Arab mare conformation and pedigree insight requested.

[Bayallday]

I would love some honest opinions on this mare I took on as a rehab project (was emaciated, law enforcement situation). She now looks like she may have more potential than I initially thought. I found out her bloodlines (working with AHA to get her papers). I’m not an expert but she seems to have interesting breeding with some old Crabbet lines on her pedigree.
I don’t want to push her in a direction she isn’t suited to, but since I’ve grown quite fond of the mare and I’ve always wanted to get into endurance I figure this may be a good chance to do so. If she isn’t cut out for a career in endurance she will have a home trail riding and packing kids around at open shows. I think she’s a bit long backed and wings out a bit at the trot. Not sure how big of an issue either of these flaws will be for endurance.

So in summary: 1) insight/thoughts on her pedigree? 2) anything jump out conformation-wise as good or bad?

(Forgive her muscle/top line in the pics! Has come along way since)

[Bayallday]

Oops forgot other images!

[Gestalt]

She is a beauty! I don’t know arab bloodlines, but any sound horse can do endurance if you ride to finish rather than win. I completed 6/7 rides on my tb hunter (50 & 60 milers). We were never in the top ten but I had a blast and I think he did too.

[JLR1]

Ooooh she has a really cool pedigree! Crabbet, Polish and Russian lines are excellent for both having a good mind and athleticism. I don’t know what it takes to become an endurance horse but I bet she would excel in dressage or sporthorse.

From the looks of this pedigree I’m guessing your horse has an amazing trot! Some of the most famous relatives were English pleasure or country English pleasure horses.

A few of the biggies in the Arabian World are:

Bay El Bey, Huckleberry Bey, Bay Abi (Bred by extremely influential breeder Shelia Varian)
http://www.varianarabians.com/history/bay_el_bey.asp
http://www.varianarabians.com/history/huckleberry_bey.asp
http://www.varianarabians.com/history/bay_abi.asp

Patron/Padron (Russian)
http://www.slohorsenews.net/padron-a-real-life-fairy-tale/

The Real McCoy
http://home.earthlink.net/~tmarabians/trm.html

Sire: Supreme Bayonett was a hunter pleasure and country English pleasure horse (not an outstanding show record).

Dam: Sar Psychedelic V, no show record

[Lieselotte]

If I have learned anything over these last seven years competing in Endurance, it’s that an amazing variety of horses can succeed, conformational faults or not. And pedigree can matter somewhat, but in the end, your management and training will make all the difference.

The “winging” or “paddling” are energy wasters at best and may never bother her or you. But of course this could also lead to soreness or lameness over the longer distances, and that’s why you should build her up slowly and over time.

Good for you for saving this mare! May she become an amazing competitor one day!

[Bayallday]

Something is up with the link the pedigree. Just in case it’s broken in the earlier post: http://postimg.org/image/63df22lc7/
Sorry! New at this.

[Bayallday]

Thank you for the research! She does have a nice trot, very free shoulder and well balanced. She’s a remarkable horse considering all she’s been through. Really has a fantastic disposition. She tries very hard to please and is coming along well under saddle. I would love to show her in sport horse classes at some arab shows but that depends on how getting her papers goes.

[Bayallday]

Thanks! That’s encouraging to hear.

[Bayallday]

Thank you! That’s what I was thinking about the winging/paddling… Right now doesn’t bother either of us one bit. We will slowly work up her fitness and see how she does.

[Bayallday]

free image hosting
Her progress so far.

[chicamux]

You should be happy with that moderately longer back! So many Arabs have short backs and long legs which inclines them to pull their front shoes with their back toes. That longer back will also help with saddle fit as short backs can make it tough to find a saddle that is short enough for the horse’s back. IME a short back usually produces a difficult trot to sit but a longer back usually produces a smoother trot to sit. Longer back usually contributes to better form over fences.

[JBD]

Pretty mare. She is long backed so collection could be more difficult for her. I bet she has a good personality with all that Crabbet blood.

[imaginique]

Hmmmm…I think you are wasting your time with her. I could do you a favor and take her off your hands. :yes: :lol:

[Montanas_Girl]

She has what I refer to as an “all-American mix” of popular bloodlines - mostly Polish, with some Crabbet and a little Russian thrown in for good measure. As others have said, she is bred to trot, so I would expect her to have quite a bit of action.

The photos are too small for a full conformation analysis, but she is a very pretty girl. She does appear to be long in the back, which could make her more prone to getting sore in the back and also cause difficulty getting her to lift her topline and use her hind end properly. However, I don’t see any glaring issues in the photos.

Good luck with getting her papers!

[Bayallday]

I’m not sure why the pics posted small. Is this better?
http://s24.postimg.org/dhioaqio5/image.jpg
http://s29.postimg.org/6pj2luj53/image.jpg
http://s22.postimg.org/rj2xl2de9/image.jpg
http://s22.postimg.org/7n6y5iwcx/image.jpg

Would like to hear any conformation observations anyone has.

[Lieselotte]

Are you concerned about her conformation? An online forum is not always the best place to ask for opinions. A professional who can see her in person could do a much better job. But in the end she has the conformation she has. You can absolutely work with what you have.

Use a saddle fitter to pick the best possible (endurance) saddle for her. Work with a great farrier who can also mitigate small conformation faults. Not knowing your background, you should also take dressage lessons with her to strengthen her back and hind. And of course get out on the trails and ride & enjoy! Only then will you know what job she likes and if she will hold up to the pressures of the discipline you pick.

[Bayallday]

I primarily ride hunter under saddle and I have two decades of experience riding with aqha and hunter/jumper trainers. Have ridden dressage and believe it’s foundation for every discipline. A world champion aqha trainer was by my side when I first backed her (though referred to my mare as an “old nag”) I took in this mare as a fun little project after getting out of riding for a couple years, not as a primary show prospect or anything.Turns out I think she’s kind of a cool horse to ride and I am considering using this as an opportunity to get into a sport I’ve wanted to do for ages but never had the horse for. I’m not taking training advice from the Internet as my primary source in this situation. I am simpily curious what a random sample of people outside my usual (of course biased) network of horse folks think of her.
I totally agree, she is what she is conformation wise. Though I am surrounded by a network of H/J and AQHA folks who don’t exactly love arabs or think much of her beyond “oh she’s quiet for an Arab” (obviously for what they do she is not of any interest). In a past life I showed arabs but my former trainers wouldn’t want to bother evaluating a likely paperless rescue case. And it would be a waste of their time for me to ask them to evaluate her.

[Jackie_Cochran]

I admit that this is just a feeling. Make very sure to keep her toes trimmed down. If you put shoes on her be prepared to do a 4 week trim and reset rather than a 6 week trim and reset, especially in the hotter months.

Arabs have this amazing ability to overcome conformation “faults”. She is much better conformed than most of the pictures of Bedouin war mares I’ve seen, you know the mares that would go long distances over the desert to do camel thieving raids, and those mares often had long backs. She should be fine with endurance.