Second: Mare A

This mare doesn’t have the overall balance of Mare C when divided into thirds from head to tail, and though she does have good, prominent withers, she’s longer in her back and weaker through the loin. Her topline does carry over into a nice, long croup.

Her shoulder is adequately sloped, but the top of her neck ties in quite forward of her withers, giving the appearance that the top of her neck is the same length as the bottom of her neck. Her throatlatch is quite thick, and her neck ties into her chest lower than Mare C’s.

This mare’s hip is her best feature, with plenty of depth, a nicely angled croup, good tail set, and that square shape I want to see. Her hocks may have too much angle, though she’d need to be stood up on her hind end better for me to truly assess it. She’s back at the knee, or calf-kneed, in her front legs, which sets her up for hyperextension of the limb and risks her soundness.