Please critique this mare for me. I'm not well versed on stock horse pedigrees. I am considering this mare, who is 14.3 hands and 16 years old, as a lesson horse (english, short stirrup). Her bloodlines are: By: C Notes Mark Four by Mark IV out of C Notes See Saw Out of: Scenic Black Kitty by Robin's Last out of Nice Kitty Third gen includes Sonny Dee Bar, Patty Zan Bar, C Notes Starbuck, Baldy Wine, Painted Robin, Keota Hancock, Twice as Nice, Black Kitty
I am not a horse expert but she looks in pretty good shape for 16, although she kinda looks alittle pot belied to me, maybe needs to be excersized more or feed reduced. I am not good on colors but she looks like a red roan to me. Good luck.
Unless you are planning to breed her, I'd think as a lesson horse, her dispostion, health and general soundness would be the most important things. She's certainly a nice size. Have you ridden her? Anyway, good lesson horses can be hard to find sometimes. Best of luck! -Lynn
Quote:I'm going to try her this Saturday. She's at a smaller lesson barn a few hours from me. I've been assured of her disposition and health based on two years ownership by said barn. Course, we shall see. I need a new lesson horse SO badly, I don't want to make a rash decision...so I'm looking for someone to point some glaring flaw out that I haven't found yet. Nikki - look up...I mentioned use in my 1st post
She looks good to me - a little out of shape, as others have said, but good for 16. If you're only planning on using her as a lesson horse and not breeding, which I think is what you're saying, I don't feel the pedigree really makes any difference. If she's a good ride, has a pleasant disposition, and passes a soundness check, I would go with her. Good luck.
Hopefully the barn/owner is hoping to have one less mouth to feed this winter(with feed availability and prices being what they are) and she'll be just what you need. She looks docile. I've recently seen some really nice looking horses being sold for what I consider unbelievably low prices because of this drought situation in the east. Some folks are desparate to sell animals or to get enough winter feed for their livestock. Even in good years, hay can be hard to find if you wait too long to stock up.
My judging skills are very rusty at best...been more than 20 years since I had judging education from BHE. I will do my best in judging her if I was a judge but only with pictures, there are some sight adjustment you would need to make then I can make the next judgement there. No motion displayed here either LOL. She is a red roan, thats for sure. Looks more QH type. Takes more of Sonny Dee Bar white traits.... HEAD: Her bald face or face markings with alot of white would take away alot of her femine traits. Without a good clipping job, she has alot of "boy" looks about her and large jowls with wide throat will thin down with exercise. Eyes are not large, rather small for a QH but it coudl be due to her relaxed nature displayed in the picture. NECK: thick and short, does not balance the rest of the body but acceptable for riding pleasure horse. SHOULDER: Nice slope BACK: withers are a little flat and top line is a little low where the saddle sits...probably due to her age or the angle of the photograph. HIP/CROUP: hip is a little steep instead of rounded like a QH....again, it would be the way she is standing or the angle of the photograph. BODY: well put together well defined girth (with a pot belly LOL). With exercise, she will tone up and good well in those areas and define more muscles in her forearms. FORELEGS: nice, looks little toed out and short pasterns HINDLEGS: due to the way she is standing, looked sickle hocked or "under" the body. Point of hip does not line down with the hock to pastern. All in all, she looks like a very good pleasure horse and once she gets all neat and in condition, she would look ten times better. If you are intending to use her as a riding horse, then conformation would not be the strongest suit but to look at some faults to see if it would help or jeopardize her riding career such as jumping, dressage, versatility and English Pleasure. IMO, I would not use her as a broodmare. It would be best for you to get someone else to visualize her to make sure she would "fit" your needs as a riding horse. By photo alone, you can not get that disposition and personality thru photos in most cases. Some of the most beautiful horses you would think he would have a superb personality is a devil in disguise!
Decent bloodlines, a bit straight in the stifle, but she's standing off on the hind, so it's hard to tell. A bit more steep in the shoulder than what I like in a good riding horse, but you sure can't beat a good disposition and a horse that's got some miles on her! She appears to be a bit sour of expression in the pic, but you're experienced enough to be able to tell when you meet her!! Good luck - hope she works out for you.
Keep it coming. I only have three photos of her, and in two of them she looks sour. That's one of the things I'll be looking at closely. It might be environmental. I've had two horses from this barn and one was soured, too, from the lesson schedule and poor instruction. Oh - and no I'm not intending to breed (God knows there are too many horses, already). Some bloodlines lend towards temperament, so I was hoping to hear something like, "Oh, Sonny Dee Bar horses tend to be really laid back."