Find me a pony please HHOers...

He will have been tested, anything born from 2016 onwards has to be for passport.

I wouldn’t buy any Connemara without it (unless breeding means it would definitely be N/N or HWSD/N), it doesn’t matter if his feet look fine, they can have it in disguise and only becomes apparent when you start to show them, take them out of the field etc.
 
Ah ok, I’ve thought about selling as although he is a fantastic hunter when on the move and pops hedges and gates like they are cross poles, he isn’t settling to the standing around bit And would probably suit an eventing home better as has the talent!
 
the grey also looks at a bit back at the knee, having said about the quarters being a bit short etc, i would say though, we have one who is like that and boy is he a superb mover, although i would prefer longer quarters


connies have pre ancestry and they can tend towards a straight hind leg

having picked the poor soul to pieces, i think everything depends on how he moves and rides, if he moves easy over the ground, and shows a willing attitude to work, and uses himself willingly,theres no reason why he should not stay sound if taught to use his back correctly,
 
Personal opinion wont help either the buyers or seller of these horses it is certainly true no horse is perfect it is also true that photos can make a horse look great when it is awful and look awful when it is great. I am beginning to feel quite sorry for the sellers of these ponies to be honest. Sadly the only way to find you a horse is to take you to see them so good luck in your quest. I am sorry Boggle has to have time out.
 
Bernster said:
Hmm, I know good confo is important and no one wants to buy a vet bill but I’ve had horses with good confo turn out not to be very sound and ones with not so perfect have gone on to be very useful for a long time!
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Spot on Bernster.

I have a welsh cob X who has a very close action behind. She's the soundest pony I've ever had, never had a days lameness or injury in her life.

Perfect confirmation is a must for the show ring but otherwise small shortcomings can be overlooked I think.

ETA I've found that the fitter the above pony is, the less obvious her close action is. I think a lot of these unbacked youngsters will look very different with some work in them.
 
opinions won`t change the horse`s confo, and on the whole i think exposure to buyers is a positive thing, and in the end people buy where they want, and generallly because they fall in love, well i do anyway

i had a mare who was an in hand champion at three, who was back at the knee , she was wonderful to to ride, and stayed sound all her life

so i think we are showing a balanced opinion
 
Meowy Catkin said:
Well no-one can accuse me of not being biased. :D How about this chappie? I think he could be very marketable once riding nicely and with a few outings under his belt (if he's safe and sound). Could be a keeper though if the breed is your cup of tea.

https://www.preloved.co.uk/adverts/show/119713448/black-pure-bred-arab-gelding.html?link=/search?keyword=arab&sectionId=3365&advertType=forsale

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Love this chap! Super young horse!
 
Bernster said:
Hmm, I know good confo is important and no one wants to buy a vet bill but I’ve had horses with good confo turn out not to be very sound and ones with not so perfect have gone on to be very useful for a long time!
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This is totally true, but I still wouldn’t consider buying one that isn’t sound from the get go ?
 
tristar said:
t

having picked the poor soul to pieces, i think everything depends on how he moves and rides, if he moves easy over the ground, and shows a willing attitude to work, and uses himself willingly,theres no reason why he should not stay sound if taught to use his back correctly,
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I think this one is unbacked?

Good luck michen, take photos!
 
While I completely agree that buying sound from the get go is paramount, not all conformation issues are equal to unsoundness.
There is no "perfect" horse, at least not in the price range that most of us can afford..!!!
I think there is always a compromise to be made. I have learned that buying with your gut when you see the horse in the flesh is the best way forward, and being honest about the red flags. In truth, the horses I've bought with my heart are the ones that have gotten me into trouble. I didn't really like much about my Connie x boy from his ad, still wasn't over struck when I viewed him BUT my gut was screaming at me that he was the one. I double checked via PM with a few of the HHOers that I knew would give me sound, honest feedback and was given the go ahead. He has an old splint on his near fore and is a bit upright in the hock but all in all he's not a bad lad and cheap as a bonus..!!!
He's going off to be backed etc in 2 weeks time and I'm excited rather than terrified for once ??
 
What is it you’re trying to produce? What do that market want? I was previously in the small horse all rounder shopping category and temperament, results and decent movement were considered far before the finer points of conformation. Does it need to make money or is it a project for fun possibly accepting a loss? I’m the worlds worst seller (no time for time wasters) so have made a few losses for a quick easy sale recently :p
 
I’m way too interested in what Mitchen thought of this little horse. He’s the only one on this whole thread that has ‘the look’ that grabs me.
 
It's easy to sit here and be mega pedantic about confo but I bet there's not one person on here who's got a perfectly put together horse. All of our horses will have something not textbook about them and there's a hell of a lot who will be more than capable of your every day riding activities.

Even if it was perfect that doesn't mean for a second it'll be sound for the rest of it's life. Horses are stupid and they will find a way to injure themselves whether they have the most perfect pasterns or feet or whatever.

My horse has short upright pasterns, he's a bit tied in at the knee and he's got a short, thick neck which you'd think would make him useless for dressage. With all that said he's never been lame (aside from when he self-harmed), skips over 1.10 and moves beautifully.

It's fine to look for the big no nos but don't get too caught up in it all. I've had horses who were seriously badly put together who never went wrong.
 
Not only that but a certain level of conformation critique isn't always helpful - it makes any discussion of training issues etc very 'loaded' often when conformation simply isn't the problem. In reality most horses in the UK don't have to work hard and are very well kept and managed too. This means that whilst it is fun to be picky and show that one knows the finer points of excellent conformation it's just not always that relevant or realistic. If only it were that simple to buy a straightforward riding horse with excellent conformation, soundness and manners. More people than not have failed to do that and most of us accept compromises and find that our horses meet our needs. Lameness is simply part of horse ownership and we can all do our damnedest to avoid soundness issues but if it really were all down to conformation (which is actually also reasonably subjective) unsound horses would be fewer and further between I reckon. I have never had a perfectly made horse tbh but not had significant issues as a result of their conformational challenges either, even well into older age!! Good luck Michen in whatever you choose and however you make that decision. :) :)
 
Whilst I agree with the last couple of posters, and did in fact say the same thing further back in the thread, Michen did ask ....

Michen said:
Unbroken, in UK. 4K. I like the look of him, only a couple of hours away.
Confo critique anyone?
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And I too am looking forward to hearing how the viewing went today :)
 
Sorry guys! Dragged a bloke with me so no time for HHO ;)

He’s very pony like, not a flashy mover but I absolutely loved his temperament and he’s saddled up etc...he gave me that slight Boggle *glow*. He also seemed to take a weird shine to me and stuck to me like glue, despite not being led by me etc, was a bit odd. Something there.

He’s got a very nice pop but was a little wobbly/spooky going in though perhaps to be expected.

Going to sleep on it.
 
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