Conformation of 3 y/o TB

[PoconosRN]

Here’s my 3 y/o OTTB. Raced earlier this yr. People on Reddit dragggggged him lol – so I guess you won’t hurt my feelings if you also hate how he’s built. BUT he’s mine and I love him – so it’d be more helpful if criticisms come with suggestions

People have concerns with his long back, topline, over the knee, neck tied in low, ewe neck, weak pelvis.

Some context: He’s super relaxed and willing, sensible, crazy sure-footed on rocky trails. We trail ride at walk and trot over hilly terrain – mostly 30 mins at a time, 4x a wk. He’s barefoot and sound. Was also purchased as a yearling for 100k – so someone musta liked him lol. But I adore him and we’re more bonded in a few months than I was after years with my WB.

Thanks for any tips and insights!

[colorfan]

I am not sure what you are looking for. His back end is weak, back legs a bit straight. Shoulder a bit steep. Pastern angles don’t match, but he seems to be standing under himself a bit, could be his trim, could be conformation, could be muscle tightness. ( I recently had body work done on a 3yr old-completely changed how she stood). You probably know the straight legs could predispose him to issues down the road.
However, I don’t see over at the knee ( I think there is so many weak knees people aren’t used to seeing good knees) short cannons. good saddle position, I don’t see a ewe neck, just an underdeveloped neck, nice tho, longer on top than on the bottom. he might be a smidge tight in his tmp joint but for your purposes that’s no issue.
I also see a kind eye and nice expression even from the side.

You have mentioned he has some of the most important traits a horse can have. Surefootedness and a willingness to work. He has the temperament you need for the job you want him to do. A+

What good is a ‘perfect’ horse if you don’t feel safe and don’t ride him?
You simply can’t buy that ‘connection’ feeling.

[PoconosRN]

Thanks so much! Basically looking a knowledgeable assessment (as you’ve offered) with any tips on how to best compensate. As he gets stronger, we’ll do h/j, paces, and fox hunting.

[colorfan]

Ok, not sure how he will stand up to much jumping. Someone with more specific experience in that area will chime in soon.

[Bluey]

@colorfan

Ok, not sure how he will stand up to much jumping. Someone with more specific experience in that area will chime in soon.

Conformation makes liars of those jumping.
Have seen all kinds of perfect and less than in jumpers, at all levels.
Jumping is something that, if a horse is good at it, we can dissect why, but in reality, jumpers come in all kinds.

Our BNT used to go to South America and see thousands of horses run by him in Hitchcock pens and pick what jumped well.
Many were also good looking, but some were odd ducks that had a huge jump, so he still picked them and was very successful.
We trained and sold them and they did very well.
Soo, if a horse jumps and you want a jumper, when choosing, look at more than perfect conformation.

[luvmyhackney]

He’s 3 and he looks like an under muscled, growing 3 year old.

He’s very straight behind which would be concerning if looking at high levels of anything, but not worrying if aiming for low levels of all rounder. He’s also standing tucked under a bit.

His shoulder isn’t my favorite, steep and he does have a longer back which you are going to have to work 2x as hard to get him muscled up and stronger through the rear and back.

He’s cute as a button and looks like a good egg. Very pleasant expression. You should be happy with him.

[PoconosRN]

Thanks!! Thankfully hilly trails with lots of fallen trees to step over make strong backs – and we both love it! Appreciate the insights!

[PoconosRN]

That’s my thought too. And he loves it! Have only done on small scale as an intro, but we’ll also jump the odd fallen tree when out hacking. He’s eager and confident Thanks!

[GraceLikeRain]

He’s a gelding so you aren’t breeding him so I wouldn’t get too hung up on his structure. Him, like any horse, will always benefit from careful conditioning, regular saddle fitting, and exceptional farrier work.

He looks very young overall so I’d focus more on light quality work while he continues to fill out.

He has some structural weaknesses already addressed but he should be a safe and fun mount. The brain is the most important element. Since he is straight behind I would be extra meticulous about farrier work and consider getting baseline radiographs all around to make sure he’s really well balanced with adequate heel.

[Xanthoria]

If you want accurate feedback you need a photo where the front and hind cannons are vertical.

[beowulf]

I wouldn’t ever go to Reddit for any sort of horsemanship knowledge - YMMV, it seems more a place for Expert Teenagers.

He looks fairly typical of a very young racing conditioned TB… I don’t know how any sort of meaningful feedback could be given otherwise, as the photo is not taken at the correct angle for conformation critique.

Try getting a photo where he is standing square, with all four limbs being visible. It’s best to do so in an area where there is no clutter or low light - out on grass or in the yard is ideal. Try holding a mint under his nose and asking him to stand while someone takes the picture. Crinkle the wrapper to get that ears up expression, and you will be surprised how different he looks.

