I haven't done this before so...

[rabbitsfizz]

This is Leo- 3 year old colt, to be gelding as I think he will drive well.

Excuse the clip job- I always rough clip, then bath then tidy up so I am not too bothered about odd ends showing at this stage- he will need tidying up before the sale anyway. That is why I (who do not clip!!

) have clipped him- first Society Sale- it's a bit of a big deal so I thought I would put a nice animal through, if he sells he sells, if he comes home I shall geld and show him (if I can afford it ) .

Anyway he was being a prat in the paddock so you will have to patch the photos together to get an idea of his head etc!!

He is no base wide at the back, by the way- he was being a three year old colt- there were mares just out of reach and he was pushing on the fence

Oops- a bit big!!

This is just the other side which is basically the same as the other side!! One side of a Chestnut is pretty much the same- one of the reasons I'm gelding him- apart form the fact that he just does not excite me as stallion material- is his colour- very plain!!

He has done well showing, nothing spectacular but consistent, and he will not take a minute to harness train.

He is a dear boy- I am getting very fond of him, but I shall still take him to the sale- there may be someone willing to be fonder, and with more time.

We shall see.

OK, I am fairly tough, but I would appreciate CONSTRUCTIVE criticism, please!!!

:

So fire away

[SIZE=18pt]Lyn, are you there?????[/SIZE]

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Come on , someone must want to play???

 

[Colagirl]

from what I have learned from this forum and studying the critiques of others he has nice high head carraige but his neck doesnt tie in well. What height is he?? He looks quite tall??

 

[Songcatcher]

Sorry Fizz. I don't know enough about judging to critique anyone's horse. All I can say is that he looks like a large horse (and that is meant as a compliment).

 

[kaykay]

first off i love his nice big hip and short tight back His legs, pasterns etc look very correct. For sure he needs conditioning and some weight off so its hard to tell if his neck ties in low or hes just overweight. His shoulder angle is a little straight which will hinder him a bit in driving along with the thick neck. (let me clarify every horse can drive but I am talking about driving in competiton.) Also with conditioning his chest would come out more and put his front a little more in balance with the back. If he was mine and I was putting him thru a sale i would definately get him in a little better shape. Id do some round penning and a lot of trotting to get that chest to come out.

 

[ChrystalPaths]

I do like him Jane, he would make fine sales horse to advertise your farm and it's quality horses. Chestnut may be plain byt a shiney upheaded red horse catches the eye. I think he'd be pretty spiffy on a cart also. I love his butt and his head. But I'm no critiquer, just know what I like.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Yes, I would agree with everything said so far- he has come straight out of the field and is a bit overweight- even if I do like them fat!!

He is in pretty good condition- there is just too much of it

:

I would also agree with the neck comment although, strangely this does not affect his ability to cover ground- he has a trot like a Hunter!!!

I also think his head, although nice , does not tie into his neck well, and is a bit big- which will show even more if I take some of his neck off, I think, we shall see.

He is 33 1/2"- I should have said that, sorry, I hope he has stopped growing, US measured he is about 32 1/2- 33".

I do like this colt, I like his attitude and the way he uses himself, which, of course, you cannot see in a photo!! He is beautifully straight behind, too.

Thanks everyone who has critiqued so far- please, keep them coming!!!

 

[shane]

: IM SCARED TO LOL :lol:

:

 

[capall beag]

For whatever it is worth!!

I like him but I love him from the withers back and I like him from mid neck up to(including) his head his front end, to me, does not fit exactly with the rest, I agree I think he is too light in the front end for that fine looking butt

: :lol: , I think he needs his front end built up to match his rear!!

His overall look is very masculine and I think that is important, he is eyecatching and I am sure with some fine tuning could be a real looker

:

 

[Margo_C-T]

There is a lot about him that can't really be seen in the photos presented; with that in mind, from what CAN be seen--I like his overall balance, nice low hocks and knees, short back and longer underline; he has a good, long hip with plenty of substance in the 'skirt' area(a MAJOR lacking in lots of miniature horses, especially many of the currently popular 'super refined' ones. He doesn't quite have the currently popular 'flat topline'-but, so what! He appears to have hooves of decent size AND shape, and good pastern angle and length all around. His legs appear clean and with good definition,and do appear to be straight and correct-though the best way to see that is in a good, standing square, direct front and rear view.What I like the least is what appears to be a very straight shoulder, and a thick neck(which may/may not be well-shaped and with a clean throatlatch; can't really tell, from these photos.) His head is OK, just not GREAT, IMO. There is a lack of definition where the neck comes out of the chest, but I suspect some weight loss would make some difference there-though perhaps not as much as one would wish.The neck might fade with gelding(personally, I prefer stallions who do NOT develop heavy necks-am well aware that 'some' of that comes with the territory, just don't care for the ones who REALLY develop heavy necks). I don't doubt when Jane says the horse can still move well, even with the straight shoulder; however, most should know that by and large, a more laid back shoulder should indicate better potential for above-average movement. I do think he is overall, too heavy-though as Jane says, he looks to be in pretty fit condition-and there just needs to be a bit less of him, overall! May I respectfully ask why you wouldn't geld him BEFORE offering him at the sale? When I look at him, I think how nice a gelding he would be....is there not a market for geldings on your side of the pond? Or maybe it's like it is over here-in Miniatures, the gelding market is JUST(at long last!) getting started, lagging 'WAY behind about all other horse breeds!) But, what a statement offering a nice gelding can make....

