Wonky Donkey

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We have just got a new horse at work sent to us from an existing owner. He's a bit of a wonky donkey. Honestly! He looks like he was put together as a drunken party game!

We shall start with the head - it's very wide but not long enough to take up the width well. His neck is set too low on shoulders that are quite straight. His body is that of a mares - 6in too long for the rest of him. He is very flat across the top from whither to tail with a square, flat backend. His back legs, whilst there is a fair amount of bone in the lower limbs for a tb the thigh looks no where near big or thick enough and doesn't match the lower half. He is slightly back at the knee in front. His joints (the ones without windgalls) are big, thick and rounded. He has a splint on a front leg that doubles the width of his bone there. He is also covered in scars that look as though he has been through a fence at some point.

He looks to have ok feet and his ears are set on straight though! He hasn't ran yet so we shall see what he is made off. You don't need to be pretty to win races after all!

What's the wonkyest donkey you have ever come across conformation wise?

P.s. I am not posting a pic! Bless he doesn't need that in his life ?
 
My heart horse had a dent in his face he was born with it apparently he was squashed in the mares womb and his hoof made a dent in his face, lucky for me no one else bought him because of it, he was the most genuine and kind horse ever and I loved him to bits until I lost him age 18 it broke my heart
I bet this new lad of yours will have a heart of gold ?
 
Attraction. Some of the worst front legs ever and the rest of her looked like a cut and shut job. A very weird action in full flight. A bloodstock agent who shall remain nameless looked at a pair of fillies at Floors Castle as a possible buy for a syndicate to race, he waxed lyrical about this little queen of a filly with a walk like a panther and perfect conformation. The other one? Well she was Attraction. Just a few G1s, a Champion 2yo title etc etc :oops:
 
My mare, she has the head and legs of a thoroughbred and neck and body of cob. Huge shoulders, short backed, bum high with a very round body. Makes saddle fitting a nightmare.
 
Gloi said:
A person I know had a Fell x Shetland. It was about 12hh with a Fell sized body and face and stumpy little legs. Such a funny looking boy but he pulled a trap ok.
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Ive met a couple of Shetland x Highland that look similar. Also a Highland x Ardennes that looked like an overgrown Highland with an oddly long back and stumpy trees for legs.
 
Cloball said:
Ive met a couple of Shetland x Highland that look similar. Also a Highland x Ardennes that looked like an overgrown Highland with an oddly long back and stumpy trees for legs.
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I was thinking of the Shetland x Highlands that I'm sure someone on here talked about some time ago. This pony was a similar stamp to those.
 
What a disobliging lot you are. Shame on you.
I wonder what the above animals would say about you?
" That one that rides me - thinks she can jump. Hah - I daren't bascule properly over a pole. She'd fall off over my face and we'd end up in a collapse of legs and t***. "Well, the one I'm lumbered with, she's been told not to hold onto my mouth. That's a great blessing, but I'm not psychic, she's no idea of using leg aids, and I'm going to send off for a crystal ball to see if I can get any guidance on where I'm supposed to be going".
"My chap likes posing around on me, boasting about my wonderful breeding. My dam was supposed to be meeting some fancy stallion, which she did, but not before she got on terms with next-door's heavyweight cob. My chap says my bone is due to impeccable line breeding. Little does he know!"
 
I have had two wonky looking horses but my second Jacob had a very low set and long neck, extreme withers, none of his legs really pointed in the same direction, he was really hard to fit a saddle to, he had sarcoids everywhere but thankfully they were never angry and not immediately obvious, his bum was always angular no matter how much riding on the downs (but I now know this is probably due to compensatory movement) - but that being said, my god when he turned it on he was gorgeous!! And fastastically talented and athletic when ridden, it was me that let him down in this respect!

He did look a bit better once he gained some muscle etc (photo is when I first got him, video is later down the line)

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https://youtube.com/shorts/A1whG29Z9oI?feature=share

ETA: I thought that video would show in my post but it looks like you'll have to click on it instead
 
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A good number of years ago way back in the 80s I had 3 mares foal down late spring. Sadly one foal didn't make it, it happens.
At the time we still had monthly local equine sale, mostly all going to meat on knockdown, I'd occasionally pick up something that looked useful to turn around for a few quid.
Local meat man called me as he had just picked up a mare with new foal at foot, but mare in a bad way. He was angry that owner had tried to put through the sale - as foal definitely not old enough, so he had done a v cheap deal for them in car park.
Suffice to say I collected foal and got my pony mare to accept her.
However, God only knows what she was..... upside down neck, big ears, cow hocked, I thought she had been crossed with a miniature donkey to start with! A dirty strawberry roan with spiky mane....
No way could I ever sell her, tried to hide her when we had visitors, those who saw her among the pedigree ponies cackled at me!
Despite all her dreadful failings she was THE sweetest natured pony to deal with. Happily weaned off later with a couple of the gelding riding ponies, she grew into an even more ugly pony, thin wispy tail and almost roach backed too.
That all said, I backed her and she was treated like all the others. That pony was the most safe conveyance for the most nervous of children and attended pony club with friends kids (new instructors laughed so much till they got to know her).
Sadie lived till she was 21. She had a huge fan club locally ?
 
