One of the yearling sales toppers in Louisiana looks a bit like Sunday.

Hey now Cajun, be careful....

You are messing with someone who has won numerous awards for writing.

Just so everyone knows, I was the Homecoming King and scored a touchdown right before I was crowned.

And I have won awards for so much stuff it would absolutely astound you.

Also, I got first prize in "impromptu fruit and vegetable" at the FFA convention.

Don't you dare mess with me.

If the year ended right now, I'm not sure which horse I would give it to. I think it's a very close call. However, I am expecting Bernardini to easily win the Jockey Club Gold Cup. Assuming that happens, then I think that easily puts Bernardini over the top.

cajun is absolutely correct here...Jessica you have no idea who on this board is involed in the TB industry and trust me you left off a number of names...not everyone feels the need to shout from every street corner how f'ing fantastic they are. As a "conformation expert and analyst" you should know that MANY horses are great in spite of thier conformation not because of it. You DO NOT know all there is to know about this subject, nor are you the only one with experience judging horses; but show horses and races horses as I am sure you understand are different and the number of times you have contradicted yourself in your own analysis of varoius horse in different threads is completely laughable.

Queen to your King...;)

I wouldn't pay any attention to the insults. I find you to be very knowledgable and very respectful. I don't find any truth to the negative things that a couple of posters have said to you. When you are good at something, there will always be a few people who won't like it. It comes with the territory. I wouldn't let it bother you.

What's up with that? Were you abused as a kid or something? How could you be so numb that it wouldn't hurt you to see an animal (or a person) suffering? I'm not normally one to talk about what is "normal", but that is definitely not normal. I think it is a normal human emotion to feel sad if we see an animal or a person in pain.

i won a frozen turkey at an office party once....
of course that wasn't an award. oh wait, i got employee of the quarter. sadly, no longer eligible for such trifles.

Thanks. Yeah, I just went back and re-read the entire thread. I may have gone a little overboard due to a lack of patience (and sleep!) from being personally attacked, but I didn't say anything all that bad. It was time to quit when they started pointing out typos, when they couldn't give me any credentials because it was "bragging" even though one poster said that they knew that they would beat me in the show ring without knowing my experience (bragging), or when they wouldn't specifically tell me how I misused the word irony. Well, I didn't misuse the word irony. I'm done with this thread because it doesn't really make any sence anyway...not when a poster says that Barbaro is INDEED better than Bernardini at this point. I think that they are pretty even, but I do think that Bernardini will win the year end honors because I am expecting great things to come from this horse. I'd say he handles the JCGC field fairly easily, and with the JCGC win will come year end honors.


HEY PAIS

As a "conformation expert and analyst" you should know that MANY horses are great in spite of thier conformation not because of it.

That right there tells me your knowledge of the subject. Conformation is form to function. Without proper conformation, you don't get the desirable function or it makes the horse more susceptible to injury. Just because a horse has weak parts in their conformation doesn't mean that they aren't specifically bred to have those weak points because some of those weak points enhances their ability to perform in certain disciplines. Take sickle-hocks in reining horses for example.

Also, please point out how I have contradicted myself just as how did I misuse the word irony? Don't just point out a mistake, tell why it is a mistake. Answer this: What is another name for sway back in horses? How about this; which croup as far as overall conformation goes is better, Barbaro's or Bernardini's? Which one's hip is better? Now, which one is more desirable for racing and why? You can even redeem yourself to me if you can answer these questions in a coherent manner. I even gave you a clue.

Jessica you just don't get it. What you know about thoroughbred racing is the equivalent to a rain drop compared to Lake Michigan. The country fair second place ribbons don't mean anything, except you're an earthy, plain jane "horsie girl", the kind that always gave me the creeps everytime I visted a horse farm, or attended a horse show. I feel no need to validate my knowledge to you because you're so full of yourself you wouldn't listen anyway. Your conformation analysis was "Secretariat wasn't the best, this other horse was". Ok, that's a wealth of information, boy oh boy. Like I said, go bother someone else because you have proved yourself unworthy of my time and energy. I'm sorry for being mean but your like a bad rash which just won't go away, and itching it only makes it worse.

yeah no sh*t sherlock--my point was that there are many thoroughbreds out there who would not measure up to your lofty conformation standards and yet they still manage to run and win and get winners themselves.
I have no idea what you are talking about as I never said you misused the word irony...and I graduated from college some time ago, I have nothing to prove to you so you can take your little quiz and shove it where the sun don't shine.

since we are nitpicking...I believe the word is sense but what would I know I'm not the english expert.

I am most bothered by people who bet on horses and care little when they are injured or die from their injuries. It is as if the animal is just there for their use. I actually know people like this. They claim not to be gamblers and have said they just "bet horses" as a way of making money. Those people are using horses for their own ends. It is a complete turnoff for me.

LOL! I'm with ya there, I have a rather ugly-headed Walking horse filly, but let me tell you the view from her back is pure heaven, as smooth as silk! Breeding for color has hurt a lot of breeds, a few years ago the black Arabians were all the rage, unfortunately the majority were just plain UGLY, it's a lot better now. I bred my black Saddle horse to a black Arabian that gave me goosebumps, he was THAT gorgeous, I knew if I died on the spot I would have died having seen the most beautiful horse in the world! The resultant foal is now a 5 year old mare and in 30 years of breeding is the most beautiful horse I have ever bred, she is currently leased to a Dressage trainer and competing in Sporthorse classes, no money could buy her from me, next spring she goes to a black Magnum Psyche son for an incredibly exciting foal!

Miller Lite? What will you have for your second drink? Water?

