Thoughts on this guy for dressage?
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How old is the horse?
First thing that jumps out at me is how short and thick that neck is.
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me too. Having had a few with short, thick necks and not a lot of throatlatch space, it makes your life harder.
once I get past the neck, I see the back is similarly super short so I suspect this guy may be an expensive saddle fitting endeavor.
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I also have a horse with a super short back, and saddle fitting is a pain in the arse. Unless you’re a very tiny person that can truly fit into and ride in a 16" (max) saddle.
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He’s 6. Thanks - I like chunky monkeys but wondered about too much of a good thing;)
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And the white spot on the back seems to suggest that saddle fitting has already been a problem in his young life.
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The most significant limitation on any horse’s career is us.
If you like this horse, he is sound, and temperamentally suited to both you and sport, I am sure that he will–statistically speaking–be as good as you need him to be.
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does he have a high/low going on in front hooves?
Cute horse- but I question his athleticism/movement. Any video?
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He is super cute as a package. I just want to squish him! Great opinions here.
Overall, I don’t like the super short back. I’ve had some with short backs (and never as short as this one), saddle fit was brutal! Back pain was always a consideration and getting any stretch was tricky.
Neck is too short and thick, almost no throat latch. Breathing issues comes to mind later when you were to get him working in a more compact frame.
I like his haunches and shoulder, legs look decent. I do tend to like a slightly longer pastern for comfort. I get a sense this guy wouldn’t be very comfortable.
I’d pass unless this guy was going to be a lower level fun guy.
I agree. Overall, he is a cute horse with a sweet face.
But as any kind of a performance prospect? His short, thick neck and really short saddle area make me think he’d have a short stride and be limited in his athletic abilities. (Did I say that nicely enough?)
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That front left lower tendon, looks a little thick to me.
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I’m seeing significantly more heel on the left front than the right.
I’ve also lived the very-short-back saddle fit nightmare. It’s not only saddle fitting, though. The short back can make bending through the ribcage more difficult. I’m afraid I’d pass on this cute guy.
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It would be great to see a video of him moving. He is very compact, but I wouldn’t pass if he can use is neck correctly and moves well. There are saddles with a pony tree that can fit his back. I trained a cob that had a similar neck and was shorter in the back. He used his neck correctly and was quite a nice dressage pony.
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Also, what are your riding goals? This horse may be a good fit depending on your expectations.
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His picture was just posted. If he’s not adopted sooner, I’ll meet him in mid-April. I have a horse with a similarly short back, who was a tough fit, so might already have saddles, but at least love my fitter.
My goals are dressage, but I’m not eat up about competition. However, I would like the horse to be able to do the job. I’m fine with 60s potential, say up to at least PSG? I spent many years training youngsters, and my current three - the first was my hunter who transitioned to dressage later in life, and my other two are, um, special;). I love transforming them, but I want my next horse to allow ME to do more. Right now, people are impressed with my riding because the horses are so tough, it’s like, wow, she makes them look better. But I want a horse that lets me advance my capabilities beyond baby/weird horse whisperer to higher level dressage rider who doesn’t embarrass herself. I get not buying the purpose-bred WB impacts certain scores.
So, sounds like I should reserve judgment until I meet him and see him move.
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I don’t think this horse would embarrass you in any way, but he would not be my pick to get to higher level dressage.
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I would want to know his bloodlines and see him move.
Chunky throatlatch for sure, but I’m not offended at all by the short neck. It seems to be well set. Sure, one can say weak loin and slightly croup high, but this is a guy I would want to see move IRL.
My biggest concern based on pictures as that his front feet pair and hind pair seem to be very different. RH and LF seem to be more upright than RF and LH. Look at the difference in the angles and heels.
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Is it actually different, or is it the differences in color? I thought the LF looked much longer in the heel too but if I zoom in to see the actual hoof, both front look the same amount of heel. My eye for feet isn’t as educated as I’d like though.
I mean, any horse, given sufficient temperament and trainability, can be trained to do the PSG movements.
However if you’re starting with a short stride or a neck that is always going to look too short, your ride will have to be flawless to get into the 60s.
To me this one looks heavy behind, with a neck that will be difficult to show a range in the frame, plus I suspect the stride is short. For me, no, and I like a good chunk as much as the next person. Just not as something to invest the 6+ years into getting to psg on.
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