# Would my gelding make a good english prospect? *Photos&Videos*



## lilruffian (Jun 28, 2010)

It all depends on what sort of "english" you would be doing. Dressage? Jumping?
His is not high in the wither, no
His shoudler angle is very upright but on the plus side he has plenty of depth through the girth
Neck needs work and looks almost long in those last photos
Back is long and slightly roached
Front legs look alright
Hindquarters are not bad either, though they too could use some muscling
Back legs look alright as well, although they give the impression of being cow-hocked


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## kelseyxroxy (Oct 6, 2012)

I'm not sure yet. I'd just be starting in english, so I'd just do flatwork at first. I'd love to learn how to jump someday, though!


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## JumpingJiminy (May 2, 2012)

I agree with what was said above, but ultimately it really depends on what you plan on doing with him in the english world, because flatwork/dressage, show jumping, and eventing - are all very different.


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## kelseyxroxy (Oct 6, 2012)

Definitely. I guess I was just looking to see what others thought he'd be good at according to his conformation (I know there are certain qualities to look for in a jumper, eventing, etc).

Like I said, I'm pretty new to the english world. it'd be a few years before I'd competitively start jumping or dressage.


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## GotaDunQH (Feb 13, 2011)

How tall is he? He's bred on top to be a reiner/cutter. The bottom side is WP. He's bred to be a western horse, but that doesn't mean he can't to hunt seat and low level dressage.


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## kelseyxroxy (Oct 6, 2012)

I haven't measured him exactly, but I think right around 15hh or 15.1.


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## CLaPorte432 (Jan 3, 2012)

This is not a horse that should be doing anything strenuous. Jumping would be completely out of line in my opinion. He needs bute for heavy workouts. And hock injections? Why would you even WANT to make your horse go through anything that would require him to have to do that?

Light, pleasure riding for this guy only. If you want to jump, youll need another.......sound......horse.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## kelseyxroxy (Oct 6, 2012)

I personally don't think hock injections are such a terrible thing. Yeah, it's not the most desirable situation.. but his x-rays show that his hocks are very active right now, so he'd likely need hock injections no matter what I chose to do with him. He only needs bute temporarily until we take him in for the injection - it's not a permanent lameness thing. This only came up recently, and we took him to a vet to get x-rays and her opinion. The vet said his situation is fairly common.
I know it's hard to judge just from photos, but I've spoken with several trainers and vets in the area and they've explained his situation to me, and I understand what I can and cannot do with him. It's just a matter of if I want to continue western with him, or learn english.


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## GotaDunQH (Feb 13, 2011)

CLaPorte432 said:


> This is not a horse that should be doing anything strenuous. Jumping would be completely out of line in my opinion. He needs bute for heavy workouts. And hock injections? Why would you even WANT to make your horse go through anything that would require him to have to do that?
> 
> Light, pleasure riding for this guy only. If you want to jump, youll need another.......sound......horse.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


There is nothing wrong with hock injections if a horse needs them. What IS wrong is asking a horse to perform that needs help with the hocks. My horse gets hock injections before show season, BECAUSE he no longer produces synovial fluid...which is NOT his fault, it's what happens with Mother Nature. So, should I not replace that fluid so he can still be an active horse? Or should I just turn him out to pasture, not work him, and STILL have him with uncomfortable hocks....whether I ride him or not.


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## CLaPorte432 (Jan 3, 2012)

GotaDunQH said:


> There is nothing wrong with hock injections if a horse needs them. *What IS wrong is asking a horse to perform that needs help with the hocks. * My horse gets hock injections before show season, BECAUSE he no longer produces synovial fluid...which is NOT his fault, it's what happens with Mother Nature. So, should I not replace that fluid so he can still be an active horse? Or should I just turn him out to pasture, not work him, and STILL have him with uncomfortable hocks....whether I ride him or not.


This is exactly what I was getting at. I never said hock injections are a BAD thing, but to have a horse that needs them because they are in constant pain is wrong in my opinion, and jumping would be completely off limits.

I have a 5 year old with severe arthritis. I'm doing everything in my power to get her to riding sound. She was supposed to be a top competitor in the barrel arena, and she may never make it there. Hock injections very well could be in our near future but I feel pumping a horse full of pain meds is wrong if the horse is still going to be in pain during riding and for days after a heavy workout. :?

Especially with him being such a young horse... :-(


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## kelseyxroxy (Oct 6, 2012)

CLaPorte432 said:


> This is exactly what I was getting at. I never said hock injections are a BAD thing, but to have a horse that needs them because they are in constant pain is wrong in my opinion, and jumping would be completely off limits.
> 
> I have a 5 year old with severe arthritis. I'm doing everything in my power to get her to riding sound. She was supposed to be a top competitor in the barrel arena, and she may never make it there. Hock injections very well could be in our near future but I feel pumping a horse full of pain meds is wrong if the horse is still going to be in pain during riding and for days after a heavy workout. :?
> 
> Especially with him being such a young horse... :-(


But what other option is there? I remember the vet said if he didn't get the injections, his lower joints in his hock would fuse or something like that. So in a way, he does need them. Wouldn't he still be in some amount of pain even if he just stood around the pasture all day? How else would you minimize the symptoms/pain without medication/treatments?

