ha! I will be more careful....It could happen anywhere. Even exploded during genetics arguments as well... ;) and we all lived.

lillith Mon, 05/18/2009 - 04:41

I dont have a mare or intend to breed at the moment but if I was the mare must have done something in whatever im breeding her for, and be good at it even if she stopped competing before she had to to go into breeding. She must be sound and must have reasonable conformation. Again the excessively's are all out, legs are most important. I'd prefer to go for an older stallion still competing as this shows longevity of career, this usualy precludes any of the excessively's but again their out, legs most important. Mare and stallion must complement eachother and have no family history of things like navicular. Basically the best I can afford.

all that sass Wed, 06/10/2009 - 09:00

here is what i look for when looking at a horse.
1. quiet eyes
2. neck set on at the right height. i will not fight a high neck set
3. legs that are reasonably straight. front legs must be straight because they carry more weight. Minor hind leg 'problems' are acceptable as long as the body isn't too long and the horse isn't camped out because there is no way i will get it to track up and that annoys me.
4. whither or proper height, if i cant fit a saddle on it, I'm not interested.
5. feet that work or can work with proper trimming.
6. horse needs to be close to balanced. i like uphill movers if the neck is set lower, but wont take a downhill mover with a high neck set....its not the same. when you have that body balance, its an easy ride for any discipline. Maybe not a top level jumper or cutter, but will get the jobs done if asked.

temperament is truly paramount. I have turned down FREE mature, broke to ride ponies who spook in their own arena because i have no use for that. I think spooky horses should never be bred because who among us wants to deal with a spook every time we ride???? there are some temperament problems that are man made and aren't hereditary, but 'quick to spook' horses have something wrong with them....you can't teach a horse to spook at a jump standard in the corner of the ring....and its really hard to teach them not too.

Sara Wed, 06/10/2009 - 11:45

That all makes sense and I like the way you stated things. I have battled a high neck set though -- and Fly will now travel long and low and he LOVES it. He won't do it at shows yet but I think with miles he will.

I know what you mean about the spooky ones. One of my students has a spooky horse and it's so frustrating!! A horse who spooks at the SAME pile of jumps in the corner of his OWN arena EVERY day has issues. The funny thing is that he is less spooky at shows, probably because [i]everything[/i] is new and different.

My best lesson pony could actually be considered a little spooky but for him it's specific things -- hoses, pitchforks -- so I think he has history with them. He also hates it when snow slides off the arena but who doesn't! My student from Ohio says even there where it happens all the time, horses still spook.

lipigirl Wed, 06/10/2009 - 15:20

I actually like a neck infront of me and most of the Iberian breeds have a high neck set but then I never try and battle with it - just let them be - I never needed to ask them to overbend or ride with a low slung neck - horses for courses !!! :laugh1

all that sass Wed, 06/10/2009 - 15:46

exactly! conformation is so subjective! i mean we all know what straight legs look like and can point out crooked legs till the dogs come home, but if the horse you are riding isn't doing what you want it to do and you are constantly working on one thing every time you ride to try and overcome a conformation (or mental capacity) that doesn't suit your discipline (or your patience), then the most perfect legs in the world are not going to help you one bit! so, breed a horse that would suit what you want to do. no horse is perfect, but we ride horses and need them to be suitable for the type of riding we want to do. IMHO

Sara Wed, 06/10/2009 - 15:55

Fly's neck isn't set on nearly as high as an Iberian horse. We bought him when the owner was 11 and looking for an all-around horse to ride, maybe show a little. It turns out she got bitten by the show bug HARD and now he's done hunters through 2'6" and jumpers through 3'. To do hunters we had to teach him long and low (and like I said he still will not do it away from home but I trust it will come) which is probably not nearly as low as you are thinking it is, Lipi. Since he shows on the open circuit his head should be about where Tickle's head is in the photos I posted from our last show.

So... had I known this girl wanted to do a lot of hunters I would not have looked at him. She's totally in love with him now and so we work with what we have. :) He does great in the jumpers where his head does not matter.