Conformation critique...

[MissMaryMack]

http://www.equine.com/Horses/ad_details.aspx?lid=567258

Any comments on this little guy?

[NoDQhere]

Of course this is the worst age for any youngster as far as the "uglies" go, and the pictures aren't the best, but he wouldn't be my pick for a Dressage prospect.

He has a low set neck that already looks heavy on the bottom. And he also has a short, steep croup coupled with a pretty straight hind leg. He is, IMO, pretty spendy for what he is.

[Zlotych]

Are you the owner of this horse looking for critiques?

[MissMaryMack]

I'm just curious...I'm somewhat interested in getting a baby this year or next year but I'm not sure what kind of conformation to look for. I thought he was cute but I don't know much about conformation- especially in babies. You guys are usually great at giving feedback so I thought either I would find out some great attributes or I would learn what to look for! Thanks for your help!

*For what it's worth- due to some physical conditions, I will probably never be able to ride past 1st or 2nd*

[Hony]

It will be difficult to tell what it will end up like from these photos. Draft crosses can turn out great....or dreadful. I would not be inclined to buy this one. It has very straight hind legs, and it appears from these pics that it has a bit of a ewe neck. I'm not great at picking them appart but overall I'm just not thrilled by this guy. Nice markings though!

[sublimequine]

With the lowset neck and straight hind legs, he looks like more of a western prospect than a Dressage prospect to me! :lol:

[STF]

I think this guy would be fine for a lower level dressage horse, a lower level combined training horse and/or field hunter.
That is my honest opinion.

[debra]

Very nice markings, and I am sure he has a lovely attitude, but a Shire/Quarter Horse cross for dressage? If you are just doing lower levels he might work out, but with that breeding he probably wont have much suspension. Of course one never knows until one tries it. This might sound mean, but I would worry that he is not just a PMU foal that someone is trying to pass off as home bred. Did you notice under his pedigree, it just says, "Shire" and "Quarter Horse"? You would think they would put the names on of they knew them. After all the add says, "Mom and Dad both have great builds and have passed on their pleasant personality to this young man." So it makes it sound like they know who his sire and dam are. Anyway, maybe I am being too critical and analytical.
I am not agains PMU foals by the way, I have known a few that have turned out just fine.

[fish]

This guy just looks to me as though he's going through one of those Butt-only growth spurts which are pretty common at his age. They all look ewe-necked when they do that:(

This is the stage at which lots of breeders hide them behind the barn and sweat a bit while waiting to see whether the front catches up or not. I think this guy could turn out to be fairly cute-- and have seen a lot straighter hind legs have pretty good careers. If he's otherwise correct, I wouldn't hold these angles against him. Buying him at this stage of growth would be a real crap shoot on the neck and overall balance though.

[JackSprats Mom]

If you're interested in him I would ask them to send photo's of sire and dam (as it sounds like they bred him) and see what they're like (not that its a given he'll represent them BUT better then driving blind).

Honestly though, for that sort of money you can get something MUCH nicer.

[slc2]

For a quarter horse weanling draft cross, three thousand dollars? That's quite a bit of money for a weanling.

[canticle]

I love draft crosses and I don't think he has a lowset neck, but I do think you could do better. I'm not too keen on his steep croup and he is quite post-legged. And for that price I would want to see a full pedigree, not just Shire x QH. The same goes for any breed. ;)

[fish]

Actually, if you're interested in Shire crosses, you might want to contact Susan Doner in Va., who's been standing the Shire/TB cross, King's Camelot, for ages. She's very nice and might be willing to give you an idea of what's reasonable to expect price and conformation wise. Her website is www.littlebullrun.com, and she also posts on these forums.

There are a lot of draft crosses out there in all kinds of different price ranges. (I remember others advertising in *Hunter and Sport Horse,* and there are usually some for sale in the COTH classifieds.) One of my clients recently picked up a 17.2 hand 5 year old WB/Draft cross with very nice gaits for dressage and an incredible jump for $3800. That was a pretty incredible buy, though. He was turning down double that from fellow fox hunters within a week. Draft crosses are extremely popular among fox hunters these days, with good ones bringing about $10-$15K the last few years-- although the drop in the national economy, rising hay prices, etc., may have cooled that market down a bit.

FWIW, this same client tried a less athletic, but very good tempered, draft cross of the same age for $7500, and all his fellow fox hunters thought that a very reasonable price-- so much so that they were surprised when he didn't buy the horse. When you consider how much it costs to raise and train a weanling to the point where it's ready to ride, however, you can see why people are saying that $3000 is on the high side for the colt you're looking at. The woman selling the $7500 horse had purchased it as a long yearling for $1500.

Too me, the moral of the story is to spend as much time looking as you can. The better sense you get of the market and the more you see, the better chance you have of getting the best horse for your purposes and your money.

[slc2]

I picture this horse being a very nice slow hilltopper that just about a kazillian people would love. A wonderful family horse, and he looks to have a wonderful kind eye. So it sort of depends on 'how much of a dressage horse' the OP means. Something to go to a schooling show once or twice a year, learn with, and have a LOT of fun with? Or to beat all comers at a big recognized show at first, second level?

I just thought for this little guy that's a bit high, of course, that's given what we see - three pictures, only one of which is really helpful. If he jumped the moon and moved like barishnikov, that would be different.

Even at that the difference in price (a thousand or 1500 less) is dwarfed by what one adds given 2 years of training, board, shoeing and vet bills. Unless one has a farm and one's own pastures or a very nice friend who does, raising a youngster, finding a facility that's appropriate for it, can get very costly.

He isn't post-legged. He may look it because of the steep croup.

His neck isn't set that low, but its shape is not ideal (straight) and it's got a lot of mass very low, which amounts to the same thing.

He also is butt high, EVEN for a yearling. That means nothing for the casual rider, but if you want to really be serious about dressage you're going to be asking him to fight with his own body every step
A steep croup doesn't usually limit a lower level horse with light demands on him, but many people don't like the look of it even for that sort of use. I don't think it matters for the more casual riding horse.

By casual, I don't mean 'not serious' or 'not as good as the person who buys a warmblood for xx dollars' . I mean fewer shows, less impulsion required, riding more lightly, less frequently.

What I thought was that just overall, he's going to be a heavy fronted type working out behind. Even at lower level dressage, it gets hard on a horse that's heavy fronted and working out behind.

[egontoast]

He also is butt high, EVEN for a yearling.

He's not a yearling. There's no way to know if he will be butt high when he finishes. Anyone who has raised young horses knows they often go through stages where they are butt high.


As others said, it's also hard to guess how this guy will turn out without more information. QH/draft crosses sometimes finish up very chunky.

Cute, though.:)

[~Freedom~]

He also is butt high, EVEN for a yearling.

Hmmm since he is a WEANLING it is not unusual for the butt to be a bit high. I like this guy and to give a conformation critique on one so young is difficult. Yes the hind legs are a bit post legged but I suspect this will change. He has a good length of neck to grow into and I agree that the neck is not THAT low set. Certainly not low enough to discount him. I like his overall frame and many areas of what we don't particularly like in an adult will change dramatically as he grows.

I will not speculate on what he would be able to do simply because I have seen horses with known faults ( some serious) that overcame that setback and have done very very well.

I do think he is overpriced and $2,000.00 would be my top dollar.

[Donella]

Straight hind legs and low set neck (ie it comes out where his point of should is). Not a dressage prospect.