Opinions on this horse please

[Fun Times]

I'd love to see photos of all the horses that people on this thread own just to see all the perfect specimens that they wisely invested in and how successful they all have become.....just out of interest.

My horse is currently six weeks into a lay-off due to a splint which isnt being helped by poor hoof proportion and shape. Which is exactly why I advised OP to be conscious of the splint and to analyse whether the conformation is likely to exacerbate it. I never said my horse was perfect...quite the opposite, I was attempting to pass on some of the experience I have had with less than perfect conformation. To be honest, I would be pretty miffed if I asked fpr opinions and everyone just responded to say they had no views as their horses are all perfect!

 

[Arizahn]

I'd love to see photos of all the horses that people on this thread own just to see all the perfect specimens that they wisely invested in and how successful they all have become.....just out of interest.

I don't generally bother posting pictures of mine any more since despite hundreds of views there are rarely many replies. Plus I don't want to derail the thread. And have no photos where mine are standing up square/aren't caked in mud. So no photos from me. However, IMO perfect doesn't exist, and if it did, it would be boring

The OP asked for our opinions, we gave them. Mine is that (based on the photos) I don't personally like the horse in question and wouldn't be prepared to pay £2k plus for her.

 

[Spring Feather]

I'd love to see photos of all the horses that people on this thread own just to see all the perfect specimens that they wisely invested in and how successful they all have become.....just out of interest.

No horse is perfectly put together (except for Buckpasser perhaps!) so we have to make decisions based on what conformation faults are acceptable to us. A number of my horses are broodmares, ex-competition horses, and all of them have been inspected and graded by top WB registry inspectors, so they have been assessed as good specimens independently of what I think (I think they're pretty darned nice however, which is why I bought them).

OP has to make a decision on what is acceptable to her. I'm a leg person so I couldn't buy a horse with twisted legs but if OP doesn't have the same standards as me then that's okay, it's her risk not mine. I think people are only trying to give their opinions on this horse to try to protect OP from making a potentially expensive decision. I certainly don't have any other vested interest in what horse anyone on here buys and I wish her well if she does go ahead with this purchase

 

[cundlegreen]

I've been watching this thread with interest, so now I'll add my two pennies worth! I've now got two 4 year olds, both bought from ireland as unbroken projects. I know their history, the bay was purchased from the breeder and had been in a field all her life, and the brown had just started the breaking process when I bought him. He is very backward, and poor, although the photo flatters him, and at 17 hands, will be given plenty of time before I break him in. They are very different physically from the OP's horse, yet both have plenty of blood (the bay is actually 3/4 tb despite looking like a tank!). They both to my way of thinking, despite not having done any work at all, have more muscle and correct frame than the horse shown to us in the photo. Possibly a good comparison to make between different 4 year olds?
http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/ww146/cundlegreen/DSC_16501280x856_zps55f86e66.jpg



By the way, can somebody PLEASE show me how to get the photos across "readymade" instead of encoded??

 

[SpringArising]

By the way, can somebody PLEASE show me how to get the photos across "readymade" instead of encoded??

Right-click the image in Photobucket and select 'Copy Image URL'.

Paste the link in the text box, and at the start write

.

 

[Tiddlypom]

What hasnt been mentioned is horse s terrible sickle hocks!Coupled with a weak back end and poor front legs [ tied behind knee, etc etc] I cant see this horse standing up to work for long at all.

I don't see evidence of sickle hocks from the two photos? Am I missing something obvious?

I wouldn't outright turn down this horse from the photos alone. A good second look at her in the flesh (paying particular attention to her less than ideal bits), would be on the cards if it was me in the OPs shoes.

 

[Palindrome]

I think the horse has a good confo for an eventer and I like her but yes tied below at the knee. It's up to you OP to see but if amateur horse for light work with excellent temperament would not necessarily pass up.

 

[HorsesandParrots]

Hi all
Please can I have your opinions on this horse

Thank you in advance

I am not very good at conformation tbh. But if you like her and the price is right, i would buy her subject to vetting and a good trial!

 

[Nudibranch]

Comparison wise, I don't like the hind legs on the dark bay nor any legs on the bright bay. And the bright bay appears to have something of a roach back while the dark bay's neck looks short.
They are just photos, therefore all these observations could be incorrect but I don't believe that they are a help to the OP for comparison purposes. Sorry!

 

[SpringArising]

And the bright bay appears to have something of a roach back

He doesn't have a roach back, he's just croup high.

 

[seejay]

Right-click the image in Photobucket and select 'Copy Image URL'.

