Low pastern sanity check

[Kenny80908]

Sanity check needed. Recently adopted a “no limitations unicorn” from several states away.

My vet and farrier say this 16.3, three year old gelding is not suitable for jumping/hunter career due to low pastern angles - he also is mildly pigeon toed and has a bench knee with splint on his right front so paddles pretty significantly. He looks fine (tho long pasterns) when just standing but has a pronounced drop even just standing when weight bearing. Agency adopting insists while not ideal for jumping, no limitations on his athletic ability and wants me to get a second opinion.

I am sending him back because while he is a lovely boy, we need a hunter prospect with potential to be a competitive hunter up to 3’, and don’t want to take the risk of suspensory injuries with him, but I am curious on other’s thoughts because my vet and farrier are very certain that I shouldn’t even consider him for a jumping career, but the adopting agency is equally as adamant that he would be fine.

What say you?

[Bluey]

When in doubt, don’t.

Long pasterns front and back and tied in behind the knee as a three year old won’t get any better.
Horse is safer not being jumped, why go there?

You were smart to listen to your advisors and your own doubts.

[Kenny80908]

agreed… the video I got him off of was mostly profile in longer grass as was his pic so taken a bit by surprise when he stepped off the trailer. The adoption agency is wonderful, so it’ll all work out - just trying to understand why the very differing opinions… thank you for confirming sending him back and trying again is the right answer.

[EmilyM]

It’s definitely a risk. I had a very fancy prospect w long pasterns and it was one suspensory after another. I didn’t know better back then.

[NancyM]

The front leg issues would not be a problem IMO (from a racing background). “Bench knees” are better than a deviation through the knee, a “crooked” knee, for staying sound racing. And the bench knees often go along with a toed in stance. Since the knee is unevenly loaded, the splint has formed, fusing the top of the splint bone to the cannon bone, to fully support the knee… that’s a good thing. The splint will likely reduce in size over time, not go away entirely, but reduce. Probably not an issue, other than being ugly to look at, especially in a horse who is not racing, or doing high level three day event.
He’s got long pasterns… yes he does. Again, as a hunter, it’s a calculated risk. If you like him, and he jumps well, and he’s sound now, and he’s coming from a “rescue” (so not expensive to buy), how lucky do you feel? Because there’s never any guarantees, of anything, when you buy a horse, no matter what you pay as a purchase price, or how many vets voice their opinion of the future. He’s still young, and may have some more growing yet to do. Do a “string test” on him, see if he’s got more growth to come. (stretch a string from ergot to elbow, then turn the string upright and extend it up past his withers. If it ends right at the withers, he is finished growing. If there is string extending above where his withers are now, he has “that” much growth left in him.) If he’s got more growth to go, his pasterns may not look so long when he is mature.
WHY is he at a “rescue”? Has he already had soundness issues and the previous owner gave him to the rescue rather than put him down? Or has a veterinarian found something else that has been diagnosed as a soundness problem?

[Kenny80908]

He was started on the track with published works, but too slow to race… he comes from a very reputable tb rehab and rehome agency and was cleared as no limitations.

He is just now getting restarted under saddle and we are still at the walk, trot, get ahead of my leg and bend stage so we aren’t anywhere near ready to see how he holds up actually going over fences. I just had to put my 16.2 four year old down (who passed multiple vettings) to bone chips in his C5, C6 and C7 causing wobblers like symptoms. He was purchased after I lost my 12 year old show mare to a vaccination reaction so I totally get the no guarantees part of horse ownership. I’ve kind of had a black cloud over my head for awhile when it comes to my horses. Luckily my teen’s 19 year old gelding is still going strong and still loves his job over fences.

I just want the one I bring home and spend my time developing to have the best possible chance and staying sound and healthy over fences, so I think this guy is not the right fit for us, but trying to expand my knowledge so I can understand a bit better next time what is ok and what isn’t.

Thanks so much for your response, it’s really helpful when moving forward. And I hope that when our fit comes along, he doesn’t step in a hole the day he gets here

[NaturallyHappy]

I think you are making a very wise decision.

