So, mom and I got to the barn and lo and behold, Miss Bird was waiting for us in her lean to shed. My mom is very generous with the treats, so Miss Bird and her pasture mate Cash (an old TWH mare) are always happy to see her pull up. I've been wanting to get some conformation shots of Lady, just because. Since she is almost all the way shedded out and starting to dapple up, we took her up the hill and snapped a few shots. Her back end is on a slight incline, so she appears a bit downhill (I think), but in reality she's more even...not really uphill. But maybe I'm judging wrong. I always match the top of the rump to the withers. If the withers are higher I think it's uphill if the rump is higher, downhill. Am I doing it right? Sheesh, you'd think I'd know this stuff. Either way, what do you think about Miss. Bird's conformation? I'd love to hear it like it is. I think she looks pretty good, but for a Quarter Horse, do you think she'd do all right in the show pen? I especially like her throat and head - so pretty :).
We saddled Lady up, and headed out. She really is the sweetest mare. She loves people and lets us just hug and kiss all over her with no complaint. Not many horses allow such shenanigans. Her only vice is a bit of attitude when asked to work. Maybe a swish of the tail a head toss and a minor buck here and there. Mom is great about correcting that behavior and Lady really listens.
My mom rode Lady first, and it is very apparent that this horse is out of shape. She was already breaking a sweat after about 10 minutes of light activity. When my mom first got Lady, she barely neck reined and it was next to impossible to get her to hold a jog/trot and worse to get her to canter. Now she's stopping on a dime and jogging along nicely. Her canter still takes some work, but once she's going, she stays in it pretty easily.
I rode Lady after my mom did. She is a bit of a Looky Loo, always wanting to watch the person standing in the center of the ring. I did my best to get her attention back on me, she responded well. I wanted to try and get her head set better as she holds it a bit high with her her nose kind of sticking out, but I'm not sure how to do it with QH's. I could work on getting her head set like a Morgan, but something tells me that would just be wrong. How DO you set a QH's head?
I think it would be fun to take Lady to some small open shows sometime. She's a sweet lovely girl - we just need to get her in shape!
I think it would be fun to take Lady to some small open shows sometime. She's a sweet lovely girl - we just need to get her in shape!
4 comments:
She is a pretty mare. I'm not a judge of horse flesh on technicalilties. I just like or don't like what I see, so I can't help me. But her markings are striking, and she has a pretty head. Enjoyed your pictures. I'm trying to learn more about Morgan's to appease a slight obsession I have. There arn't a lot of resources, and in my area of the country, they are kind of hard to come by. Enjoyed your blog!
She is a really pretty horse!! Love her face!!
I have never been good at conformation, I remember back when I was young and in 4-H we use to have to go to judging clinics. I did terrible!! But from what I see, she looks good!
It is hard to explain, or it is for me anyways, how to get the headset for a QH. You would want to put her in a snaffle for training and ride with 2 hands (direct reining). Do you have an email address? I can email you what I do with my Paint or you can email me at thepaintedcreek@gmail.com. It would take up a lot of space in your comment section for me to explain it.
She looks like she carries her head and neck pretty good in that one picture of you riding her, so it shouldn't be too difficult to get the proper headset.
She is a very nice mare!
She's got a really pretty head! I just love the close up of her muzzle... I want to plant a kiss right in the middle of it!
As far as her conformation goes, she's standing a little under herself so it's tough to judge her shoulder, but it might be a bit upright. Does she have a rough jog? Her head and neck look good, though, and I think it would be really easy to teach her to set her head. Overall I think she's put together well. I'm certainly no expert, but I like her!
Regarding the headset, it's complicated, and I've learned that you have to find what style of training works with each horse because what works for one won't work for another. I put draw reins on my gelding and he got the hang of setting his head quickly, but Lilly wasn't having the draw reins (no way!) so I had to actually take the time to teach her. I think that's a better way than using mechanics, but it's what works for the horse. With Lilly, I put her in a snaffle and worked her in small circles. The circles will encourage them to drop their head and when she did, she got the release. Before long, she got the idea. I can go in more detail if you're interested in my highly unscientific method. :)
You should definitely take her to some shows!
Thank you so much for your comments everyone!! She does have a lovely face, I agree.
in2paints - her jog is smooth if she's moving slowly. It's somewhat choppy the faster she goes. Her canter is bouncy though I don't know if that has anything to do with anything. Her shoulder looks kind of upright to me, but then again, I'm not sure if I'm judging it right.
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