How do you evaluate foal movement?

[bornfreenowexpensive]

Interesting thread…although now I’m more unsure of what is good hind end and what isn’t.

I think it is really hard for most of us to judge foals. Really…I would assume it takes years and years. Me…I’m always wondering if my fill is nice. But in the end, I’ve decided that as long as she her movement isn’t BAD, that’s fine. I know that what will determine if she is a competitive competition horse will most likely depend on the rider and her mind–and for the event horses, we really have to get them eventing before we know what we have.

OP…your foal looks lovely to me!

Here is my filly at her inspection (she was champion)–picture and video. Her dam looks terrible in the video (bad camera angles, broken withers and skinny do not make a pretty picture:eek:). You see the filly really sit and push in the second trot toward the end…she just doesn’t seem to see the need to do that all the time;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijvoqniBN-g

I was more thrilled with my filly’s mind…and charisma/bravery…then her movement. Loved how she trotted over the pole. But then we event riders clearly focus on different things;) At the time I did think she had a good hind end…after this thread…I’m a bit unsure but still love my filly anyway;)

[alexandra]

Bayhawk: You are right that either a foal is born with movement or not. They are also born with a color or a marking. But the two latter are always obvious and the movement is not always obvious.

In my humble experience there are a lot of points/times during the life of a foal where you just can not see and detect the movement. I would need to di in all my videos and show you one specific foal in various videos. I am very sure you would define that trot as average and nothing special and would put it into the same category as the one other. Not because I doubt your abilities, but just becasue this horse did not show them.
And after that I would show videos of the very same horse as a 2yo and you would just drop your mouth about it.

[Manni01]

Just an example. my filly with 18 months

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GPYjT-6oZ0&feature=youtube_gdata_player

and with a few days. (sorry for the bad quality)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1HlR3SJ8hU&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[Crosiadore_Farm]

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1989448768518&set=a.1989448728517.271233.1012310739&type=1&theater

Manni01 I love your mare. Just my type. Balanced, athletic, supple, uphill. Congrats!

Picture posted above of my Johnson/Argentinus fillly at about seven months. She has a great hind leg and is very special all around. But I post this because even though she has a super hind leg and is a super mare and competitor now at age five, it would mean nothing if she were not ridable and did not have a great mouth. I had a clinic at my farm last summer so let the filly do one day. The instructor, Conrad Schumacher liked her a great deal. At the end of her lesson, he came over and stood in front of her and started moving the bit in her mouth side to side. He looked at me and said most Grand Prix horses do not follow my hands like this. Anyway, it was a great lesson for me, because it is not all about the fancy trot, or the good hind leg. These horse must also be ridable and good in their mouths to really go up the levels. Something that is quite hard to judge. This takes you back to knowing your pedigrees and the dam lines your offspring you breed /purchase.

[back_in_the_saddle]

[QUOTE=Manni01;5671144]
Just an example. my filly with 18 months

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GPYjT-6oZ0&feature=youtube_gdata_player

and with a few days. (sorry for the bad quality)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1HlR3SJ8hU&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/QUOTE]

Beautiful.

This is a perfect example. At a few days old the hock bends behind the body. At a few months old, the whole hind end is shifting under. And again, I never would have guessed them to be the same horse. LOL

[Bayhawk]

[QUOTE=back in the saddle;5671278]
Beautiful.

This is a perfect example. At a few days old the hock bends behind the body. At a few months old, the whole hind end is shifting under. And again, I never would have guessed them to be the same horse. LOL[/QUOTE]

But…the foal exhibited the movement from the very beginning.

[back_in_the_saddle]

[QUOTE=Bayhawk;5671288]
But…the foal exhibited the movement from the very beginning.[/QUOTE]

Yes, it was bending the hocks well as a baby baby, BUT it appears to be out behind the body then as well. As it gets older, the hind appears not to be out.

[Crosiadore_Farm]

When a foal is born, the legs are exceptionally long. This is so that by day light, the foal if born in the wild can flee and still keep up with the dam. It is a survival thing. So foal legs are way too long and quite hard to keep in the right place. As they get older, this improves. So just keep this in mind when looking at foals.

[back_in_the_saddle]

Basically, you’re looking at the amount of bend in the joints (the more the better) and how it uses the hind legs to get off the ground. If it springs up w/coiling effect or goes more grounded. More coil/springy the better. Would that be an accurate way to describe what to look for?

[Bayhawk]

[QUOTE=Crosiadore Farm;5671325]
When a foal is born, the legs are exceptionally long. This is so that by day light, the foal if born in the wild can flee and still keep up with the dam. It is a survival thing. So foal legs are way too long and quite hard to keep in the right place. As they get older, this improves. So just keep this in mind when looking at foals.[/QUOTE]

What happens to the legs if the foals are born during the day ? Sorry…couldn’t help it ! LOL

[Crosiadore_Farm]

Then they have a head start!

