Im just curious of what you think about heads

[MindyLee]

Ok Im just wondering whats the prefrence out there and who better to ask then all of you!

 

Do you prefere short dishy faces/heads on your mini equines or do you like a little length and not so much of a dish?

I have both in my herd and I personally prefere the the short and dishy myself! I have 9 under division minis and 4 have short dishy, and 5 with the longer look.

How about you?

 

[ohmt]

I don't just like short and dishy, I like short and dishy and refined. Refined is the biggest thing for me-i don't like thick heads especially with the big, thick jaws. I would take a refined head with a little bit more length and straight profile over short and dishy and thick.

My favorite type of head is one like this bay pinto filly's:

 

[CharlesFamily]

Now see, coming from a Quarter Horse background, I just love those big, round jaws. I think my boy, Jinx has the best head! (Okay - I might be a little biased

). To me, he is the perfect epitome of a miniature stock horse - if I could have one of him in about 15 hands I would snatch him up in a heartbeat. He has a nice round QH hip, too. Dishy and refined are pretty, but just not my favorite.

Here is a picture of my Jinx:

 

[lucky lodge]

Iam a short dishy head liker

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

My perfect head is short, with some width between large, expressive eyes, a strong, pronounced jaw, a gentle slope from forehead to muzzle...and that muzzle must be tiny! A thick muzzle is a big turn off for me. And the ears should be tiny, tippy and tight.

I'm not asking for much, am I?

 

[Minimor]

I don't care for the dishy heads--at least not the sort of dishy heads that so many Minis seem to have. (also don't like the extreme dished faces that some Arabians have these days--those are just ugly) That doesn't mean I like a long head, the head can still be short with some width between the eyes and then tapering down to a nice fine muzzle. And I DON'T want to see thick nostrils, though those generally don't go with the fine muzzle. I don't want a big heavy QH type jowl, but some shape to the jaw line is good.

 

[Maple Hollow Farm]

Well I cant say I have a preference one way or another, it really depends on the horse.

For some examples:

I LOVE these horses heads just by how they tie in with the horse themselves and just the look of them and they are completely different types, I just love them for their own reasons. My biggest thing on any head is I love the big eyes that can look deep into your soul!

Sorry got a little picture crazy but couldnt pick any favorites!

 

[Crabby-Chicken]

I do like a dish,,, more arabian with a little muzzle and eye. And a big ol quarter horse booty to top it off!!!! Here is the horse I have that I just LOVE her face.

 

[susanne]

Kim, I love your mare...she reminds me a bit of my Scarlet.

I love a variety of looks (and have three distinct types in my tiny herd), and most admire a head that fits with a long neck and overall look of balance.

I love a full, round jaw, huge liquid eyes and a teacup muzzle, but I prefer a straighter profile. I don't particularly like short, wide heads.

I detest the bulging dwarf-type forehead that is often mistaken for an Arabesque jibbah -- that is NOT an Arab look, though many think it to be.

Most importantly, save me from the Pamela Anderson/Barbie Doll look in any horse!!!!!

 

[Lucky-C-Acres-Minis]

I'm gonna have to go with Maple Hollow, depends on the horse, but I do tend to lean more toward the "stock/quarter horse" type head. I love a 'pretty' head, with the big expressive doe eyes

I absolutely ADORE my Doc's head

:wub He has "the look" I LOVE

Thankfully he's passing on his gorgeous head, like on this year's filly:

And colt:

This is my junior boy Royal, he's a little longer in the face than Doc, but still has that look I like

And his first foal, a little girl, love her head, huge eye and tiny muzzle

And a couple broodies that I LOVE their heads:

Broodie 2

 

[Eagle]

Most importantly, save me from the Pamela Anderson/Barbie Doll look in any horse!!!!!

Wise words!

 

[Sandy B]

I like a pretty head period! What looks good on one horse may not look good on another. Most important to me is the eye. The eye should be large showing kindness and intelligence. I also like small ears and a broad forehead. I am not a huge fan of the extreme Arabian type heads that are being bred. Our miniature horses are not miniature Arabian horses and it seems so many breeders are modeling their minis completely after an Arabian. I am a quarter horse person, so I like some hip on my minis. If I had to pick a breed to model after to get it all, I would probably pick a Morgan- you get pretty headed, archy necks, great bold movement and some substance.

 

[kaykay]

I detest the bulging dwarf-type forehead that is often mistaken for an Arabesque jibbah -- that is NOT an Arab look, though many think it to be.

This!

We all also need to remember that extreme heads lead to dental issues which minis tend to have anyway. Everything on a head has a function. While a long long nose is not desirable a short one isnt either. You have to have some distance from the intake of air (nostrils) to the brain. This is where the air is either cooled or warmed before it hits the brain. This is really important in horses that do performance.

