Opinions on a horse...

[CarolinaGirl]

Am looking at this horse with a friend as a project horse. We quite like him and think he is cute, but I thought I'd get some opinions from the wonderful COTHers. :-)

http://pets.webshots.com/photo/2305574400103309036YYQTpB

http://pets.webshots.com/photo/2698316650103309036aZrwdf

http://pets.webshots.com/photo/2381616390103309036YLSowF

http://pets.webshots.com/photo/2540489990103309036POJhQt

http://pets.webshots.com/photo/2733631980103309036ZxSmvr

[imissvixen]

I like him (?). If you do get him, I would have someone look at his back hoof angles. I can't really tell from the photos but it seems like he could be more erect behind and would move better, loosen up his back, etc. I had a mare like that. She actually had negative palmar angles behind. Once she was corrected she was much more comfortable and her back relaxed. She was an OTTB.

[TB or not TB?]

I like him a lot! Cute boy. He is a tad straight behind, but I think he's quite balanced overall. I hear a little bit of unevenness in his trot video but it's likely soreness and tension from the track. He'd be welcome in my barn though!

[Meredith Clark]

Someone posted him on the HJ board under the thread "someone at mountaineer please go get him" or something. Hopefully if you don't like him someone will scoop him up!

ps- I like him

[easyklc]

I am by no means a good judge of "eventing worthy" conformation, but I have to say that I love his head and that look in his eye as if he's interested (in what-- that is to be determined :lol:). Sure, he looks a tad weak in the hind, but hell that doesn't mean he couldn't tear it up on a course. I've seen many knock-kneed, strung out hind ended horses do just fine and stay sound at the lower levels. As long as you aren't looking for an advanced ride.

He is handsome and has a kind eye. That always gets me at least prepared to look under the hood. :winkgrin:

[LessonLearned]

Bumping this up for the morning crowd. We are still trying to decide about him. Any input would be most appreciated!

[NewbieEventer]

I hate to even comment on this thread as I'm far from experienced with horse conformation/critiques (so take the following with a huge grain of salt ;) )...but do you think the lack of tracking up on the walk is an issue? I remember when I went horse shopping for the first time, my trainer stressed that tracking up is an easy/important indicator of the quality/potential of the horse's gaits. However, as someone else mentioned, it could be simply that the horse is a bit stiff and with the proper riding/exercises, would be much improved. Also, anyone else think the front pasterns are a bit too straight?

I do love his expression though :yes:

[caffeinated]

I hate to even comment on this thread as I'm far from experienced with horse conformation/critiques (so take the following with a huge grain of salt ;) )...but do you think the lack of tracking up on the walk is an issue?

This is a hard one for me. I've seen enough horses at the track, and then after, though, to say a lot of that can be body soreness or stiffness. Most of the time once they loosen up and lose some of the racing muscle (and gain muscle in other places, heh), they move very differently.

Sometimes, though, they don't. From the videos I think he just looks sort of tight.

Otherwise, I really like this horse. I think the thing I'd change would be the loin/hip- the top of the SI is set fairly far back behind the point of the hip. I like those points more aligned, I think it gives them more hind end flexibility. But the horse looks very proportionate to me, with a big strong shoulder, well set neck, and balanced body parts. But I'm more of an eventing observer, than a do-er.

On the other hand there are some great articles on jwequine.com about conformation for an eventer- there's one that analyzes two high-level eventers, that might give you some insight as to what you should look for.

[caffeinated]

Oh and hey! you're a Jump Little Children fan! whee!

[Catalina]

...but do you think the lack of tracking up on the walk is an issue? I remember when I went horse shopping for the first time, my trainer stressed that tracking up is an easy/important indicator of the quality/potential of the horse's gaits.

I found that the walk can be a good indicator of the quality of the other gaits, but, one has to remember that it is also easy to ruin the walk. My horse had a horrible walk when I first got him; it was tense, giraffed, and about two feet short of tracking up. Now, we get 7s and 8s on the walk and he has a huge overstep. In a horse that does not have any dressage (or bad dressage) training, the walk cannot always be an accurate guide.

[horsepix76]

This is a hard one for me. I've seen enough horses at the track, and then after, though, to say a lot of that can be body soreness or stiffness. Most of the time once they loosen up and lose some of the racing muscle (and gain muscle in other places, heh), they move very differently.


Agreed! It can be really hard to know what the final product will be. So many of them are stiff and sore at the track and really just need a couple months of let down time in a pasture as rehab. He's built a tinsy bit down hill, but what TB isn't these days?

I say go get him!! :)

[foxhavenfarm]

He's really cute! I agree with letting him have some time to let down from the track and loosen up and he'll be great.

[EAY]

My father bred this horse. PM me if you have any questions you think I might be able to answer.

[Equine Adhesive]

I think he's really cute and fairly priced, with a nice substance to his build, a pleasant expression, and no glaring flaws with clean-looking legs (relatively). I would check out his LF ankle, especially since he has what appears to be an old run-down in RH (which would be explained by a LF issue).

As for the horse himself, it depends on what kind of horse YOU like. As a hunter? Right now, he looks like he lacks flow, has a short neck, and is not the most flexible horse in the world. I would think a horse built like this is prone to jumping over his knees and is not snappy, like you would want out of a good hunter or upper level event horse. This horse looks more like a lower-level anything (hunter, jumper, eventing), a fox-hunting prospect, and a "fun all-arounder" type.

[Jessi P]

I am so glad you guys (for the most part) approve of Stoplight. There has been a lot of interest in him since he went up on CANTER 3 days ago. Of course his neck could be a touch longer, and his feet need another shoeing or two to get them where I personally would want them, but overall he is a pretty nice fellow with no vices. He does have an old, set splint on the inside of his LF cannon, which I presume is the reason he did not race til Dec in his three year old year, but it old, cold, and set.

His videos were taken before lunch on Feb 15 - his third and final race was the night before, less than 12 hours before these videos were taken. You can see the 50 stall barns behind him -full of horses and behind the person videoing, more barns with more horses. I can't ask the horses to really "trot on out" there on the concrete in between the barns, as the sound makes all the nearby horses in their stalls jump up and pay attention, snorting and breathing fire. Neighboring trainers don't take too kindly to someone creating havoc and upsetting their horses "just to take videos of a potential ridin' horse." So all I can really show in the videos is his basic carriage at the trot instead of a lovely tracking up, blow the doors off trot.

Personally I think his future lies in the eventing world or hunt field - he is not a naturally "long and low" kind of guy for the hunter world, but then I do racehorses, not hunters!

In his second lifetime start Stoplight had a terrible break, and stumbled badly coming out of the gate. He has a couple other knicks on his rear pasterns from that incident, in fact he had a big scuff over his left eye from that stumble as well, still visible in a couple pics.

I have no delusions that he is capable of doing the very upper levels of eventing or dressage, he is what he is. What he is (IMHO) is a nice prospect for someone who wants to take the time to bring along a "lightly used" just turning 4 yo OTTB with decent conformation, no vices and a half decent pedigree for a very reasonable price. :winkgrin:

[justdandy]

Jessi, he's absolutely adorable!!!

OP - go for it!!!! I posted about him in H/J.

[Equine Adhesive]

I agree with Jessi, I think he is too cute to shred on a forum. ;) It just depends on what someone wants him for - he is the perfect horse for someone, and certainly very deserving. :)

[bornfreenowexpensive]

you can always sell a pretty face....and he certainly has a pretty face! I'd say go get him....of course it is easy to spend someone else's money;)