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GENERAL APPEARANCE AND TEMPERAMENT
The Nooitgedachter has a good balance between the fore quarter, middle and hind quarter, where each form a third. A square stance is noticeable. The horse is relatively finely built with a fine bone structure. Good quality is shown by proud attitude, a non- fleshy head, fine flexible skin and a shiny coat. The horse has a attentive, intelligent attitude with an inherent curiosity and is attracted to people. The height of the horse varies from 138cm to 163cm (13.2 to 16 hands). The variation occurs due to there being a definite tendency towards ponies and horses within the breed as well as the selection methods within changing ecological conditions.
Hooves are of a good quality that seldom make shoeing necessary. The joints are inherently strong. The horse is capable of carrying an adult rider daily for long distances over broken terrain. Comfortable paces like walk, trot, trippel and gallop are characteristic. This makes the participation in shows, hacking, dressage competitions, and other sport disciplines possible.
A foal % of 90% with out extra feeding on natural grazing is possible. The mares also have good udder development and mothering instincts. Maturity as with height varies according to feeding/conditions. The dominant colour is differing shades of blue, brown, chestnut roans. The skin pigmentation is dark.
The horse’s weight varies according to height but the balance and characteristic constitution remain unchanged. Stallions vary from 400 to 500kg and mares 380 to 450kg.
HEAD
A dry - non fleshy - head with a strong jaw bone and an open air pipe is characteristic. In a stallion a princely and proud attitude is present. Seen from the front the head is short form poll to mouth, with a broad forehead and short, pointed ears that are placed correctly and are “mobile”.
In profile the mussel area must be straight or a little concave, the jaw deep and well “domed” and the jaw bone line straight. The mussel must be large, well defined and mobile. The top and bottom teeth must be in line. A dry, non fleshy head and a pliable fine skin with defined points of bone (“been knoppe”) and visible veins are preferred.
EYES
The eyes must be large, open and placed well apart. The eyebrows must not be too heavy or prominent. An intelligent, attentive eye is striven towards. Wild rolling eyes with a white flicker are not characteristic of the breed. Femininity in conformation and eye of the head in mares is required.
NECK AND ATTACHMENT
The neck must be relatively long and well muscled and must be attached neatly to the head, chest and shoulder. The neck carriage should be of such a nature that the head is held high but not give the impression that they are looking into the sky. (star gazing). The ideal is that the neck comes out high from the shoulder. The mane is thick.
WITHERS AND SHOULDER ATTACHMENT
A deep shoulder with a long shoulder blade is very good as it helps give long paces. A line form the point of shoulder? to the highest point on the wither should give an angle with the horizontal of 50% . The shoulder should be well muscled but not give a massive impression (loaded?) And the top of the shoulder blades (scapulae) should sit close to the withers and give a dry, sharp wither. The wither should be of such form and position that the saddle fits well and does not slip forward and that the girth does not rub the horse while being ridden.
SHOULDER AND PASTERN - ANGLE AND LENGTH
The shoulder and pastern should have the same angle and the pastern be of relatively long length.
RIBS
the front ribs should be long to give a deep chest and room for the heart and lungs but not too well domed? sprung? for the riding horse. The back ribs should be well sprung /domed and also be long for stomach capacity. The flank should be deep and full and the space between the last rib and hip should be in relation to the rest of the body and be short ie. about 4 fingers in width.
BACK FROM WITHER TO HIP.
The top line of the middle portion is formed by the back and loins. It should be more or less straight and join the croup smoothly. (straight - no dip ?) There must be discrimination against the hollow back ie the dipping in behind the withers as well as the roach back. The top line should be relatively short in comparison to the under line. The ideal is that the horse should have a short muscled loin but “cover a lot of ground”.
CROUP (ANGLE, LENGTH AND WIDTH) AND THE HIND QUARTER
The croup must be relatively long, measured from the hip point (heupknop ) to the point of buttock (sitbeen). Seen from behind it should broad between the hip joints(draaibene) but the hips (heupe) must not stand out and the croup may be slightly rounded. Seen from the side the croup should be slightly sloping towards the back but the tail should be attached slightly high. A too flat croup seen from behind or a too sloping croup seen from the side is undesired. Seen from behind the hind quarter, buttocks?(boude) en thighs (bodye) should be full and muscled. The gaskin (skenkel) must be strong.
FORE ARM (LENGTH) AND HOCK AND STANDANCE OF LEGS
The distance from the elbow to the knee of the fore arm must be longer than from the knee to the fetlock. Also the forearms should be wide enough apart to ensure good movement but not so wide that it is like a (trek perd) carriage horse. (No rolling?) The horse seen from the front should stand squarely on its forelegs in others words it should stand straight and evenly apart. A line may be drawn from the point of shoulder through the middle of the knee the canon bone the fetlock and the hoof. seen for the side the leg should stand vertical ie a line from the middle of the knee and the middle of the fetlock would pass behind (touching) the back of the hoof. The fore arm should be long and muscled the knee deep, broad and flat and the canon bone short flat and dry. the fetlock relatively large defined and not “fleshy”. The pasterns should be relatively long and approx. the angle of the shoulder. There should be discriminated against a lot of hair at the pastern (feathers). The hind legs seen from behind should be evenly wide between each other all the way down, with a line running straight from the point of the buttock, the point of hock, the back of the pastern and the back of the hoof ie heel. Seen from the side the stance of the hind leg should be such that a line may be drawn from point of buttock to behind the hock along the back of the canon bone and the fetlock. The hind pasterns may be more upright than the fore ones.
HOOVES AND BONE STRUCTURE.
The front of the hoof should have the same angle as the pastern. Seen from underneath the hind hooves are more oval than the fore ones. The hoof is inclined to be high and small. Relatively higher at heel is good for mountainous terrain. the hoof wall is thick and hard and tough without cracks. The coronet should be rounded and pinched heels must be avoided. The bone should give a clean and strong impression. And the joints in both fore and hind legs should be flat and strong.
With judging, inspecting of Nooitgedacht horses the following undesirable characteristics should be noted and reasons for disqualifications noted:
UNDESIRABLE
1. Conformation faults that are too far from the ideal
rough, fleshy head
small eyes
thick and heavy neck
small and upright shoulder
tendency towards hollow back
slight roach back
calf knee, hooves turned inwards, or out wards, cow hocks, sickle hock, or outward turning of the hocks
upright pasterns
small pasterns
2. Slight colour variations like a too big a blaze or too high whit legs.
3. A horse that is obviously afraid of people or is temperamental
4. A horse that does not move freely.
DISQUALIFICATIONS
I. Undesirable temperament
II. Obvious faults - parrot mouthed, hollow back, hocks that turn outwards
III. Curb
IV. Poor bones, joints or hooves
V. Height of under 138cm
VI. Coloured - piepald, skewbald of albino
VII. Ridgel
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