Happy Friday, and welcome back to another Friday judging clinic! This week, we'll be looking at Traditional sized, OF Breyer Quarter Horses.
As a reminder, my credentials for a judge are as follows: I've been collecting since 2008. My collection focuses on OF Breyer. I've been around horses in some capacity since roughly 2001. I was in 4-H for seven years, showed in IHSA in college, and was a working student at an eventing barn. I've photo shown model horses on and off since 2015, and have been live showing since 2022. I have had multiple overall champions in breed and collectability in both OF Breyer and OF Mini divisions. I started judging in a small capacity in 2022, and since fall 2024 I have judged at several shows, including Are You Kitten Me, the Happy Kamper Classic, the Big Orange Bash, and the River City Classic. I have also volunteered for NAN in 2022 and 2024, and did additional volunteer work for NAMHSA for BreyerFest 2025.
The first thing to be aware of when judging for breed are the standards the model is being judged against. In classes such as this, all models will be judged to the same breed standard. It can get a little more complicated when judging different breeds against each other, but for today, we're looking at just one breed.
For the Quarter Horse, let's look at the breed standard set by the American Quarter Horse Association:
The Entries:
 |
| Quarter Horse Mare |
 |
| Quarter Horse Gelding |
 |
| Quarter Horse Mare |
Take a minute, evaluate how you'd personally pin this class. Okay, you ready? Scroll down for how I'd pin it ↓
The Placings:
🥇1st: Horse C - Lady Phase
Coming in first we have the Lady Phase. To my eye, she's the most balanced of the three. Her head ties in nicely to her neck, which is trim as it should be. She's not as muscled as the other two molds, but that's more on her being a vintage mold and should not be counted against her. Her legs are straight and have nice angles in her pasterns and hocks. Finally, compared to the other two models, she has the best shading.
🥈2nd: Horse A - Working Cow Horse (Bobby Jo)
In second place, I pinned the Bobby Jo. She's a little longer in the back than the Lady Phase, but she's still nicely balanced. Her head is also a little bigger and courser, but it still ties in nicely. She's also an example of a different body type in Quarter Horses. By her movement, she's a reining bred Quarter Horse, so she's going to be shorter and more compact compared to the other two. She's still an excellent example of a Quarter Horse, and honestly between her and Lady Phase the placing could go back and forth for me. In this case, the Lady Phase's shading tips her into first over the Bobby Jo.
🥉3rd: Horse B - Loping Quarter Horse (Latigo)
The Latigo mold I pinned third. Compared to the other two, he is the most cartoonish, with a small and dished head. He's the least balanced of the three, with his front end smaller than his back end, creating the effect that his front end and his back end belong to different horses. His head does tie in nicely to his neck, but his back is the shortest of the three. This could partially be due to his motion, but it's detrimental to him. Additional, his color is the flattest of the three. He's not a bad mold, but it's hard for him to compete with the other two, who are just noticeably more correct.
How did your placings align with mine? If they didn't, keep in mind that judging is subjective. This is one judge's opinion on one day, and our placings don't have to agree. The most important part of judging is being able to justify your placings if asked.
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