Conformation critique

[DFCottage]

Hi all,
I put out to all the wonderful people here a picture of a horse I am considering purchasing. He is a 5 y.o. 16.2h TB, never raced, was in a bad situation and is now being properly and wonderfully cared for at his current owner's farm with appropriate feed, the panacur power dose pack de-wormer and a weight gainer supplement. The farrier is slowly bringing his feet back to where they should be, as they were very long before. He has not been in a regular riding program, hence the scant muscle tone. I'm hoping to slowly bring him back to work once he gets a bit more weight on him in the right places and eventually try him in hunters or eventing. He has a fabulous mind and is very laid back.. his owner put him in the round pen for a few minutes and BOY is he a nice mover! Really reaches, incredible canter. She has free jumped him a bit in the round pen and he's incredibly athletic and scopey.
The main conformational fault I find with him are his topline. I think with more muscling this will definitely help him, plus it will balance out his head more so it doesn't look so big! haha He's a kind soul and I'd like to give him a good home, but just wanted people's input. Thanks everyone!

 

[boilerjoe_96]

let me start by saying I know little of horses.... I just make hay for them...

To me, the first picture it looks like the front end is muscular and the mid section nice sized but the backend...not so much, looks out of proportion to me... like someone cut and pasted a pony's rear end on it....

Second picture doesn't look so bad...maybe it's just a bad picture(1st one)...or there could always be I don't know what i am talking about...

 

[fullhouse]

I agree with the previous poster, and his back seems a bit flat. He looks over 5 in the face, but he could just be thin.

 

[texasreb]

Kudos to you for taking him on!

Confo critique:

He isn't balanced at all. His front end is way bulkier than his hind end. He looks like two different horses photo-shopped together.

He shoulder is really steep and doesn't compliment the angle of his hip at all. Imagine putting a trapezoid over him.
His top line, bottom line, hip and shoulder should all fit within the trap.

I wish I was good at photoshopping so I could impose a trap over him, but I'm not.

 

[KellyGwen]

I would double check his teeth to verify his age... He does look older than 5... Also, like the other posters have noted, he does have a small butt... it may fill out, but it may not and that could really hurt his chances as a jumper. I also noticed that the angle of his ankles is a little off... like he's leaning backwards. This might be due to the fact that he had long hooves for a long time... but it might not straighten out... and that could also cause problems long term.

BUT! All that said... if he is a sweetie and has the enthusiasm he might be worth getting if the price is right - even if he never competes, I bet he'd be a fun trail horse... and you could always get another one - every horse needs a buddy!!

 

[patandchickens]

I've always had good luck with horses with that sort of head and facial expression, for whatever that's worth

I like the way it goes into the neck and shoulder, too, and groceries/exercise will improve that even further.

He would definitely not be my first choice as an event prospect, as he has a pretty small and straight hind end 'engine', but of course there are always a few 'foolers' who don't do the way they look like they should <shrug>. And if you don't have your heart set on eventing I wouldn't worry about it. He does look likely to be a pretty well-balanced ride, and may have a reasonably tidy front end o/f. Although I see what you mean about his feet being works in progress, on the whole I pretty much like them - they look good-sized, decent-shaped for an OTT TB

, and not way far out in front of his legs.

I assume you will be having him vetted - ask about the muscling over the top back of his hindquarters, where there seems to be a rather unusual dip or concavity on either side of the croup/tailhead. Sometimes that comes from muscle atrophy due to nerve damage (EPM, chiropractic type problems, etc) - it does not look to me entirely in keeping with the flesh and musculature of the rest of his body, although it is possible it's just an idiosyncrasy of the way he's built. Look into it, though.

Overall: cutie. If your needs are flexible and an assiduous vetting checks out, and his temperament suits you, then he certainly seems like a good prospect. Let us know what you do!

Have fun,

Pat

 

[fullhouse]

Was he a buggy horse by chance?

 

[patandchickens]

2 quick comments about previous posts: I don't think his hind end is AS small as it looks in the photo, I think it's a problem with how he's stood up (photographer should be opposite *midpoint* of his body, not front of shoulder, and he looks curled away from the photographer just a smidge).

Also, the deep hollow over the eye does not necessarily mean he is older; it is common, esp in TBs even young ones, allowed to get way too skinny. That partiuclar fat pad is the last to come back, and sometimes never does. I have an OTT TB bought as a 5 yr old (absolutely sure this is his correct age) with the *exact* same face, for the same reason.

Pat

 

[boilerjoe_96]

Quote:
As I mentioned...hey maybe I do know something....


Also, I see the angle of the ankles. Does appear out of wack. Learn more to look for everyday....again no horse expert but will be getting some sort of equine in next 12 months....So I am trying to learn

on looking further what are thoughts on the belly(see pic #2)? I can see ribs but isn't the girth of the belly a little large. What does that say?(or again am I showing my inexperience).

 

[DFCottage]

Yeah, I'm not standing in the best place possible for the photo.. and I do think its probably accentuating his front end more than it should. My guess with the angle of his pasterns is not great due to his long toes... and that'll be a slow work in progress by the farrier. Once that improves, his topline might. He has not been in any kind of regular work at all (as in he's barely broke!) hence the scant musculature.
And he is 5, I looked at his teeth and she has papers on him. He just looks older.. poor guy...

He'd be a really cheap buy, he steps over 3' and 3'6" oxers with no trouble, so I think once he got into a regular work pattern and got those butt muscles up he might look at bit more balanced. I do have a vet going out to look at him later this week, to get her opinion on the topline, and everything else