 

[LindaL]

Like many have said...It really depends on the horse. I do like a pretty little head with a dish, but not so short or dished that it looks silly on the horse. A "longer" head can look OK if it is on a bigger bodied horse AND it is "chiseled" meaning had broadness in between the eyes and it "v" s down to the muzzle...not long and thin.

I only have one horse that I am not thrilled with his head...not "ugly", but "plain" and does nothing for me...BUT if you look at his whole body, then his head doesn't look bad on him.

Oh wait...then there are the "Shetland" heads...more plain than a lot of the Minis seem to have, but again...their head just goes with their bodies...lol

(I think I need more coffee)

 

[Jill]

I don't really care for long heads. I don't like it if there's too much space between eye and muzzle. Heads are not my first priority -- good conformation, of course, but for a "type" issue, I favor awesome, high set, necks -- but nice heads are way up there for me. I like dishy heads, small muzzles, tight "apostrophe" ears, chisled nostrils, large, wide set doe eyes... Some of our own foals sporting features I like:

 

[bannerminis]

I am not a fan of an extreme dish but I love the head on Banner it has a slight dish and good width between the eyes with large dark eyes and tapers down to a neat muzzle.

Sunny has a different head but very pretty - his head reminds me of some thoroughbreds that I worked with.

Tilly looks like she will have her dads head (although her mum has a very pretty head too)

This is Sunny

And Banner

Tilly - her head hasnt changed since she was born

 

[Kim~Crayonboxminiatures]

Number one priority, the head has to be functional, with room for teeth! I like a pretty head with big eyes, I have a hard time describing the type of head that I like, when I used refined or dished, I see the extreme that is popular today, and that is NOT what I like.

Here are my examples.

My mare Little Chief's Spring Blossom, I love her head! She does have a bit of a dish, and what I call refined head.

My stallion CCMF Carousel Carnival, I do like a plainer head, but he still has the proportions and "eye" that I like.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

I like horses such as Kim's palomino, Jill's girls and the ones Crayonbox posted.

I grew up with old-fashioned Arabs and love a good, dry, defined head but HATE a bulging forehead, mushed nose and distorted muzzle with a passion. Those are not functional nor attractive no matter what size the horse!

For me it's the overall look of the head. I generally don't like ones with particularly wide foreheads for whatever reason but in a mare I love a delicate, Welsh-type profile like Kim's "Froggy" (the palomino) and for my boys I'm happy with just about any sort of head that goes with their bodies. Tooth bumps are a major turnoff and I love a smooth jaw but mostly I want the head to flow from ear to whiskers and mount nicely on the neck. If the horse has a good clean hooky throatlatch and a kind, attractive eye I will probably like it. Kody's head is too big for his body and is a little thick around the mouth and lower jaw but it's full of such personality I can't help but love it. That big eye with all that white and the pooked lip get me every time!

Turbo's head is a bit narrow through the jowl and lacks depth there but it balances the length of the head and it matches the rest of him so I like it. The result on him is a very Spanish-style appearance and I LOVE his tiny kissy muzzle.

If I had to pick a breed to model after to get it all, I would probably pick a Morgan- you get pretty headed, archy necks, great bold movement and some substance.

At least the old-fashioned Lippit Morgan. Like most breeds, the more modern horses have gotten too extreme for my tastes. My ideal is a horse who is built to perform- a sport horse! The type that comes on top of that package is extra.

Leia

 

[Candi]

Now see, coming from a Quarter Horse background, I just love those big, round jaws. I think my boy, Jinx has the best head! (Okay - I might be a little biased

). To me, he is the perfect epitome of a miniature stock horse - if I could have one of him in about 15 hands I would snatch him up in a heartbeat. He has a nice round QH hip, too. Dishy and refined are pretty, but just not my favorite.

Here is a picture of my Jinx:

While normally a short-dishy fan --- that said...

I LOVE YOUR HORSE! To me though doesn't look like a QH (we've a barn full of show ones) but a MORGAN... Stunning!

 

[Candi]

I am not a fan of an extreme dish but I love the head on Banner it has a slight dish and good width between the eyes with large dark eyes and tapers down to a neat muzzle.

Sunny has a different head but very pretty - his head reminds me of some thoroughbreds that I worked with.

Tilly looks like she will have her dads head (although her mum has a very pretty head too)

This is Sunny

This one looks very HALFLINGER or Drafty to me. Have a client with a nice show Halflinger and honestly your little one could be his twin. They aren't call little draft horses for nothing