 

[CountryHaven]

I like him, too, and the pictures are very nice, but not exactly the best for critiquing, as you've already pointed out that you understand. So, the way his neck ties in may really be the way his neck is, or as Kaykay pointed out, needing a little conditioning, or just not standing in the best way to tell. I think what Kay was trying to say about that in relation to driving is that with a neck and shoulder that isn't 'just right', even though he may have a beautiful ground covering trot, he may not be able to collect himself in enough to get onto his haunches. But he has a very nice hip, and if he is on them, I bet he has some power.

 

[mizbeth]

Hi

It "is hard to tell" from photos about him. He appears to be overweight some for sure. I personally like a thinner neck whether it is real long or not. Also a cleaner throat latch, but I do breed for more refined halter types than performance/driving horses. Love his hip too.

Good luck with him!

Beth

 

[Fred]

I like him Jane. He is more of the older type of mini though. As for driving I would like his neck a little longer but I think it will work. You might want to clean up the throatlatch area with a sweat and it will help him flex a bit better when training to drive. I think he would be a very nice gelding for someone who is interested in CDE. Linda B

 

[Marty]

OOH Fizzy, I like this guy and his face and eyes say he's a cool dude. You're bugging me when you say that he's chestnut and you think he's plain.

Use that color to his advantage.

I've got a couple of those plain looking ones in the barn too. When they are fit, and have a beauty make-over, they come across pretty darn flashy even though they lack chrome. So there's things that you can do so he can appear more fancy. Do miracles with that forelock, mane and tail. Get that tail flowing for one and work on the mane a little bit and shave him back a good bridle path.

Do present him in a great halter too, and use hoof black on his hoofs.

Conditioning and using a throat latch sweat my help a bit and add a neck sweat. I don't think he needs to loose that much weight per say, but actually, just by conditioning, it should move his weight around to re-shape that body of his. He looks like a little powerhouse and I'll bet he sells very well. I can envision him pulling a bunch of kids in a sleigh through the snow with jingle bells around his neck.

 

[promise]

He is well proportioned. Just sweat that neck a little. He may not be a tiny, pencil legged guy, but he is put together really well. Definately not one f those that you look at and see the hanging belly and so on. Looks a little meaty but toned. I would give him a second look if I were at the sale.

Good Luck,

Promise

 

[Bess Kelly]

Let's put it this way :bgrin he looks like he could pull a good sized rig with NO problems !

Good hip, good legs, shoulder looks a little straight in pics & neck is thicker than we'd like (could be that he hasn't missed a meal!!)...just like the others, I feel he has good potential for a fun and confident carriage horse. You just won't know how competetive he might be until after training, IMO -- but, for solid pulling capacity, he looks fine. Hey, he has a nice tailset, too.

: Like you, I'd geld him as I don't see that I'd want 50% of my herd as him. Hey, carriage horses just can't be ultra delicate in refinement and be more than a show piece, IMO. They need enough substance to handle the job, thus, the smaller ones are not as competitive in most cases.....harness people, I'm NOT saying todays stock isn't refined but, you all know what I mean is the difference between a "gazelle" and a "morgan".....enough bone/muscle to get the job done and not fall down under the weight of the harness :lol:

Color? Well, personally, I think a solid chestnut is extremely nice looking in those showy black harnesses!!

 

[Sonya]

I don't critique as I do not know enough. But the first thing that caught me eye is his butt...I like his butt. I don't think he is plain at all and I like my horses with meat on them too so I don't think he's that fat at all. I really like the third picture, he looks like he thinks he is "all that". Your place is beautiful, the grass is so green and lush looking.

 

[Lisa-Ruff N Tuff Minis]

Well Rabbit... I will play

First off as you know we do have different types here then there so IMO he is to coarse for the show ring here (weight issue aside he is a SOLID horse)

I love his color it is one of my favorites to be honest,LIke others have said he has a nice hip and croup and is obviously more drafty/QH style. I am not fond of his shoulder it is vert straight and hinders his neck tie in as well as . His head is as you said a bit large and coarse as is his throatlatch.. with some conditioning and sweating it will help however he doesnt appear to have the clean neck set to enable him to break correctly and smoothly at the poll.

He looks bigger then his 32 in and looks solid enough for small kids to ride which can be a plus. Again it is hard to say since your horses are different there

Here like I said I am not sure he would cut it in the show ring but that doesnt mean he wouldnt make a wonderful CDE horse or someones driving around the neighborhood and young child learning to ride horse

:

 

[Marsha Cassada]

You say you could harness him with no trouble. I'll bet he will look stunning in harness! It is amazing how dressed up, even elegant, a horse looks in harness, and his coloring will show him off beautifully! Are you allowed to show him that way at the sale? And many buyers would be influenced by his temperament.

Marsha

 

[Jill]

I love his color and it looks like his tail is set nicely. I also like his butt.

To me, he looks thick through the body and like he's got a short / thick neck. He looks like a stock type horse (not draft, stock).

I think there is still a big difference in the type of miniatures shown in this country and in your country. Here, from what I can see, the horses are much more fine boned.