What do you guys think...?

[Heart of Gold Minis]

Ok, so we have an AMHR/ASPC gelding. He is 4. He has 69 HOF halter points and 10 championships. In 2009 he was Congress futurity champion, and in 2010 he was Res. National champion in 7 & under halter. I know he is more of a "pony type" and less of the arabian type, but I was wondering if you guys saw any obvious confirmation flaws? It won't offend me if y'all see something. I'm very curious because he has been barely placing in local shows at halter this year. He is not a halter horse, he is more performance, but I would at least like to get that last point on him for HOF! Please be honest. Thanks in advance!

This is him set up, but it was for showmanship so he is not "showing".



And this is an older picture of him. He looks 'light' in the back end, muscle-wise, but we have fixed that. He is also standing a little under himself in this pic. The pic above is more recent.

 

[Jill]

I think he's VERY nice and sounds like the judges agree

 

[Tremor]

He's hideous. He shouldn't even be shown! You must send him to me so he can be a pasture puff!

Joking! But you can always send him to me!

 

[Heart of Gold Minis]

Thanks guys. I was really just wondering if I was being barn-blind. I've always thought he was ok, not great, but pretty good. I guess the judges we have shown under this year just haven't like the "pony/quarterhorse" type look. We'll keep trying until we get that point! And tremor- lol! I'll be sure to let you know if he's ever for sale!

 

[Tremor]

Thanks guys. I was really just wondering if I was being barn-blind. I've always thought he was ok, not great, but pretty good. I guess the judges we have shown under this year just haven't like the "pony/quarterhorse" type look. We'll keep trying until we get that point! And tremor- lol! I'll be sure to let you know if he's ever for sale!

Hehe. he's so handsome!

I bet he has a trot to die for!

 

[Heart of Gold Minis]

Tremor-

Its really funny actually. He did drive country last year, and HOF'd. But this year we decided to drop him down to western because that was what he was more suited for. He is doing very well. But, he looks like he would have this big, actiony, impressive trot, and then he gets hooked and he just sweeps right along! Lol!

 

[kaykay]

Hes a nice guy but would have to see better pictures of him actually showing in halter. Could be how he is set up, could be just really good competition against him etc.

 

[JMS Miniatures]

I would try and sweat his neck. His neck looks better in the older pic then the recent one. Also another problem I see is his neck ties in lower then I would like, you can especially see it in the first pic so I think if you sweat it would help.

Don't give up. He's not a bad looking guy at all. He just needs to win a local halter class and he should be able to do it.

 

[Heart of Gold Minis]

Kaykay-

I just found a better picture of him in halter from the same show last night. I will post it when I can get to the computer. I know there has also been tough competition in the over gelding classes, with multi-time national and world champion horses and a lot of big-name trainers around here.

Jms-

He does have a sweat on. I agree that his neck ties in a little low.

 

[Heart of Gold Minis]

Oops, typo- the SECOND pic is from when he was getting to skinny.

 

[AnnaC]

I think he's lovely, he has a really nice outline and a good 'frame' to work on. He is only 4 so has a while to go yet before full maturity, but I do feel he needs a bit more building up generally (hopefully your new trainer will soon get some improvement in this respect). IMO his neck needs building up, it doesn't want slimming down as once his body is right, his neck will look too thin/light. He needs a topline on that neck, the fact that it is little low set can be 'minimised' when in the ring by his posture.

As I said, just my opinion. But whatever you decide I do want to say that you have a very nice young horse there and I'm sure you will have many future successes with him.

 

[Heart of Gold Minis]

Ok everyone, here is the halter pic of him.

 

[JMS Miniatures]

He is defintelly not bad looking. You must have tough competition. His head may be a little plain. In this photo his neck doesn't look bad, he may have a little thick of a throat latch. Keep on going, he deserves that HOF.

 

[Jetiki]

In My opinion in that picture he looks a bit straight in the back legs and unbalanced from front to back. I know you said ya'll were building him back up but that with the stiff competition in the gelding ring we have here makes it hard to be really competitive. I had a similarly built horse and getting him at a good weight/balance was really difficult. A little light he looked hippy, a good weight for his hind end made his front look to heavy. It was a chore and one I am glad I don't have any more. I wouldn't really sweat his whole neck, probably just the throat for now unless you see he's getting too heavy on the front end.

