We’re getting this guy vetted tomorrow as a prospective new horse for my husband, and since I have nothing better to do than dwell on the nervous excitement, figured I’d ask for some insights on his pedigree:
https://www.pedigreequery.com/larkflite
Thoughts?
So, not an expert at all in terms of personality etc. here but first- the very first horse I ever owned was an OTTB foaled in 2004 (he’s no longer living) and his grandsire was also Meadowlake (albeit on the sire’s side - seems like Meadowlake is more common on the dam’s side of the pedigree) so it’s kind of fun for me to see other Meadowlake descendants out there. I’ve heard of With Distinction but looking at his record, etc. I can’t quite put my finger on why I’ve heard of him. I feel like I’ve heard of In Reality (dam’s grandsire on her dam’s side) in sporthorse pedigrees, too. Someone else is probably more knowledgeable but I just wanted to jump in because I don’t see a ton of Meadowlakes out there.
That’s cool–thanks for sharing!
I know of Storm Cat and obviously Secretariat. Have seen a couple other names pop up on the board before but don’t know much about them (Buckpasser, Princequillo). Might cross post on the Sport Horse board to see if others there have additional insight.
In Reality is supposed to have/pass on good feet. I also like Florida-bred horses in general because they tend to sweat well.
”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹Sorry I don’t have any insight about performance breeding, though!
With Distinction is not one of SC’s best known sons, but he did make several good turf runners, and I’ve seen a few that made great eventing types. I like most SC sons, for their athleticism and personality - they can be characters, but I don’t find that they are dishonest. Meadowlake is more of a hunter sire in terms of what he passes on and how they move, but never a bad thing to see him in a pedigree and he’s one that willl be a grandsire and you can still see his influence (broodmare sire) – they tend to be big, long lined, and very kind. In Reality always brings toughness and stamina to a pedigree in my experience. Nothing about this pedigree would make me concerned, good luck with the vetting.
I know lots of people like Meadowlake offspring. I also don’t normally see SC so up close. I have a cute gelding that has SC top and bottom, he’s a dream to work with and probably the most sane thing every. Just serviceably sound. I have another SC, with Pulpit and some other random stuff that is a total loser. Freak of nature soundness wise and athletic ability but the brain isn’t there.
Good luck on your vetting! Those FL bred horses are nice.
I thought she was banned months ago???
Just for being a virulent racist though
Thanks for the additional input! I find all the history and breeding patterns really fascinating.
This guy is veeery easy going so that aspect probably takes after Meadowlake more than Storm Cat. He’s still a little green to some XC obstacles but he tries.
Unfortunately he came in lame from turnout the morning of the vetting–possibly a minor abscess–so we have to wait and will try again next week.
That means he is probably really really nice…lol.
Interesting pedigree. He may have a bit of an opinion but I tend to like that in a good event horse.
Oops. Didn’t know that
This is the same guy we looked at in February! The one with the buck. He finally recovered from the bone bruise injury then there was the COVID delay when their barn wasn’t allowing visitors for awhile and now here we are 
And it seems like the bucks may indeed have been a saddle fit issue. When we tried him again post-recovery our trainer pointed out that husband’s saddle tree was too narrow. He used my saddle and no issues–even over some novice-level solid jumps. We’re still going to have the vet make sure there wasn’t something physical we missed, but it’s a positive sign.
Apparently he looked better today so maybe it was just an odd tweak. When we brought him in, he did have a big rock wedged in the favoring foot and his feet are pretty flat (first thing vet said is he needs front shoes–he was trimmed in the last week so farrier may have taken a bit too much off). In any case, hoping for better luck next week.
Fabulous! Making you wait but hopefully he will be a great horse for you…he is certainly a lovely type.
I’m looking at making my first horse purchase and the little mare I’m currently considering was sired by With Distinction as well. As soon as I saw that I remembered this thread and had to come back to refresh myself on what everyone else said.
Here’s the Dam’s side on the mare I’m considering:
https://www.pedigreequery.com/our+golden+gal
How did you decide to go with Larkflite?
Unfortunately we decided not to purchase as he had unexplained lameness on the PPE (you can read the long version in the “horse purchase saga” thread). We ended up finding a nice 4 yo OTTB instead. We really did like Larkflite as he’s a lovely looking horse with a nice, quiet disposition (and is apparently a saint for bearing with sore bare feet and whatever else was ailing him that his caretakers were chalking up to “he just needs time to warm up”). We just weren’t willing to take on the risk.
I wouldn’t have any hesitations on the pedigree at least based on what we saw in this guy. Good luck with the mare!
Here’s my take…Meadow Lake 2 thumbs up…Storm Cat and In Reality…10 fingers down…my 2 cents…if you like him his conformation and personality and he has a work ethic…then buy him…if he gives a miserable look w/ an unkind eye walk away.
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