Conformation critic, Long Pasterns?

[Equinista]

Hi all,
A few days ago my longtime trainer/barn-owner friend has given me one of her horses (this horse was a killpen rescue as a yearling, he is now 6 , and he was supposed to have been a horse for her mother but due to health issues her mother is no longer cleared to ride via her doctor)
His name is “Hawk”, and it is unknown for sure what breed he is although my trainer was told Quarter Horse but we believe he has some Thoroughbred in him possibly, and so we have just labeled him “Appendix”.He is 15.1 hands. He is very, very green and has had about 15 rides or so, and I have only rode him twice but he has a very lovely and SMOOTH as silk Trot, and I am told his canter is just as smooth although I am no where near ready to canter him yet, as we are going to be taking things slow and steady. My trainer’s mother really has “baby-ed” him a lot so he is used to being spoiled and getting his way, but he is a very kind horse. I don’t have any real great conformation photos right now but I will try and get more later this week when I make it to the barn but I am wondering what you guys think, based on the photos i have now, of his conformation? Mainly, of what my trainer calls his “crazy long pasterns” that because of them she thinks he “probably can’t jump higher than 18 inches”…she thinks jumping any higher or too much would cause him suspensory issues…I have read a LOT of conflcting information about this…I do plan on showing him eventually, as I ride Hunter-Jumper, if he is going to be suitable and remain sound for it (note: He has never had soundness issues in his life or with any of the small amount of rides he has had)…what do you guys think? Thank you so much!

(I am gonna try my best to include some photos! Be patient, as I may not get it right at first! lol)



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[Equinista]

Anyone? Please??

[Moneypitt]

Very cute horse.

Are you concerned about possible DSLD? Or? The only way to know more is to have a Veterinarian take ultrasounds of the front suspensory ligaments. Just to check for signs of DSLD. It’s my understanding that ultrasound may show abnormal suspensory ligaments before other signs of the disease appear.

Good luck.

[Highflyer1]

They are quite long. I would be a bit concerned as well. I’m not sure there’s a hard cutoff that will keep him sound or cause injury, but certainly I wouldn’t aim him at a high level athletic career and would be very careful about riding in deep footing. Probably the best thing to do would be to find an experienced sport horse vet you like and trust and consult with them.

[Equinista]

Thank yall! As far as any worries about DSLD or any real issues with suspensory/ligaments, I am not overly concerned, and I do not jump higher than about 2’3"-2’6" (with no real plans to ever go higher than that, or maybe up to 3’ eventually) Since we are not doing much with him right now, and It will be a while before we work on small jumps, and since he has no soundness or other issues currently I don’t plan on having a vet look at his pasterns, but if things change I will definitely have a vet look at him.For now, I was just wanting to gather some advice from the many knowledgeable people here. Thank you so much! (:

[lenapesadie]

His pasterns do look long and low a bit in the last photo. If my coach offered me a free horse that was limited to 18” jumps, I’d believe her

[Equinista]

It is not that I don’t “believe” her, she is not just my trainer, but my best friend. That said, she is not a a professional trainer, and she doesn’t really take in students for a profit, just as something she enjoys doing…so if i could get opinions from other people, there is no wrong in that. (:

[Scribbler]

Those are long pasterns. As for him being sound, it appears he has done very little work and is just starting to be schooled. So past soundness is no guarantee of holding up under work.

That said, it sounds like you are a beginner rider and he has a good brain. That’s probably more important than conformation right now. Just go one step at a time.

You may want to pay attention to hoof angles.

Also realize that we can see anything about his pasterns when he has boots and is standing in tall grass!

[Highflyer1]

Keep in mind that it’s not so much the height of the fences, it’s also the quantity.

[Huntin_Pony]

You really should at least discuss this with the vet at the horse’s spring checkup/vaccination appointment. That way, you will all be on the same page. I would specifically ask the vet about those boots. It may be that by adding “support” (debatably), you are robbing the horse of the day-to-day strengthening of the very area of concern.

And I strongly agree with whoever cautioned about deep footing, especially sand, and would add to avoid sudden changes in footing, especially at speed.

[NancyM]

Cute little horse. Nice mover. As a racehorse or high level three day eventer, those pasterns might be an issue. As a low level show hunter (up to 3’), good chance they will be OK. Fitness is the key to soundness. Though a bit long, they are not dropping lower than they should right now when he’s moving… that’s a good thing. Does not look like DSLD right now, but suspensories can “go” at any time, and not necessarily due to being overly long… there just are never any guarantees of anything with a horse. Once an owner truly accepts this lack of guarantees, it get easier to be a horse owner. Good luck with him.

[IPEsq]

The photos aren’t great but this wouldn’t bother me personally.