I tried to be nice...mess with the bull you'll eventually get the horns, she kept pushing, and wouldn't let it go...was meant to be mean (F her). Don't need a lecture Hoss, could care less if people agree or disagree with my "theory". It's not a theory, but something which is clear to me and a few others it seems. But I won't be talked down to, and if that's what you are doing, then you're barking up the wrong GD tree pal.

if you went back and read the thread, you can plainly see I was trying to be nice to her. I asked her to stop bothering me, she continued (and stated she likes to "rile people up") and lost my temper (which is what happens when you rile people up)...but, I wasn't trying to bully her.

I'M not taking sides on this one...both KY and BR have good things to say...
I just want to see this thread hit 300 and get retired to the "reading room".
Peace.

Boys and girls, let's just all be nice. :D

I think that Bernardini is a fantastic colt. I'm just not ready to annoint him yet and it seems that people want to attack those that aren't ready to say he's the best. As it stands right now, I think that both Barbaro and Bern are about equal. If Bern wins the next one out, he should get the Eclipse.

I think you've got that backwards. The people for Barbarro want to attack the people for Bernardini. I'm pretty neutral at this point.

It'd be nice if you could stop being nasty for one minute. I am not "for" either one. I love horses. I'm entitled to my opinion, the same as you are entitled to yours and I haven't looked down on your opinion at all. Excuse me for being more impressed with Barbaro at this point than Bernardini. He wins the next one, and he deserves the award. Right now? I think they're even.

I was being funny BR. Notice the LOL in that post where I said I liked to rile people up. I was also being funny when I said that I was the expert on the board, and that both horses were awesome. I was taking a jab at some of the posters who were dissing either Barbaro or Bernardini in that respect. The posters who didn't attack me knew that I was being funny.

I don't really ever start trouble on this board. I have never really gotten into an argument with anyone until now. Usually, when people start personally attacking or pointing out typos, I stop the conversation because it means that their arguments have become too weak to continue. This time I didn't because you all now had something to prove when you said that you knew more about conformation analysis than I did. I was hoping to get it out of you all because, if you did know more or were at least knowledgeable in the subject area, then I would have someone to debate and talk with about it. However, not any of you who claimed that I didn't know what I was talking about provided me with any specific evidence that I wasn’t knowledgeable on the topic and didn't answer a single one of my questions. Therefore, you won't have any credibility until you establish yourself as actually being knowledgeable in the area. I called you out on it, and if you can't provide me with some solid evidence (FACTS), then listen instead of arguing and attacking about what I do or don't know.

Now, I'm the one who is being nasty? Who did I call an idiot last night?

Jessica,

Nobody said that they knew more than you did about conformation. The only thing said was that PERHAPS you weren't the "expert" you said you were. The way you said it was condescending and I'm sorry for saying that, but it was. Can we just drop this and move on? Let's just agree to disagree on this topic. Nobody wants to fight over stupid stuff.

I'm sorry for calling you that. It was uncalled for to call you a name and I was frustrated with you. Now, can we move on?

yeah me too...let's just move on
:)

Smooch, smooch, and a big hug.
Don't we all feel better?

Apology accepted, but I can’t believe and am appalled at the fact that you called me that. You should know me better by now. I figured that everyone would have known that I was being funny when I said that I was an “expert”. I wasn’t meaning to be condescending at all to anyone. BR called me hopeless first, and I wasn’t trying to be nasty to him (nor was I really being nasty to him), but I was just calling him out on his knowledge of the subject. I also still don’t know just how I misused the word irony either. Also, the jabs at my 4-H awards were condescending to me. You all don’t know how hard it is to get to that level. First you have to go to district and win. Then you have to go to state against around 250 others and do well. Then the state takes the top ten individuals and makes them compete head to head for about three months, three months of traveling all around the state visiting farms, veterinary horse centers, judging clinics, seminars, practices at NC State Vet. Hospital…etc. (I studied this stuff for four years before I was good enough to make the state team.) Then you have the final competition at Southern Regionals, and they cut the team down to four members. Then, if you even make the team, you get to compete against all of the other individuals in the nation whose states selected them in the same exact process. Some of the people who become the top vets in the nation some straight into college off of the program. Some of that is stuff is DEEP... The NC 4-H Horse Program is one of the best things that ever happened to me. I got to travel to places that I would have otherwise never gone to. Everyone who loves both education and horses should get the opportunity to experience 4-H. It was the best time of my life, and then I grew up…

Also, I don’t just show QH circuit although it is technically the A circuit. I also show AAA-C h/j shows, dressage shows, and open schooling shows. I just wanted to get all of those facts straight before anyone talks bad about me, my horses, or the 4-H again.

I apologize too if I offended anyone. It wasn’t intentionally done except for maybe in BR’s case (although IMO, he deserved it because he was talking to me in a contemptuous manner from the get-go). Also, I was extremely tired last night because I was only running on four hours of sleep from the previous night.

Yes, I'll apologize to you too BR. You aren't so bad because if you were, you wouldn't have apologized. I am sure that there are many subjects in the future that we will both agree and disagree on. We can move on now. I won't say another word about it.

LOL DTS. Yeah, I think we all feel better...at least, I do.

Jess,
I feel better too. There are some very knowledgeable people that show up on this board. Each has their own strengths. Some can watch a replay and see what needs to go right next out, some are into pedigrees, some just love the history. Capping, betting.... there are too many areas for me to even mention.
Anyway, I pm'd you about conformation regarding some horses. I hope you got it.
Seems that you worked real hard to gain that expertise.
Anything that someone works hard at to gain expertise gets my respect.
Look at all the ones that bashed Oracle on the other thread (s). He's good at what he does, as I'm sure you are as well.
We only come here cause we love horse racing, horses, and talking about it.
Peace.
DTS

I PMed you back. Thanks DTS.

on and on.