[CHT]

The center of his canon bone is so far behind his heel that I would also be worried. You would have a heck of a time fixing his under run heels. I had a long pastern gelding as a teen and he broke his sesamoid, so I might be a little sensitive to that issue…and he was not as low in the heel as this guy.

[Fiesta01]

I think that’s a wise decision to keep looking. There are no guarantees as everyone said, but you don’t want to start with one that the vet isn’t recommending for your desired purpose.

So sorry for the loss of your mare and your 4 year old.

[Kenny80908]

Thank you - I have never had any issues with vaccinations so when we lost Daisy after a valiant effort by my vet I was gutted. So many tears.

Then losing Winston - I could see he was not quite right for several months and did several vet visits to try to figure out what was wrong. When he started stumbling down to his knees and coming in from night turnout with obvious scrapes and wounds from falling in the pasture we took him to our local equine hospital for scans and found his issue, and that also sucked.

Some accuse me of being over cautious now so just wanting to make sure I am not being gun shy. Thank you for restoring my confidence a bit.

[IPEsq]

These aren’t great pictures to assess the hinds and how low they really are. My most successful hunter was a TB (sport bred) with long pasterns all around. Qualified for Devon, placed at indoors, and was done 4 horse of the year in the jrs. Takes a lot of snow mileage to do those things. And he didn’t have the best X-rays either. “Soft” pasterns I don’t like. But just long pasterns, I’d take into consideration breeding and the overall horse.

[Kenny80908]

I am not familiar with long pasterns so trying to come up to speed, I read that a little long is better than upright. His hinds are softer than his fronts - and it seems his hind right is a bit softer than his left.
He’s got an incredible, easy going personality and is a pretty mover in the profile with a smooth trot, so he has a lot to offer for the right home. I think his right fit is out there, but just not for what we hope our new guy has the physical ability to do.

[findeight]

Can you afford to keep him for 20 years and just get another horse to train up as a 3’ Hunter or are you a 1 horse, board out owner? That very much affects both your financial and emotional risk tolerance.

Generally, those with their own property can accept more risk and might recommend taking that risk, especially if they have multiple horses. As a lifelong one at a time boarded out owner, I cant recommend taking this one on when very well educated, paid for opinions tell you it is not suitable for intended purpose. Depends on OPs situation.

Good for the rescue getting then restarted but they need to be more realistic finding a suitable place. And, no matter how well intentioned, any seller who argues with buyers vet findings over basic suitability for indented purpose is one I would not deal with. Rescue is no different, putting pressure on buyer to ignore buyers vet advice is…questionable. At best. Shame on them. They, or any reseller, are depending on what they were told, they don’t really know what happened.

IMO, based on these pictures, a regular, full time jumping career wouldn’t be the best direction to send this one. Especially if paid experts say no.

We aren’t talking about an older horse already regularly jumping 3’ courses, we are talking only about this young prospect, now, today and OPs financial and emotional risk tolerance.

[Kenny80908]

I have five acres, a 19 year old gelding jumping now with my teen in a program, and a 2 year old who will just be growing for awhile yet. I had to put my rider down a couple months ago and love riding with my kid and going to clinics, local events, and I am going to try my hand is dressage (lifelong APHA all around competitor but tired of showing on the national level). My teen will eventually grow into the prospect so that’s where the need to have the potential to jump comes in.

I try to keep to 3 horses - my perfect number for being able to take the 19 year old to his lessons with my kiddo and keeping the others at home with a buddy while still being financially able to give them all the goodies… so keeping him just to keep him isn’t a thing for me. (That will be the 19 year old’s job - he’s earned his right to a lifelong home here and he’ll never leave after he tells us it’s time to retire).

I feel much better about being confident in returning him now - it’s going to be expensive and a process but after losing my last two I just don’t have much tolerance for bringing along one that isn’t quite right for the job.

[findeight]

Good choice, one you are unlikely to regret.

Ummm….you might want to go back and edit your post, right now it says “…I put my rider down….”
You must be hell on catch riders

[Kenny80908]

I’m used to having yearlings and two year olds so refer to the horses in the barn that I am actually riding as my riders LOL - whoops.