[Equinista]

Not a beginner, have been riding all my life (I am 32, and he is now the 8th horse I have owned) but I rode mostly western and barrel raced/did gymkhanas up until about 10 years ago when I made the switch to english, but I mostly did flatwork and never had a trainer i could pay for, i just got the odd lesson here and there. It was not until I began going to the barn I am at now that my friend owns about 5 years ago that my friend has given me lessons in jumping/hunters and has taken me to about 8 or so hunter shows with me riding various horses she has had over the years. So not a beginner rider at all, just somewhat new to hunter/jumper (
And yes, I know these are not the best photos as I said I would try and get better ones when I go out later this week, but I included as many as I could to try and get the best opinion on not just his pasterns but of his overall conformation. My trainer calls him her “conformational trainwreck” and I usually agree with jer on most things but I just don’t think he has as horrible of conformation as she does, I just do not see what she sees…she is a HUGE OTTB person, most of the horses that pass thru her barn/her hands are OTTBs, but I have been a Quarter Horse person all my life (including a lifetime AQHA member since I was 18) and of the 8 horses I have owned, 6 of them were AQHA registered…so maybe I look at Hawk and see a more stocky QH built horse who doesn’t look too bad, and she is used to her OTTBs…just a thought, lol.

Of course I will always do right by my horse and do whatever ends up being best for him and never push him to do what he can’t, or is limited.

He is very green, yes, but he has been worked ever since my trainer has had him including ground work and round pen work when she got him as a yearling to lunging him in saddle and bridle (western to start, then english) since he was about 3. He has been lunged over poles and small jumps, like the one pictures, in the round pen many many times. In all he has had about 15 to 20 rides on him, and about half of them were about 2 hours long in the arena by a 17 year old with endless energy and she would walk, trot, canter him and trot him over ground poles for quite a while.

Thank you so much to everyone who has given their opinion and advice, it is all very appreciated (:

[endlessclimb]

The opinions on this differ greatly. Many respected vets say that short upright pasterns are at much greater risk of injury than long ones. Of course, extremes at either end are not ideal.

Just take your time when fitting him up or changing fence heights, paying special attention to how he feels the day after.

That’s my opinion.

[Scribbler]

He’s a typical midgrade QH, not a confirmation wreck though typically you’d see short upright pasterns as a typical QH conformation flaw.

As a typical QH he is a bit downhill and a little tight through the hind end but this can be improved by gymnastics and thoughtful schooling. QH are also tougher and less hot/more self protective than TB so I think they can carry a few conformation flaws more safely.

He’s not a trainwreck by any means, he just isn’t a TB! Sounds like you know stock horses and will be comfortable with him!

[Willesdon]

I certainly wouldn’t say he is a “confirmational train wreck”! He looks like a good, useable horse with slightly long patterns. Most important, he looks to have a good attitude (as far as one can tell from the pictures) with his ears pricked and a relaxed expression. Character and attitude can take a horse far beyond initial expectations. Dealing with the pasterns, IMO, will be a balance between working him, legging him up and keeping him at a good level of fitness and over working him in poor going. Extreme changes underfoot, such as hard as concrete one day and slop the next, will not be helpful and consistently deep going will not be a good idea. Boots and wraps might not be the best thing either but discuss it with your vet.

[Equinista]

Thank you so much everyone for all the awesome feedback! I truly, truly appreciate all of it <3
He is a good boy with a very sweet disposition and I am blessed to have him and look forward to our future together. Of course, if any issues arise i will have a vet look at him and will eventually have a vet out to have him checked out. My hope is that as long as all goes well and he is tolerating, whenever we are able to jump, that if he can handle higher than the 18 inches my trainer thinks he would max out at, that she would be ok with it as long as a vet, farrier and the horse all say they are fine with going a bit higher when/if the time comes (:
This is all a long way down the road still, but it is good to get thoughts and opinions from others about him. Thanks everyone!

[TheJenners]

I dunno, I think he’s pretty danged cute and probably all QH - I don’t see TB in there… At his age, his pasterns aren’t going to get better, so advice from your vet on proceeding is called for here. However, they aren’t “scary” and I wouldn’t be worried, personally. He seems like a kind, plucky type. If you like him (and judging by the pictures you like-like him), then make him yours!

[Equinista]

Thank you…he is officially already mine, I didn’t hesitate for even a moment when he was offered to me. He actually had a very unpredicted growth spurt within the last 6 months, he shot up from 14.3 to 15.1 and a half, lol. We had an OTTB here about 2 years ago named Ace and we called them “the Twins” as they looked identical, in color, marking and build. The only way we could tell them apart was Hawk was a bit shorter, lol. The reason we think he has some TB in him os cause a lady my trainer knows, knew Hawk when he was foaled and she said his sire was supposedly either full TB or TB cross, and his dam was full QH. But we just don’t know for sure. If you seen him in person, there are just some aspects of how he “looks from time to time” that just says there may be some TB in there, lol.

[JBCool]

Well, here is my previous horse, tattooed TB, and everyone asked me if he was a QH. So I would say yours could have some TB in there. My heart flipped over when I saw yours. I hope Hawk is as special as mine was, only sounder!!