Granny horse was a very wonky donkey... especially once she stopped working and everything sagged a bit!
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She looked a bit better when she was younger...
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Absolute heart of gold though. She always humoured me in my dressage attempts despite her compromised conformation and was the kind of horse that would ride through fire for you if she trusted you. It was such an honour to be her human for nearly eight years. ❤️
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I had a physio to her once who told me off for falling for a pretty face! I did, it's true, I saw her in a field and didn't even look past those big dark eyes and agreed to loan her immediately ? I'm bloody glad I did. I wouldn't overlook a wonky donkey in future if I could find another horse as brave and as clever as my Poppy was.
 
Laurac13 said:
My heart horse had a dent in his face he was born with it apparently he was squashed in the mares womb and his hoof made a dent in his face, lucky for me no one else bought him because of it, he was the most genuine and kind horse ever and I loved him to bits until I lost him age 18 it broke my heart
I bet this new lad of yours will have a heart of gold ?
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Mine also has a dent in her face! It's not really noticeable because it's perfectly positioned under the black streak in her blaze, but it does mean one eye is slightly higher than the other.

1659533762962.png

She isn't too terrible otherwise, apart from the fact that her front and back ends are in different counties, but she can still only take a 17" saddle because all the length is in her loin.

Despite all that, she's absolutely perfect in every way.
 
The longer I do my job the longer I realise that there are very few truly wonkey donkeys, it's so often not conformation, it's posture and compensatory movement patterns. Even the head can change a little from bodywork etc!
 
The Fuzzy Furry said:
A good number of years ago way back in the 80s I had 3 mares foal down late spring. Sadly one foal didn't make it, it happens.
At the time we still had monthly local equine sale, mostly all going to meat on knockdown, I'd occasionally pick up something that looked useful to turn around for a few quid.
Local meat man called me as he had just picked up a mare with new foal at foot, but mare in a bad way. He was angry that owner had tried to put through the sale - as foal definitely not old enough, so he had done a v cheap deal for them in car park.
Suffice to say I collected foal and got my pony mare to accept her.
However, God only knows what she was..... upside down neck, big ears, cow hocked, I thought she had been crossed with a miniature donkey to start with! A dirty strawberry roan with spiky mane....
No way could I ever sell her, tried to hide her when we had visitors, those who saw her among the pedigree ponies cackled at me!
Despite all her dreadful failings she was THE sweetest natured pony to deal with. Happily weaned off later with a couple of the gelding riding ponies, she grew into an even more ugly pony, thin wispy tail and almost roach backed too.
That all said, I backed her and she was treated like all the others. That pony was the most safe conveyance for the most nervous of children and attended pony club with friends kids (new instructors laughed so much till they got to know her).
Sadie lived till she was 21. She had a huge fan club locally ?
Click to expand...
We need to see her ?
 
I bought this very unprepossessing pony for £200.00 as a companion to my elderly mare. She is a perfect companion, a very snappy ride and now looks bright and happy. I could not do without her! She has become truly pretty in my eyes.
 

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One of my favorite RS ponies has a beautiful, tiny little welshie face, a huge neck, the roundest barrel body off a "show condition" cob and tiny delicate little leggies she looks like a child's drawing of a pony but she is the comfiest horse I've ever sat on and an absolute sweetheart.

Whomst amongst us is not a bit wonky? My quads are 2 sizes too big, I'm slightly pigeon toed and I've got a sway back (anterior pelvic tilt that won't go away) ?

ETA: you must post your Sadie! My Sadie i can see no fault in whatsoever because she is perfect in every way, including the sausage dog style 15.2hh body with 13.2hh legs and the pigeon toes.
 
Back when I was a teenager the dealer I rode for got in the oddest looking pony. He was called Whistler because he had broken wind and really did whistle, but he was a sort of roan with stripey legs, a huge head and ears, short body and upside down neck.

Buying random horses with issues was a regular theme but we all swore he must have had zebra blood in there somewhere.

He was very green, but nothing bothered him. Scooped up by an experienced horsey mum who saw gold under the slightly odd body and used as a combination therapy / ridden horse for her daughter with disabilities. Lucky, lucky pony fell on his feet and was treated like royalty
 
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