Something like this:

[Scribbler]

I agree he looks like a young OTTB meaning his neck isn’t fully developed yet and he is noticeably tense and tight through his body. He actually looks better in terms of being developed than some youngsters.

My impression is that virtually every race bred TB has decent functional conformation and can grow up into a handsome horse with the proper care. There are variations in neck set and hind end that might make a difference between dressage and jumping. But you are not going to get a truly fugly made by committee conformational train wreck.

Where adult TB can look scrawny is if they don’t get enough calories, don’t have enough muscle, or have chronic pain issues or injuries and just don’t thrive. They can become anorexic faster than other horses if they aren’t happy.

Sounds like you are off to a great start with a good minded horse that still has some growing to do. Despite his racing career he is still an adolescent

I also agree Reddit is not the place to go looking for pats on the head

[NaturallyHappy]

He has a great face and you are having fun. What’s not to love???

[PoconosRN]

Haha thanks! Oh boy is he loved!!

[PoconosRN]

Oh interesting consideration – makes sense. Thanks for the feedback… and no head pats sought Just useful insights which I’m getting. Helps to know making and keeping his back strong will be the focus of much of our conditioning.

[PoconosRN]

Wow that horse is gorgeous! OK thanks for the advice. Maybe I’ll have a take 2 after some fall conditioning. It’s perfect riding weather in the NE! Thanks

[Warmblood1]

I also wouldn’t rely on Reddit or really any SM to determine a horse’s functionality based on conformation.

He doesn’t have any glaring faults that would make me walk away. More bonus points for the fact that he is sound and barefoot. His shoulder and wither area may still change a great deal being only 3. It is not abnormal for a 3 year olds topline to not be great. He does have a bit of a long back and an upright shoulder, but those aren’t necessarily deal breakers if the temperament and willingness are there. Possibly more important than conformation IMHO is temperament - I’ve had horses that lack in conformation who have exceeded my expectations due to a willingness to work hard for me.

[cattywampus]

He’s an incredibly cute baby race horse. Baby race horses look like whippets. He’s going to keep growing and use different muscles and eventually look like a grownup horse, and anonymous people on Reddit will still find possibly non-existent nits to pick.

I’ve got a 2 yo fell pony who currently looks like she’s made out of very hairy spare parts, nothing like as objectively cute as your guy, but she’s super calm and sweet and I am positive she’s going to grow into her head and ears.

[Texarkana]

@PoconosRN

Some context: He’s super relaxed and willing, sensible, crazy sure-footed on rocky trails. We trail ride at walk and trot over hilly terrain – mostly 30 mins at a time, 4x a wk. He’s barefoot and sound. Was also purchased as a yearling for 100k – so someone musta liked him lol. But I adore him and we’re more bonded in a few months than I was after years with my WB.

This is all that matters in the end!

What’s his breeding?

Also, he’s 3. His body is still changing. Sure, some of it won’t change, but things like his neck, topline, etc. will continue to develop.

I think a lot of internet horse people like to just pretend they know something when it comes to conformation. So you can spot flaws… oooh, aaaah. Good for you.

[JB]

A better picture is needed to evaluate his hind end. As much as he’s “holding himself” and standing under, there’s not way to evaluate almost anything back there, including the angle of those legs

His front end is good. Not great, but good.

Pillar of support - line drawn vertically through the crease in the forearm muscle - is in front of the withers (good) but not by a lot. It comes down around the back 1/4 of his foot, which is good but it only does that because of more upright pasterns. They’re long enough that the uprightness doesn’t bother me much Ideally you want the PoS to be well in front of the withers. The closer they are, the more front-heavy the horse.

Lumbo-sacral (LS) gap - looks to be where it should be, which is right over the point of the hips. That’s one thing that doesn’t change based on stance because of how the skeleton is

Neck tie-in - it’s good, above the point of the shoulder, coming relatively out of the top of the withers, with a very typical TB dip there but not as pronounced as many. He has a 2yo neck still, on his 3yo body, not uncommon. Length is good

His shoulder slope is quite steep, right at the edge of what’s functional. The angle - scapula with humerus - is nice and open so that mitigates the straightness of the shoulder a bit. My guess is he’ll be pretty tidy with his front end over fences, as the straighter shoulder has room to rotate back to move the forelegs forward, and the > 90* angle (best I can tell) of the scapula/humerus will allow the legs to fold well

His back is nice, not too compact, not long at all.

I suspect he’s got a pretty nice hind end, but he has to be standing with the near cannon bone vertical to see what’s what

I wouldn’t kick him out of my barn