A horse, right? Definitely meets the challenge. I'm a fan of the colors too, deep brown appeals to me. I love the textures and detail present. I feel like the eye would have been better served had the reflection been minimized somehow, perhaps with just a catchlight. Given the way it looks, I'm pretty sure you worked hard to get the level horizon in the reflection just right. It's a great image technically, but doesn't really resonate with me on an emotional level. A solid 6.
Since all my photo equipment was stolen and I am camera-less, I will spend time now voting...
Interest - 2
Theme Interp - 3
Technical Merit - 3
Personal Bias - 2
TOTAL - 10