Ex-racehorse conformation opinions

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joey&jess

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This is Joey or Compton Ford. He's an 8 year old Ex-racehorse last raced in 2009 and bought by me from a local dealer in June 2014. I'm hoping to do some low level dressage (intro and prelim) and I'd like to do jumping but he doesn't seen to pick up his legs over a jump 80% of the time.
Apologies for the pictures, it's getting too dark for me to take them after work so I'm using ones I already have from the last month or so.
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Many thanks!
 
Hi
there's lots of folks who will give you a critique on his conformation but for me the most important thing would be to work him long and low but up in the shoulder so he puts on some top line, which will improve him no end and also improve his way of going. no reason why he shouldn't do low level dressage. He looks a nice laid back fellow, have fun with him! Good luck
 
Nice short cannons and the pasterns aren't too long or upright. Good shoulder. Back at the knee. Not too sure about his back end, looks very straight through the hocks to me and very weak. Obviously lacking a lot of muscle and top line and I think he will look completely different horse given the correct work
 
Not great at conformation and someone will need to correct me but..

Looks rather flat backed
possible cow-hocks?
tied in at the knee?

He should be fine for low level dressage. :) I know a gelding which is awfully put together but can still throw a good dressage test. :)
 
For an ex racer full tb he looks exceptionally flat across the pelvis to me and his hind legs don't quite seem to 'belong' to him. Photos can be very deceptive, but if he was mine and struggling to jump, I would be checking out his sacroiliac joint and hocks.

It isn't uncommon for ex racers to be very untidy jumpers to start with, though, so if he's forward and sound in all other ways, don't worry too much until he's built up more strength.
 
Thank you people,

He certainly is a full tb by Compton Place out of Coffee Time. Raced I think 15 times and won twice.

As soon as I got him I had a vet out and she said he's sound and his back is fine. However he is having a saddle fitting for a thorrowgood t4.

His jumping is messy, he will do it, but messes up his strides and often clips the poles with his back feet if he isn't hyped up (for use in a better word).
 
joey&jess said:
His jumping is messy, he will do it, but messes up his strides and often clips the poles with his back feet if he isn't hyped up (for use in a better word).
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Is he clipping it due to being lazy with bacl feet and no respect for poles are is he got stiff back legs that are possibly holding him back from lifting then 'high enough'?
 
joey&jess said:
Thank you people,

He certainly is a full tb by Compton Place out of Coffee Time. Raced I think 15 times and won twice.

As soon as I got him I had a vet out and she said he's sound and his back is fine. However he is having a saddle fitting for a thorrowgood t4.

His jumping is messy, he will do it, but messes up his strides and often clips the poles with his back feet if he isn't hyped up (for use in a better word).
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How much jumping has he done? Some horse who know the game simply won't bother if the fence is too small. But looking at his photos, I would do flexion tests on his back legs if he was mine.


I have retrained about ten ex racers and taught them to jump, and he doesn't look or sound quite right to me.
 
It may well be his current saddle as he'll jump fine without it on or it could be me. He has no jumping history that I know of but his race record says he was sold to the national hunt for 3 years and I believe they jump them? I will ask he vet to take a look
 
joey&jess said:
It may well be his current saddle as he'll jump fine without it on or it could be me. He has no jumping history that I know of but his race record says he was sold to the national hunt for 3 years and I believe they jump them? I will ask he vet to take a look
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National Hunt Is what I thought was Hurdles and Steeplechasing.. so he would have done a lot of jumping and dragged his legs through the brushes which is why he has no respect for the poles most likely. :)
 
i've an exracer and even with all the grids and schooling in the world he is still a dangel-ly legged jumper. If jumping cleanly is really importrant to you then he sounds like he might break your heart. The rattling poles could also be something like arthritis in the hocks settling in. If jumping is your thing you'd be better off getting something that has a natural decent pop already. My exracer is a gem at low level dressage and enjoys it a huge amount. But I ended up getting another one to jump competitively cause the exracer just didn't have it in him unfortunately!
what level and kind of jumping would you like to do? Mine happlily potters round over tiny courses, but anything else just melts him!
 
paddi22 said:
i've an exracer and even with all the grids and schooling in the world he is still a dangel-ly legged jumper. If jumping cleanly is really importrant to you then he sounds like he might break your heart. The rattling poles could also be something like arthritis in the hocks settling in. If jumping is your thing you'd be better off getting something that has a natural decent pop already. My exracer is a gem at low level dressage and enjoys it a huge amount. But I ended up getting another one to jump competitively cause the exracer just didn't have it in him unfortunately!
what level and kind of jumping would you like to do? Mine happlily potters round over tiny courses, but anything else just melts him!
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I don't intend to do anything particularly high with him. Up to 3 ft 3 at the most. Really he's just a happy hacker but I'd like to get out to a few local shows a year.

I mostly asked for people's opinions incase there was something shocking that I didn't notice that mat affect marks in the dressage or low level showing maybe. Being a complete novice at both (:
 
I have an ex national hunt racer who wasnt very respectful of poles when he first came and would often knock them, ive done loads of grid work and used v poles etc and he has a fab jump on him now. Obviously they arent all the same and as with any breed some just wont have it in them but get a bit more muscle and topline on him and work on fittening him up then try gridwork v poles plenty of schooling etc and see how he does :), Good luck!!
 
Given that he is a bit straight in the hocks and the fact that he isn't showing much 'oomph' at the moment with his jumping I would probably just get his hocks & hind suspensories checked out as this is often one of the first signs of issues there.

He looks a lovely chilled out boy though!
 
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