Gelding A

➞ Balance is the most important thing I look for, and this compact gelding doesn’t have the overall balance of Geldings C and B. His topline is smooth, with well-defined withers, and his back is short and strong, but his short neck and short croup put him in third place.

His head is long from eye to muzzle, and his throatlatch is thick. His neck is short and thick but ties smoothly into his withers and chest. He shows more shoulder muscling than Gelding B, but his shoulders are steeper. He has adequate depth in his heartgirth, but his underline is very long, affecting his balance, and his hip is very short.

His front legs show flat, smooth knees, and pasterns of good length. It could be that he’s not standing squarely, but his front legs are camped under him. His hocks are crooked and have a lot of set to them—they’re underneath him, but his hind cannon bones are positioned in front of a plumb line to the ground. His overall conformation gives me the impression he’ll give a rougher ride than the other geldings. 