Roached Back

[Sali]

Sister has seen a horse that she really likes the look of and is wanting to go and see it. It is very cute but it has a roach back, and I'm not helping her with a horse coz she thinks 'it's cute'.

So, what implications does having a roach back have? It's more towards the back end of the horse ie, not the saddle area. She would want to dressage it.

I have no knowledge of roach backed horses, I know what it is, but don't know how it would effect the horse. I'm currently saying don't touch it with a barge pole.
I'm not one for queer horses.

 

[rachier]

Apparently a roach back is really strong, but the horse normally has a really jarring action, and is difficult and uncomfortable to sit to (sayin that i wouldnt even go into the ring if you could really tell and it looked weird).
Dont think it would suit dressage (sittin trots hard enough as it is!!), although they are meant to be ok for jumping.

 

[Nickijem]

My previous horse had a roach back. I was advised against buying him as he didn't have perfect conformation but I only wanted a safe and sane hack which he was. I had him for nearly 10 happy years before he was pts sleep last April due to colic.
He never had any back problems, I rode him in a western saddle most of the time.
The only things people put down to his roach back was that he couldn't roll all the way over, he had to get up and 'do' each side separately; and he did 'click' his hind feet on the road sometimes when trotting.
He wasn't, however a dressage horse but I put that down to a lack of schooling rather than a conformation fault.
I certainly wouldn't be put off buying a horse with a roach back so long as everything else is ok.

 

[keeperscottage]

Keepers Cottage used to be a point-to-pointer (bloody uuseless one, though!) and he had a really prominent roach back when we bought him at the end of the point-to-point season, However, now he's put on weight, it's hardly visible. It has certainly never hindered him in any way.