# Critique my 10 year old AQHA? Hunter jumper prospect?



## laurenlewis24 (Dec 1, 2012)

This is my new mare Dakota. She is 10 and 16 hands tall. I am planning on riding her all around but mainly in hunter jumper and hunt seat. She is a bit fat and furry right now, trying to get her to get back on track since she was very overweight when we got her..about 1 month ago.

Sorry for the poor lighting and poor quality pics. I was just trying to hurry before it got too dark so she isnt standing very square.


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## Elana (Jan 28, 2011)

She sure is a Quarter horse! 
I cannot comment on her legs (back at the knees or not etc) because the picture are not good enough. She does have a significant "hay belly" and a significant dip behind her withers. I expect she may be difficult to saddle fit and she needs a LOT of trotting up long hills on a long rein to build her abdominal muscles. 

You can try her jumping.. but she looks to have a low point of shoulder and a low angle to the humerus (point of shoulder to elbow). This will restrict her bweing able to get her knees up.. but her shoulder may be laid back enough to allow her to get them up enough not to be dangerous. She may get them level or nearly so.. and if she is even then she may be pretty enough for hunter. If not, she may make a decent equitation over fences horse. 

The question will be if she can get her knees up and only time will tell as she is trained, gains condition and loses weight (and gets some abdominal muscling). 

she is a bit pigeon breasted but her neck is not set real low. She has a very classic looking QH head, plenty of rear end muscling and a nice gaskin.. from what I can see. 

Do get better photos!


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## SaddleStrings (May 15, 2012)

Are you sure she is 16HH? She looks closer to 15HH. She has a nice hip and cute head
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## laurenlewis24 (Dec 1, 2012)

SaddleStrings said:


> Are you sure she is 16HH? She looks closer to 15HH. She has a nice hip and cute head
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Yes my dad is very tall. She is 16h easily. My other horse is 15.2 and she towers over him.
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## Elana (Jan 28, 2011)

Put a stick on her... (if you have not). I got a stick YEARS ago because of all the 15.2 hh horses advertised as 16.1hh. Seller would see me coming with the stick and most would cringe. 

Not that I cared.. just that for English riding a 16.1hh horse brought more cash. When I proved the beast was NOT anywhere NEAR that size the negotiations could begin... LOL


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## laurenlewis24 (Dec 1, 2012)

Elana said:


> Put a stick on her... (if you have not). I got a stick YEARS ago because of all the 15.2 hh horses advertised as 16.1hh. Seller would see me coming with the stick and most would cringe.
> 
> Not that I cared.. just that for English riding a 16.1hh horse brought more cash. When I proved the beast was NOT anywhere NEAR that size the negotiations could begin... LOL


She was originally $1,000 and I got her for $400. She IS 16 hands tall, the pic just doesnt do her justice. I got a great deal on her, now PLEASE, someone critique her conformation for me please?
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## Chopsticks (Mar 11, 2012)

solid mare, wasp waisted and more body than bone but if you keep her trim that should not be an issue. nice compact back, deep hip, good strong shoulder. i think she should do whatever you want. just as long as she wants to do it you will be successful!


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## laurenlewis24 (Dec 1, 2012)

Chopsticks said:


> solid mare, wasp waisted and more body than bone but if you keep her trim that should not be an issue. nice compact back, deep hip, good strong shoulder. i think she should do whatever you want. just as long as she wants to do it you will be successful!


Thanks so much! Thats what I needed to hear!
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## BarrelRacingLvr (Feb 26, 2012)

-Slightly Ewe Necked
-Steeper shoulder
-Her neck ties in high and is wonky looking. 
-Decent Back
-Nice hip
-Short Pasterns

I can't really tell much else....we need better pictures to be able to see more. She needs to be more squared and not having legs going in all different directions. 


I also would look into getting a new farrier....her heels are very under run.


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## laurenlewis24 (Dec 1, 2012)

I know her hooves are bad, we just got her a month ago. My farrier is going to try and fix her these next few months but we cant make too much of a hoof change at once.
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## Elana (Jan 28, 2011)

As said previously, I think she may not make a good jumper/hunter. Angle at the point of shoulder is insufficient.


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## laurenlewis24 (Dec 1, 2012)

I have free jumper her before and she LOVES it! She actually over jumped a small 1 foot jump and jumped about 3 feet up.
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## Elana (Jan 28, 2011)

Loving it and being good at it under saddle are two different things.. but, as stated previously, see how it goes and do get some pictures of her in the air. 

Most horses can do 2' to 2'6" fairly safely even without good form.


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

I agree she does not look 16 hands, your dad must be 7 ' tall, 
she looks like she would be better for hunter classes. I cant see her doing the higher jumps.


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## laurenlewis24 (Dec 1, 2012)

2'6 is about as high as i want her to jump. So that works. Ill get some pics of er jumping soon.
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## GotaDunQH (Feb 13, 2011)

laurenlewis24 said:


> This is my new mare Dakota. She is 10 and 16 hands tall. I am planning on riding her all around but mainly in hunter jumper and hunt seat. She is a bit fat and furry right now, trying to get her to get back on track since she was very overweight when we got her..about 1 month ago.
> 
> Sorry for the poor lighting and poor quality pics. I was just trying to hurry before it got too dark so she isnt standing very square.
> 
> ...


To be fair to this horse, you honestly need better pics...no way around it...sorry. Unless you have actually sticked this horse, you can not say she is 16 hands as the length of her cannons do not indicate that. 

From what I can see, see has a decent length of back, I like her hocks and where they are set on the leg/the angle, and in relation to her knees, but she is carrying more bone in her back cannons than in the front. Her pasterns are also longer in the front than in the back, but once again....you really can't assess fairly based on these photos. Her fault is her neck, in one pic it looks like she is developing a big muscle on the bottom...the other pic I don't see that. She is built like a western horse, more compact than a QH hunter horse. 

So in other words, she looks like a different horse in each pic so you NEED to get correct shots, with her squared up, standing dead set at the middle of her barrel. Your side shots are at different places...you can't have that if you want a correct analysis. Below is a pic of how you take confo shots:


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