I’m very casually looking for an OTTB. I saw this chestnut mare on the canter website, and she’s kind of stuck in my head. The video is short of course, and the pictures are not great. Even if the pictures are unflattering, she’s not going to win on the line. But… She has this lovely, slow legged trot, great freedom of shoulder. I think she might be pretty fancy.
What experience do we in the COTH hive mind have with pretty moving funny built horses?
When you say ugly do you mean she has poor conformation or just that she is plain?
I know several warmbloods including one that actually has perfect conformation but that look like dopey lummoxes in the field. Especially when undermuscled. Big head straight neck etc. Moving put together they are stunning.
I also know horses that are beautiful standing still. One Arab Andy cross, some Friesian crossed, etc. But they can’t move.
Many OTTB have under developed necks, and head type can vary a lot. There can be good bone structure without muscling.
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Low neck emergence, looks pretty sickle hocked (could be how she’s stood up), taller behind, right front pastern looks almost vertical (again, could be how she’s stood up).
I cropped her head out of one of the listing pictures. Is that anonymous enough to post? 
Exactly. Thorougbreds are muscled by doing the opposite of what we’d like them to do. So often the neck is muscled looking upside down, etc.
Id’ go ahead and post. I’ve posted full pictures of horses I’ve liked on Canter, New Vocations etc.
I still find it hard to see through the gangly racing fit 3 year old OTTB to the gorgeous adult horse he can become with correct work.
But actually over a number of years watching other folks OTTB develop, I’ve come to the conclusion that they mostly have good functional conformation.
You dont see the train wreck fugly things you can get with backyard crosses or feral “wildies.”
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I remember being at a dressage show and wondering how this OTTB that had a ewe neck and looked like it was put together upside down by a committee; was going to do a third level test.
It was as if the horse morphed into a completely different creature. Really nice mover and test. Very elastic. I never could have imagined.
You just never know… maybe you should go for it!!
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Check out this horse’s transformation.
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I currently have 3 OTTB’s in my barn: the one who is the best looking sometimes gets by on her looks but not in good company.
The more succesful OTTB had Canter listing pics would never have caught my eye - I ended up finding him months later and fortunately saw him go under saddle, where I just loved the way he looked through the bridle. He rarely is less than reserve in competitive company because he just has the right look when he’s moving. He’s still a tad butt high as a teenager Just enter the ring at a trot and show off what you’ve got 
Lots of TBs off the track go through an ugly phase, especially if for whatever reason they have been kept in the shed row string but done with racing… It doesn’t deter me. What matters functionally is their conformation. That does not change no matter what condition they are in.
Photos on the track are tough. I find their usefulness is for seeing any body jewelry and scars and that’s about it. I watch the video for a true representation of how the horse looks or moves. We all know that taking a good photo is a true art. As a track volunteer, I can tell you I did my best but taking a good photo that is a reliable representation of the horse’s anatomy is challenging!
For the most part people are only familiar with the gawky 2 and 3 y/o phase TBs go through. What they don’t realize is that TB looks totally different at 10.
Pretty average transformation here:
Same horse, different angles:
You can post CANTER links here. Many people do it - and it helps give the horse exposure for a new home.
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This is the horse. She’s not “ugly”, I’m in the chestnut mare fan club myself. But that right front pastern gives me serious pause. It seems to have normal range of motion when I slow down the video and zoom in.
That trot still looks pretty nice, but I hate to buy trouble.
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I went and found her on CANTER. I like her pedigree. Her sire I have no experience with personally, but he looked lovely - I’m partial to Danzig stallions and think some of the better HJer-type movers come from them - including Boundary, Danzig Connection, and Big Brown.
The damline has names all over it seen in UL eventers. I have loved every Skywalker horse I have ever had the pleasure of working. Great aptitudes for eventing and typically classy movers. Eventers LOVE Bertrando for that sporty versatility, good work ethic and jump - but some can be opinionated.
I like the mare based off of the video. She was tight behind but that is common with horses raced and stalled on the track. If you are serious I would come with cash and a trailer. Nothing about what I saw would turn me away as a buyer. As far as that funny right front, I can’t tell if it is because she is not standing square, if it is because the ground was not level, or if she is genuinely clubbed. I don’t think anyone would know without seeing her in person, but the video shows a nice horse who is at a steal of a price.
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As someone who has taken a whole lot of these pics of horses on the backside, that right front looks like it’s about 1/100th of a second from being totally off the ground to stomp at a fly.
She’s lovely. I love her hip. She’s going to mature into a really nice horse. There’s nothing ugly about her, IMO. Go see her!
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Well I find her to be sickle hocked, but I like her long gaskin. She’s not standing square, not loading that front foot equally- may or may not mean anything. I like the length from the point of her shoulder to her elbow and the angle, lots of room to swing forward there. The sickle hocks may or may not be a soundness issue, now or in the future, but can generate some power if sound. Her neck is upside down, but that can improve with muscling.
When the American Remount was dropping TB stallions all over the US, to cross breed cavalry horses in the past, the buyers would have the young 1/2 TB horses driven by them at the trot and canter. Those who moved well were the ones chosen to purchase. Tells you something.
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I think she’s a good looking horse who happens to be a gawky youngster. Give her time to fill out, grow up, and be a horse and she’ll be stunning.
https://canterusa.org/horses/listings/diamond-2015-thoroughbred-mare-16hh-2500/
This is the full add. Thought I’d posted this earlier. I think she’s definitely sickle hocked but I’m not sure that rf pastern is just a trick of the camera. Opinions from these photos?
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I think that getting pictures on the backside that accurately depict the horse in every way is nearly impossible.
If you like her, go see her. I think she’s really quite nice. I might not buy her sight unseen off of these pictures, but it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if there’s absolutely nothing abnormal about her right front in real life, and if she’s built fine behind as well.
These pictures are often trying to get a moving target stood up, with no fly spray, while 1000 things are happening. It’s tough.
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She has a really nice pair of pants. Speak with Sarah and arrange a view if possible. Our barn has bought 5 from her in the last two years, one to a pro and the others to ams. She is more than reputable and knowledgeable, so much so that her horses sell fast. The only ‘issue’ with most of them is that patient road to restoring their feet.
Her grandsires are certainly impressive!
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That’s really good to know! I’ll have to buy go video so I’ll reach out. I can do a hoof rehab pretty well so that’s not a deal breaker. Definitely nice to hear a good reference.
I’ll add ours were all bought sight unseen.
Ditto Skywalker, Relaunch, and In Reality💗.
