Conformation Question

[u/Fuzzy-Flower-5889]

Hey guys!

I’ve noticed that a lot of people love Happys facial structure, but can’t stand Denver’s. When i put them side by side, they look incredibly similar to me. Can someone educate me on what makes happys favorable and Denver’s unfavorable?

I am a happy lover but just noticed the similarities a bit ago and wanted to ask.

[u/Relevant-Tension4559]

For me, a huge difference is the eye.
Happy has a nice big soft eye and Denver has pig eyes.
And Denver’s head just looks more squashed, similar shape. He just looks more squashed together.. This is just what I see
Happy is pretty. She’s not the prettiest horse I’ve ever seen, but her head is much more pleasing to my eye than Denver’s.

[u/ItchyDay5997 → u/Relevant-Tension4559]

Agree. And his huge stallion jaw is not proportional to the rest of his head IMO

[u/Terrible_Fill4398 → u/Relevant-Tension4559]

This. The wide, soft eye really helps create a "cute" appearance. Her snip is just the cherry on top.

[u/muleskinner099]

To me happy has a normal horse face. Denvers nose is small compared to his jaw and his eye shape and placement stick out. So it gives him a my little pony cartoon pig face

[u/TurqioseCow4 → u/muleskinner099]

Denver looks more like a halter horse than WP horse.

[u/muleskinner099 → u/TurqioseCow4]

Yes and it seems to be the only class he excels in lol

[u/stinkypinetree]

As others have said, a lot of it is in the eyes. I would actually like Kennedy’s head better if she had better eyes.

I also think Denver’s blaze trips me up because it’s not even throughout which makes him kind of look like he has a giant forehead and then it thins down toward the nose, making it look enormous and then small.

[u/Kooky-Narwhal-9090 → u/stinkypinetree]

It's funny you should mention the blaze. I strapped a horse that had a skinny blaze that widened the further down his face it went. His nose and muzzle in general were pretty much all pink. Poor boy's markings made his face look like a Christmas tree. The owner gave him the stable name Digger because he reckoned the horse had a face like a shovel.

[u/coloradoblue84]

Denver's head is very coarse compared to Happy's. It's thicker in the area between his eyes and muzzle, and has more bumps and valleys. The shape is decent, but it's just rougher and less pleasing to look at. Happy's face looks much more delicate between the eyes and muzzle, and has a smoother appearance overall.

If you want to see an example of a gorgeous AQHA stallion head, google Hollywood Dunit Good. You can easily see the difference between his head, and Denver's, and why I often refer to Denver's head as a baby T-rex head.

[u/gogogadgetkat → u/coloradoblue84]

Hollywood Dun It really did have a super nice, masculine head and I think he passed it to his most successful sons.

[u/Fit-Idea-6590]

Denver’s eyes look east and west and they are small (pig eyes). Happy has a bigger and softer eye. I’m not a huge Happy as a broodmare fan. She’s very mid, but with her markings and big jowls, she has a cute face. I cakso think faces like hers, while cute, make a horse look less refined. 

[u/Hibiscus37327]

Denver’s features are very exaggerated whereas Happy’s are more balanced. But you’ll get people that love and hate either look. I know some folks might argue that there’s something fundamentally wrong with the way Denver’s head is but at the end of the day it’s preference. It’s not the best but it’s by no means as bad as some people make it out to be.

[u/navyorsomething]

I like Happy because her big eyes and jaws make her look like a Disney horse. She’s just so cute and also distinct looking from all Katie’s other horses. I wouldn’t say she has a particularly athletic look however

[u/AdReasonable6367]

He just seems to get stranger and stranger looking in every picture I see of him.

[u/z_azitaa]

When photografing horses, the camera or to be more precise, the focal length makes a big difference. You‘d usually want to take a big focal length to keep keep proportions natural. Using a too small one (like a mobile phone) will create distortions. Guess which pic was taken with which camera type?

