Asking for/receiving a conformational critique - Please read

[Inyureye]

When you post pictures for a conformational critique of a horse, please do your best to post several angles of pictures of horses standing square. Please be aware that the responses and critiques may often be direct and straight forward, and if that's so, expecially when it comes to conformation, we have to remember we asked for critique and that’s what we are going to get, expecially from professional horse people who do look at horses critically all the time. It is what a critque is – unbiased comments on facts, and that is what we want in a critique.

We shouldn’ expect to be able to use this critique column only to solicit compliments, or to expect only feel good responses from this column, although many comments may be complimentry of your horse just as he is to you - it is meant to be - and is often utilized by folks here as - a place to take a good, long, hard, objective look at a horse's conformation and flaws, to help determine its best possible use, and to help the owner to determine its best possible training and care, for the good of the horse and its future. If you want to show off your horse, you can use the general column and mention you aren't looking for a critique, just wanted to show...ect.

Such critical observations can be a valuable tool for making ongoing decisions about our horses, and aren't meant to be personal, and that's the point. We ask for conformational critique because we are often too close to the horse/situation to judge well, or to see it well, or we don't have enough knowlege to do that for ourselves, so we ask unbiased, un-emotionally involved folks who may know better than we or may simply have a fresh eye to help make an evaluation and give us things to think about we may have been avoiding or have not thought about before in the horse.

When those folks ask for better picutres, please try to provide them if at all possible (it may not always be possible), and not get insulted. When they ask for info beyond what the picture shows, it is to modify and elaborate the opinion to the horse's use and situation. Remember, and most critiquers also know this, too, that a picture often can be decieving, and it is nothing like seeing the horse in person, so one can only comment on what one sees. The comments and critiques are what they are, just as the pictures are, so snapping back at the critiquer for giving us what we asked for is emotionally silly. As is recieving the critique then saying well you don't know my horse so you can't say anything. Remember, we asked for the critique, and the critiquer doesn't know the horse, and the requester had asked for the crituque based on that fact.

Many critiques are direct and to the point, and certainly not "petting"or soothing, but that’s pretty much what a critical comment should be. Ask for elaboration, if you don't understand where a comment comes from, keep an open mind considering that the commentator may know more than you objectively, and thank folks for taking the time to submit their opinions. Then eat the meat and spit out the bones and try to learn something, would be the correct way to receive your asked-for critique.


Enjoy this valuable tool!

Inyureye, Moderator, All Breed Forum
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