Any thoughts about this mare’s conformation? She is a 16.2 hand Thoroughbred by Pleasant Tap. Thank you!
Picture at https://goo.gl/photos/hqfif7X39XrvLU9K7
I think she’s very nicely put together and looks like she would be suitable for either dressage or jumping and possibly worth breeding as well.
NIce mare, only issue I see is Hi/Lo feet.
Very nice. Have you ridden her? how old? nice confirmation. I believe hi/lo is fairly common even in a few famous race horses. If she rides out sound and some farrier doesn,t try to ‘‘cure’’ her, it may fix itself. Could be a pasture grazing thing. My horse has hi/lo and I’ve had her for 10+ years and it never made a difference. Sometimes it was not there, and sometimes it was slight depending how much she was left in the pasture.
[QUOTE=Highflyer;8494928]
I think she’s very nicely put together and looks like she would be suitable for either dressage or jumping and possibly worth breeding as well.[/QUOTE]
Agree.
On the LF, is that a scar down the hoof or a stripe? It’s wide at the top (coronary) and narrow below, so not sure it’s a stripe. I wonder if the odd angle there is because of an old injury that has grown out?
How old? To really nit pick I see a low set tail (goose rump) that can sometimes make for a shorter stride. Maybe a bit over at the knee (could be photo angle) and I like a big, substantial hock. There is something about her I really like.
I have not ridden her but have seen video of her under saddle. I’m actually going to be picking her up tomorrow, but wanted to post here for some opinions to validate what I was seeing. I’m still learning so always appreciate feedback.
She’s 8 years old and raced 35 times with her last race in November 11, 2015. My other mare actually has hi/lo due to the way she grazes and it hasn’t caused problems for her either - I’m also not an FEI rider and BABY my horses. Lol. Every now and then it shows up but she also fractured a tibia at age 2 so she’s got other bigger issues for me to address on a daily basis. This new mare is reported as being retired without any injuries.
[QUOTE=Zonderpaard;8495240]
Agree.
On the LF, is that a scar down the hoof or a stripe? It’s wide at the top (coronary) and narrow below, so not sure it’s a stripe. I wonder if the odd angle there is because of an old injury that has grown out?[/QUOTE]
I actually haven’t seen her in person yet so not sure whether it is a scar or a stripe but her movement looks very sound and balanced in both directions. I’m also getting her from somewhere that I really trust so am certain they would have called it out to me if it was an old injury. Fingers crossed that it’s just a stripe 
When looking at a conformation shot - where does your eye go? (before looking at details- forest for trees)
- First impression-- nice but heavy front end compared to hind end.
Not one to judge solely on conformation- just answering the question.
[QUOTE=Crockpot;8495345]
When looking at a conformation shot - where does your eye go? (before looking at details- forest for trees)
- First impression-- nice but heavy front end compared to hind end.
Not one to judge solely on conformation- just answering the question.:)[/QUOTE]
On this horse it goes straight to her shoulder and neck. In general I always start at the head because an eye is very important to me, and then I tend to travel back the body and note when my eye pauses. With this mare my eye stopped right away at the shoulder and neck set because it seems to be above average neck set for a Thoroughbred. Then the size of girth and barrel is important to me because I’m 6’2 and also like a deep girth. If I make it to the hind end, then that either ends up breaking or making a decision to move onto a video or follow up with questions. In this case, her smaller hind end actually didn’t relate to movement because she actually appears to naturally push from behind.
I know I should probably be looking at hind end first, but with OTTBs I feel like they all have weak hind ends right off the track, and I can improve that with hill work, ground driving, etc (assuming the skeletal structure has good natural angles of course), but I can never change the head and eye which is why I feel like I always start there. And I’m REALLY bad at determining length of back unless it’s SUPER obvious that it’s really short or really long.
[QUOTE=Crockpot;8495345]
When looking at a conformation shot - where does your eye go? (before looking at details- forest for trees) [/QUOTE]
On this one, the ears! Then the head and neck, body, and legs in that order. Interesting question that I have not thought of before.