Paste the link in the text box, and at the start write

.

Does the first horse really have hind legs as straight as a pole as he looks in that photo, and as severe a jumper's rump? Is he as severely under run at the front and as back at the knee as he appears?

Is the second horse as grossly overweight as she looks in that photo? And as short and upright in the pasterns? And again, possibly back at the knee?

Photos are extremely deceptive, but as a fun eventer, just from the photos we have, the horse the thread is about would be the one I would choose, subject to price.

 

[Nudibranch]

He doesn't have a roach back, he's just croup high.

Sorry, I disagree with you there. I have a croup high TB and a rising 4 yo who is currently the same. If you look at the outline of that horse carefully, the whole back almost arches towards the croup from the wither.

 

[seejay]

He doesn't have a roach back, he's just croup high.

But he isn't, is he? His wither is higher than his croup. even if you take some paper and recreate the ground line to bring his front and back feet level.

 

[seejay]

Sorry, I disagree with you there. I have a croup high TB. rising 4 yo who is currently the same. If you look at the outline of that horse carefully, the whole back almost arches towards the croup from the wither.

I agree, if the photo is accurate

 

[Goldenstar]

I am sure where you expect to get with this seejay , if you post a picture and ask for opinions you will get them .
Yes pictures are often inaccurate but you have to thin down your viewing choices so I accept that I may decide not to view a horse on the basis of an poor picture and therefore miss a nice horse but so what there are plenty horses in the world .
I would not view any of the three horses on the basis of the these pictures , a picture is a snapshot and you take snapshot decisions on them.

 

[AdorableAlice]

I enjoy threads like this one, there is so much to learn when viewing and assessing horses. If those of you with an interest in conformation have the chance to attend grading days or spend a day with a county show judge I would take the opportunity, it is a really good way of learning.

I always put the horse I am assessing into an imaginary box minus it's neck and head. The shoulder, back and hind end plus the legs must fit into the box, if they do the horse is a correct and balanced type. Then I move on to the limbs/feet, (often a minefield!), followed by the neck set. If all that has pleased me I move on to the horse going through it's paces.

Being able to see a nice horse in the rough is a real challenge. Here is a horse totally devoid of any muscle tone or fat to hide any conformational problems so he is easy to assess. Have fun, it should be quite easy.

 

[Moomin1]

I enjoy threads like this one, there is so much to learn when viewing and assessing horses. If those of you with an interest in conformation have the chance to attend grading days or spend a day with a county show judge I would take the opportunity, it is a really good way of learning.

I always put the horse I am assessing into an imaginary box minus it's neck and head. The shoulder, back and hind end plus the legs must fit into the box, if they do the horse is a correct and balanced type. Then I move on to the limbs/feet, (often a minefield!), followed by the neck set. If all that has pleased me I move on to the horse going through it's paces.

Being able to see a nice horse in the rough is a real challenge. Here is a horse totally devoid of any muscle tone or fat to hide any conformational problems so he is easy to assess. Have fun, it should be quite easy.

My thoughts are that his faults are that he has upright pasterns, slightly upright shoulder, low set neck (possibly slightly ewe necked too). Possibly a little over at the knee though hard to say from the pic.

 

[meesha]

I know nothing and just think he looks gorgeous and I can't see any major conformation flaws but as I said I know nothing!

 

[windand rain]

I am sure where you expect to get with this seejay , if you post a picture and ask for opinions you will get them .
Yes pictures are often inaccurate but you have to thin down your viewing choices so I accept that I may decide not to view a horse on the basis of an poor picture and therefore miss a nice horse but so what there are plenty horses in the world .
I would not view any of the three horses on the basis of the these pictures , a picture is a snapshot and you take snapshot decisions on them.

This agree with entirely there is not one of those three that I would buy as an eventer from those photos they are all poor photos of what would from them appear to be poor quality horses sorry if that offends the actual horses are probably lovely and are entirely suitable for the job in question but the photos are dreadful to be honest I never look at the photos but read the description if it comes across as being anything close to what I want I go and look

two year old warm bood in the field I didnt think much of but bought

at three and becoming a lot like I like if a little portly

Just about my kind of horse

Still not good photos but he did turn out to be a lovely horse

 

[TheMule]

A quality horse through and through- looks like he'd do any job.
For me he's a fraction upright behind, straight through the hocks and stands over himself a fraction with upright pasterns. I love his depth and power

 

[AdorableAlice]

My thoughts are that his faults are that he has upright pasterns, slightly upright shoulder, low set neck (possibly slightly ewe necked too). Possibly a little over at the knee though hard to say from the pic.

