I know nothing about Taxidermy and I was hoping that those more knowledgeable would be able to comment on my son's Steinbok.

Good point, bad and any information about taxidermy I would appreciate. I realise the horns have been painted black which I wasn't excited about. It does bring back memorys of a great hunt for my young fella.

You are a brave soul to ask for comments.

Here are a few observations:

First, it is a very large steinbok and a nice trophy. Steinbok horns are pretty much black, unlike some horns so you are ok there. If they have been painted, the paint could be removed with a solvent. They should not be flat black but should have a little sheen or luster to them.

the ear/ear butts appear a little low and a little far back on the head and the inside of the ears were never painted.

The eye and nose shape is not great but representative of most taxidermy work, especially the nostrils. The nose lacks "fullness" or the plump look of a live animal. The correct nostril shape is missing and the nostrils just look like a hole. There does not seem to be much "life" in the expression. There looks like a white band in the front corner of both eyes which would indicate that the eyes may not be set properly but this is hard to tell from the photos.

It appears that the lips were not tucked quite enough into the form.

Could have used a little more grooming of the hair.

All of the above together, give me the impression of an "old looking taxidermy mount" even though this could have been mounted yesterday by the average taxidermy studio.

One good point is the angle of the ears. They are upright and look alert. I see many that are mounted straight out to the side like they are in the trophy field photo. The overall ear shape is not bad at all.

I hope these comments and others do not diminish the memories of a fine trophy, but you did ask! I have seen a lot worse. As far as taxidermy work goes, it is average. As far as steinboks go, those horns are way above average.

I am no expert but I agree with Grafton. I think this is an exceptional Steenbok , I hope to take one as large this year.

Grafton, thank you for those comments.

Honesty and a clear explanation are exactly what I was after. As stated, I know very little about Taxidermy and this is the start of a long road to learning.

The animal in question made Rowland Ward and was a milestone experience for my 14yo son.

He'll be able to look at for years to come and remember "exactly" how it all went down and how proud his father was on that day -- good stuff. It's all about the memories, mate. You did well by him.