I’d take her!
I like her very much in general, but agree that she is a bit heavy in front.
I would like to see a more forward placed LS and hocks set lower to the ground.
From:
http://useventing.com/sites/default/files/Conformation-Eventer.pdf
Top horses in most disciplines have a
lumbosacral joint or LS (a palpable dip in
front of the high point of the croup) directly
above the point of hip (in line between
the two points of hip), which equals good
coupling.
I would also consider her a bit ‘closed’ in her shoulder…ie. her front legs are set well under her shoulder rather than out in front near the point of the shoulder.
Draw the same lines on Winsome Adante in the link I posted and you will see it. … from the wither to point of shoulder, then point of shoulder to elbow…WA’s is a much more open angle.
[QUOTE=cb06;8495682]
I like her very much in general, but agree that she is a bit heavy in front.
I would like to see a more forward placed LS and hocks set lower to the ground.
From:
http://useventing.com/sites/default/files/Conformation-Eventer.pdf
Top horses in most disciplines have a
lumbosacral joint or LS (a palpable dip in
front of the high point of the croup) directly
above the point of hip (in line between
the two points of hip), which equals good
coupling.
I would also consider her a bit ‘closed’ in her shoulder…ie. her front legs are set well under her shoulder rather than out in front near the point of the shoulder.
Draw the same lines on Winsome Adante in the link I posted and you will see it. … from the wither to point of shoulder, then point of shoulder to elbow…WA’s is a much more open angle.[/QUOTE]
I completely see what you mean about Winsome Adante; thanks so much! From this picture of the mare it also looks like they have her stood up a little over in front so I’ll be curious to see what her leg set looks like when I get to see her in person tomorrow. Is it possible that she only appears to be closed in her shoulder because of the way she’s standing? To me, it looks like she’s “leaning” forward a bit, but I’m definitely not an expert.
I really like her build. What’s her registered name?
[QUOTE=kmr1023;8495934]
I completely see what you mean Winsome Adante; thanks so much! From this picture of the mare it also looks like they have her stood up a little over in front so I’ll be curious to see what her leg set looks like when I get to see her in person tomorrow. Is it possible that she only appears to be closed in her shoulder because of the way she’s standing? To me, it looks like she’s “leaning” forward a bit, but I’m definitely not an expert.[/QUOTE]
Yes, I think that is completely possible. How she is stood-up, the angle of the photo, etc. all can play tricks. Seeing her in person will definitely help. Though, again, overall, I do really like her! Good luck!
[QUOTE=SPRINGBORO;8495944]
I really like her build. What’s her registered name?[/QUOTE]
It’s simply “Moon” By Pleasant Tap out of an Affirmed mare who was out of a dam by Sham. http://www.pedigreequery.com/moon9
She raced 35 times with just under $80,000 in winnings.
I adopted her from New Vocations. Her listing is at http://www.horseadoption.com/horseprofiles/moon/
I didn’t include it in the original post because I wasn’t sure if the full story would bias anyone’s opinion about her conformation which was my primary interest for learning
[QUOTE=kmr1023;8495934]
I completely see what you mean about Winsome Adante; thanks so much! From this picture of the mare it also looks like they have her stood up a little over in front so I’ll be curious to see what her leg set looks like when I get to see her in person tomorrow. Is it possible that she only appears to be closed in her shoulder because of the way she’s standing? To me, it looks like she’s “leaning” forward a bit, but I’m definitely not an expert.[/QUOTE]
That can probably be corrected with a slight change in hoof angle. Could be the heels are a smidge too high.
My kind of mare! What a beauty, those head shots sealed the deal for me.
(And I love the Stage Door Johnny in her line)
I think she’s lovely. Question, to you or anyone, why would anyone adopt out this mare for so cheap when she seems to be a good money earner (I have no clue) has such a nice pedigree, and is a mare, so could produce more. $800 seems a major steal of a deal.