Remember I said you are looking at him in the rough and as another poster mentioned a photo is a snapshot in time. The picture you are looking at is a horse that had spent 11 months on barn rest following a career ending injury. He has just been shod in the hope we could make a start on him hacking. Effectively he had been stood still for nearly a year.

Would you believe me if I told you the photo below is the same horse. Between 2007 and 2009 he was never out of the top 3, won 5 supremes, 2 national championships and competed at medium BD. As a show hunter and dressage horse he had 156 competitive starts and won 136 of them.

Always see them in the flesh, photographs are only any good for a passing glance when it comes to assessing horses.

 

[ester]

AA I might be completely wrong here but spect you can clear me up when I see pics of him I always wonder if his tail set is a bit high or if its just his pointy bum or what . I guess it is the WB in him and I am just too used to round welsh bottoms!

 

[googol]

He is gorgeous then and now AA! Fingers crossed you get him hacking again. In both pics he is a great stamp of a horse, with or without his issues and u've summed it up perfectly about reviewing pics of horses.

I was just trying to find some stood up pics of my boy. Ridiculously I can't look at him and review his conformation not just because I've hardly a clue but also because to me he is just perfect and I love the bones of him. Useless lol
I couldn't post pics on here , he's too fat atm, my friend and I were having a wee giggle about that the other day, I would be slaughtered if I did- too many perfect horse owners with their opinions!

 

[meesha]

Omg I wasn't wrong! A first for me!

 

[Moomin1]

Remember I said you are looking at him in the rough and as another poster mentioned a photo is a snapshot in time. The picture you are looking at is a horse that had spent 11 months on barn rest following a career ending injury. He has just been shod in the hope we could make a start on him hacking. Effectively he had been stood still for nearly a year.

Would you believe me if I told you the photo below is the same horse. Between 2007 and 2009 he was never out of the top 3, won 5 supremes, 2 national championships and competed at medium BD. As a show hunter and dressage horse he had 156 competitive starts and won 136 of them.

Always see them in the flesh, photographs are only any good for a passing glance when it comes to assessing horses.

Yes absolutely. I was just responding to what I saw in the pic you posted. I wasn't trying to offend

 

[AdorableAlice]

AA I might be completely wrong here but spect you can clear me up when I see pics of him I always wonder if his tail set is a bit high or if its just his pointy bum or what . I guess it is the WB in him and I am just too used to round welsh bottoms!

Your Welsh tails are designed to withstand nasty weather and protect the bottoms beneath the tail when the horse stands with his bum to the wind. Here is a picture of the tail set, it is a lot higher than Natives and the hind quarter is a different shape.

Mr Leo does not do bad weather in any form or shape. He lives in retirement, in a paddock with a bedded down barn. If he goes to bed in the day I can guarantee it is about to rain. We still laugh about a dressage test in a hail storm, he entered at A, halted at X and then reversed out of the arena, across the warm up, across the car park and did a turn on the forehand at the lorry ramp and loaded himself with his rider scrambling off the side of him.

 

[AdorableAlice]

Yes absolutely. I was just responding to what I saw in the pic you posted. I wasn't trying to offend

Don't be daft ! that is exactly what I meant about using photographs to judge and what the op has experienced through the thread. Until you are hands on in the flesh it is impossible to judge.

The pictures of the pair of 4 year olds further up the thread are a real example of bad pictures, the one looks like it has a pony neck and the other has no limbs.

 

[ester]

Well even Frank tells me that being born just outside of Cardiff does not count as dealing with Welsh mountain weather .

Strangely your chap looks more 'normal' to me with it carried, so I reckon I've just seen too many pics of him stood still! I'm going to be assessing tail sets on the yard tomorrow now... :rolleyes3:

 

[Meowy Catkin]

I like this horse very much but I don't like the way he's standing on his NH. IIRC, that was the leg that had the awful injury, as I'm sure that you've posted this photo (and a couple of others with him standing the same) before and I asked about his odd stance then too.

 

[AdorableAlice]

I like this horse very much but I don't like the way he's standing on his NH. IIRC, that was the leg that had the awful injury, as I'm sure that you've posted this photo (and a couple of others with him standing the same) before and I asked about his odd stance then too.

Yes, you are right. We have him fitted with 3 cavello boots that are a real success, but that hind keeps twisting the boot sideways. I have been advised to try a 'glove' boot but haven't bought him one yet because I can't get him out at this time of year. The ligament (check) has healed short and given us a massive problem with break over and alteration of foot fall.