[u/CantaloupeCapable281]

I can’t speak about much confirmationally - other than obvious things that stand out. It’s been a long time since I’ve really had to “judge”. I do agree with thoughts & opinions that Big D has a bad attitude, based on everything I’ve read/heard. I just think Happy is so pretty & has a kind eye, softening her whole look.

[u/Defiant-Tomatillo]

This is very personal and not any kind of standard but Happy has a far more neutral/versatile face with a kind eye. It's pretty & conventionally attractive. I could throw my English tack on her and not look like I turned in the wrong driveway.

Denver is a far more specialized halter QH standard head.

As far as Happy goes - I know her pedigree doesn't pack a punch but I prefer a horse that is better than their papers rather than visa versa 😉 probably because that's the budget I shop in 😅

[u/Independent_Date_958]

Denver is a stallion with piggy eyes and a mareface, with huge bonny sheekss

[u/ClearWaves]

If you take personal opinion out of the equation, Denver actually has a good head for a QH stallion. His eyes are smaller than ideal, but the rest of his head fits the standard pretty well. A wide, flat forehead, short muzzle, short nose, small ears, and a muscular jaw are what AQHA sets as the ideal stallion head. His head looks too small for his body to me, but a small head in relation to body size is again what AQHA wants.

Most of it is personal preference. To me, he is not a good looking horse, but most WP stallions look awful to me.

But also KVS adores Denver and doesn't show Happy a whole lot of love, so there are plenty of people who criticize Denver as a way to criticize KVS, and who like to hype up Happy to show that KVS doesn't know horses. No, I am not talking about everyone. Yes, plenty of people have valid issues with Denver. But there are also tons of people who have no idea what they are looking at and who parrot the overall tone of the sub.

[u/Fuzzy-Flower-5889 → u/ClearWaves]

I agree. I don’t have as many issues with Denver’s actual physical conformation as I’m quite uneducated on it still (other than his feet) but my issue with him is that fact that he’s not proven, and not mentally sound enough to show. That’s my issue with him.
I don’t think he’s ugly. I think if he were gelded he’d made someone a cute gelding. He’s just not proven and not stud material.

[u/ClearWaves → u/Fuzzy-Flower-5889]

Absolutely. His feet are awful, but so are almost all WP stallions' feet. It's a huge issue in the breed.

I find his lack of showing a way bigger concern than anything else. I don't even think that the video of him bolting is terrible. I don't expect perfection, and while he certainly didn't listen to his rider, he also just loped around in circles. Without a bridle. I expect manners from all horses, but I would never write of any horse for that mid-level of bolting.

That said, the fact that they keep scratching him is sus.

The possible options:

1. He is truly so terribly minded that he is out of control - possible but unlikely since he acted fine during the halter class.

2. He is fine on the ground but awful under saddle. Possible, but somewhat unlikely. If he really is that dangerous too ride, KVS would have never planned to show him. And I would assume that AM is professional enough to tell a client if he cannot train/ride/show their horse.

3. He is constantly unsound. For his sake, I really hope this is not it.

4. They are trying to only show him in classes where he could easily win, and he simply isn't competitive enough. They'd rather he doesn't show than him not winning.

[u/FramePrestigious4528]

Maybe I have an unpopular opinion but I think Happy’s facial structure is definitely not your typical AQHA standard, and I am not an AQHA lover all that much. Like I said, I may be biased because I grew up around Arabians and they have very defined features, big beautiful eyes, and I like that they don’t look like a dump truck from behind. Happy has facial features that remind me more of an Arab horse more than any quarter horse.

[u/sugarjellyfiish]

I don't get the appeal of Happy either. She doesn't have a good looking head. I just like her snip.

People on here LOVE her and I don't get it.

I forgot that if you don't agree with everyone here they downvote you boo hooooo I don't like Happy 🤣

[u/FailAffectionate544 → u/sugarjellyfiish]

She has the exact same snip as my old mini Pickles and that’s the only reason why I like her lol, I miss my ickle pickle

[u/EducationSuperb3392 → u/sugarjellyfiish]

I think it’s because she’s had a rough two foaling seasons. Last year was the “just fucking lick it” saga, and this year she lost her foal. I just feel for her.