Just have to add that I know horses where put on this planet for us to jump and do Dressage with? Am I wrong?

[Manni01]

[QUOTE=Crosiadore Farm;5671244]
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1989448768518&set=a.1989448728517.271233.1012310739&type=1&theater

Manni01 I love your mare. Just my type. Balanced, athletic, supple, uphill. Congrats!

Picture posted above of my Johnson/Argentinus fillly at about seven months. She has a great hind leg and is very special all around. But I post this because even though she has a super hind leg and is a super mare and competitor now at age five, it would mean nothing if she were not ridable and did not have a great mouth. I had a clinic at my farm last summer so let the filly do one day.

The instructor, Conrad Schumacher liked her a
great deal. At the end of her lesson, he came over and stood in front of her and started moving the bit in her mouth side to side. He looked at me and said most Grand Prix horses do not follow my hands like this. Anyway, it was a great lesson for me, because it is not all about the fancy trot, or the good hind leg.
These horse must also be ridable and good in their mouths to really go up the

levels. Something that is quite hard to judge. This takes you back to knowing

your pedigrees and the dam lines your offspring you breed /purchase.[/QUOTE]

Thank you:). And I think your last sentence really tells it all. It is really not possible to judge a very young foal for his future abilities… You have to know a lot about his dam and sire and their specific abilities.
Like with my Don Schufro Filly. I simply knew her dam gives very strong character and beautiful fluent movements to each of her foals. She had 4
foals so far and each foal was identical concerning the movement…
A video of her

http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=CvvtMR3GrqM&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Another recent one…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kdT1Q6R9Rg&feature=youtube_gdata_player

And again the most recent video of her daughter…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIcPQb6GRxU&feature=youtube_gdata_player

But if I would have to chose a foal from a breeder whom I know nothing about I wouldn’t be able to chose the best future prospect. IMO to buy a foal from a line you don’t know ist a gamble…

[Laurierace]

It took a half an hour of galloping in circles to get these few seconds of trotting so it may not be her best effort, but here it is:
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150213214176375&oid=189840138971&comments

[amastrike]

Here’s my filly:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3G28sTPYO1c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VneEzdSsGds

It’s almost impossible to get footage of her moving… she spends all of her time eating, sleeping, and begging for butt scritches.

[back_in_the_saddle]

I love her little fly mask.

[Laurierace]

I had my daughter lead my mare at the trot and my filly galloped like a lunatic all over the arena including jumping two of the jumps set up. Never did she trot alongside the mare. Not sure if practicing that would help or if that would just make her fitter but it doesn’t look good for the inspection.

[amastrike]

[QUOTE=back in the saddle;5672905]
I love her little fly mask. :)[/QUOTE]

It hides the mule-ness of her face :lol:. She’s a little drama queen when it first goes on, though–she spends a few minutes groaning and snorting before she gets over it. So ladylike :winkgrin:.

Laurie, you need to figure out some way to make your filly lazier. This afternoon Lily was sprawled out asleep. I tried to get her up so her godmother could see how big she’s gotten, but filly would NOT get up. I was rocking her whole body side to side and she slept on. Don’t know how she does it…

[Manni01]

[QUOTE=Laurierace;5672912]
I had my daughter lead my mare at the trot and my filly galloped like a lunatic all over the arena including jumping two of the jumps set up. Never did she trot alongside the mare. Not sure if practicing that would help or if that would just make her fitter but it doesn’t look good for the inspection.[/QUOTE]

From my experience… (if the inspection ist not at your place)
usually the foals are a little scared about the whole situation and keep close to their mother. So they do better at the inspection than at home… I never practised a lot and usually it worked out well.
By the way your filly is very pretty and I´m impressed that she does so well with her little blanket. I think my mares would destroy it as soon as I would put it on a foal…

[Manni01]

By the way, another example for developement of movement in foals.
my other mare at the inspection with 3 weeks…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2HecUkkubw

some weeks ago…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIcPQb6GRxU

In general you get a hint how the foal will move later on.
both my foals have a different movement which was already showing in a very young age…

And as you can see the foal kept very well to his mother because it was quite impressed by his surounding… My rule is to do the inspection as as soon as possible because with younger foals you don´t run into trouble.

[stolensilver]

I’m wondering if two different aims are being discussed here. One aim being the site inspections of young horses being shown loose and the other aim being GP dressage. Those aims are very different and it is a very rare horse that will excel in both of them.

It is widely known that some showjumpers look fabulous loose jumping as a youngster but never amount to anything with a rider. Their technique doesn’t adapt to carrying the weight of a person on their back. IME dressage horses are similar. A young horse with huge movement is at increased rusk of injury and the huge movers often disappear after 2nd level. It is soundness and a good brain that get a horse to GP. Having a sire and preferably a dam who trained to that level is a huge help when you are looking to buy and trying to work out which youngster has the steel in their backbone to keep on trying their hardest when the work gets tough. That’s what makes the difference between a nice horse and an FEI horse, their work ethic.