Karen

 

[Heart of Gold Minis]

Thanks everyone for your opinions. He does have a throat latch sweat on, and yes, I've always thought his neck wasn't quite balanced. It really doesn't bother me, but I just really want that last point! LOL! He is still being built up and muscled up, and we don't want him for a halter horse anyways. He's our performance over, so what ever he ends up in halter is fine by us. He was just one place off from getting his point last show, so we'll keep trying!

 

[Jetiki]

Thanks everyone for your opinions. He does have a throat latch sweat on, and yes, I've always thought his neck wasn't quite balanced. It really doesn't bother me, but I just really want that last point! LOL! He is still being built up and muscled up, and we don't want him for a halter horse anyways. He's our performance over, so what ever he ends up in halter is fine by us. He was just one place off from getting his point last show, so we'll keep trying!

The competition here in this area is really really tough, for open, youth and ammy. A lot of people at their local shows don't have the type of competition we have here, we have to be at the top level or you don't do well. You and I show at the same show so I know what your competition is and that one show was small this year to what it has been in my opinion. Its hard, if you win or place well you earn it so don't discount yourself at all, from what I saw you did a great job.

I know the feeling I wish I could get to enough shows to get a HOF on any of Mine. One of these years I guess it will happen eventually.

Karen

 

[Field-of-Dreams]

Keep working at it! Sunny got all his Championships and 68 points in one year- and couldn't get those darn last two points for nothing! Not enough in the class, placing one step lower than he needed to be for a point... it was frustrating! But in the end he DID get his points and his HoF!

 

[Jill]

I liked the second picture you showed on your OP, where he looks maybe in a rough clip? And he's obviously a good horse that judges like from what he's done in the ring in the past.

Does he look like he likes to show? Alert expression, spark, etc. at halter? In the recent picture you posted, I think his neck is stretched / poked out in a less flattering way. If his neck were more upright in his pose, with a "hook" to it (I can see from the 2nd picture first post, he can...), that would show a lot better for you, I think. If there were a way for you to practice w/ him halter in front of a mirror, I bet you'd be able to fine tune what you're going for. I remember wanting to rig something like that up here when I was showing ours from home.

Good luck. You've definitely got a nice horse with a lot of potential.

PS If you can look at 2nd picture in rough clip and the picture you just posted above side by side, maybe see the different way he's holding his neck and head... It's much better in the older picture.

 

[Jill]

I cropped the pictures and made a vertical collage in case it helps show what I'm seeing, and in case that can help. To me, what jumps out as not looking as nice in the ring shot is that his neck is too poked out and not held as upright and hooked as in the barn lot shot. I think if you could get him to pose with his neck more like in the paddock shot, he'd place much higher. To me, it really changes his eye appeal... obviously it doesn't alter conformation nor fitness, but it just really presents a better picture imo for the pose of the neck to be more like the non-show picture.

 

[Heart of Gold Minis]

Ok. I guess I have to admit it to you guys now... lol! He really is kinda burned out on halter. He still looks alert enough, but he won't really hook anymore. That is my trainer showing him in the pic I posted, and that was like his 4th halter class at that show, so he was REALLY done with it. When I showed him in my halter class, he was more "up". I just don't have any good pictures of him, cause that arena is really hard to get pics in. I agree that he looks better in the rough clip pic (is it that obvious its a rough clip, Jill??? LOL). I know he can hook when he wants to, because we have some pictures of the McCarthy's showing him when they still owned him and he's hooked perfectly. I think he was just shown in too much halter and it bores him. And jetiki is also right- we have extremely hard competition for halter around here, with several BIG name trainers and BIG name horses. Thanks everyone for your opinions, were just gonna keep trying next year to get that point! (Our sanctioned show season is over for this year.) We are taking him to a couple of open shows this fall, so I'll be interested to see what he does there. And I'll definetly make him hook, wether he likes it or not! Lol!