I don't mean to sound defensive or anything  I'm just pretty sure it's something he's going to have to have, I don't know what other options there are.. he has such a long life yet, I'd hate to see him be put on pasture rest :/

And I don't do anything too strenuous riding-wise anyway. I mainly pleasure ride and do a 4H show in the summer.. for now at least.


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## kelseyxroxy (Oct 6, 2012)

Any other comments about his conformation?


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

kelseyxroxy said:


> But what other option is there? I remember the vet said if he didn't get the injections, his lower joints in his hock would fuse or something like that.


That's actually something you WANT if he's arthritic in the lower hock. It's not a joint that moves much if at all, and once it's fused it won't cause him any pain or difficulty.

UPPER hock is a big problem. That's a joint that cannot fuse, it moves too much. Causing a lot of pain if it's arthritic.

HOWEVER, at his young age I do wonder if there is some underlying problem causing these arthritic changes. I wouldn't ever jump a horse that I knew had hock issues. Dressage is out of the question, too, because they need to be able to bend through the hock to take their weight on their hind end. What CAN you do...? Trails. Lightly. If that.

If he was my horse I would let his hocks fuse, then see how he went from there.


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## kelseyxroxy (Oct 6, 2012)

I have his x-rays somewhere.. but I THINK it's the top joints. I don't want to say for sure though, I can't remember exactly what the vet said.

Anyways, I'm still curious about his confo for English.. or would he make a better western horse - wp or reining, for example? Of course after I talk and work with the vet about more about his hocks.


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

I'm confused.

This is what you said:



kelseyxroxy said:


> his lower joints in his hock would fuse or something like that.


Now you're saying upper joints. Why? Lower hock is a GOOD thing, you just give it time to fuse and your horse will/may return to a full functional life. Upper hock is really bad and joint injections are only putting off the inevitable.


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## kelseyxroxy (Oct 6, 2012)

Let me try to check his x-rays again later today - like I said with the upper, I'm not completely sure.. I know there's a big difference though, so I'll check to be sure!

Sorry for the confusion - and thanks for being patient with me!


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## kelseyxroxy (Oct 6, 2012)

Would it be easier to just post photos of his xrays? I honestly don't know enough about it to be judging it without a vet's guidance.


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

Probably would be - I'm sure there are people out there who know how to tell a clean xray from one showing arthritic changes, and therefore can pinpoint which joint any changes are in.


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## kelseyxroxy (Oct 6, 2012)

Alright, here are two of his xrays. The problem is mostly in his right hind hock. Sorry for the quality, I had to take screenshots! Hope someone can see them though. xD


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## Ashleysmardigrasgirl (Jun 28, 2012)

Looks like *possible* minor Developmental Orthopedic Disease (DOD) developing in the first picture combined with *possible* minor spavins developing. Not really _that_ uncommon necessarily certainly for 7yo as it usually starts to form at around 6. Does he ever fill up with fluid in his hocks?


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## kelseyxroxy (Oct 6, 2012)

Hmm.. I'm not sure honestly.. I'd never really had to deal with this until we brought him in to the vet a few weeks ago. What do you mean exactly?

So this isn't something uncommon? And would hock injections be something to consider?


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## Army wife (Apr 29, 2012)

He has such fine boning in his legs, I'm honestly not surprised he has hock problems already. The choice is yours, do you want him to be around for a long time, or do you want him to be retired soon? If the later, what will you do with him and where will he go? Because events like dressage, jumping, barrel racing, reining, roping etc are all hard on a well built horse. Let alone one who has such weak legs like your gelding. I would stick to light riding with him, either that or find another horse.


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## Kayty (Sep 8, 2009)

Having proven hock issues at that age is not good. 
Fusing hocks put my tb gelding out for over 18 months and cost me a small fortune trying to get him sound enough to ride. He never came good after all of that.

You're much better to try and have the lower joints fuse, speak to the vet and see if they will consider surgical/chemical fusion. Once those joints are fused the horse will lose only a small amount of movement and should be quite sound. Though there is a high chance of the other hock going the same way if it hasn't already.


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## Kayty (Sep 8, 2009)

Having proven hock issues at that age is not good. 
Fusing hocks put my tb gelding out for over 18 months and cost me a small fortune trying to get him sound enough to ride. He never came good after all of that.

You're much better to try and have the lower joints fuse, speak to the vet and see if they will consider surgical/chemical fusion. Once those joints are fused the horse will lose only a small amount of movement and should be quite sound. Though there is a high chance of the other hock going the same way if it hasn't already.


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## Island Horselover (Apr 4, 2012)

kelseyxroxy said:


> Any other comments about his conformation?


I think he is a very good looking horse, yes, not the best confirmation to do the high level jumping but if the Vet gives you green lights and he is not in pain he will give you so much joy and fun in doing english, lower level jumping and or dressage. Just try it out and decide what you like the most, enjoy your horse, western or english! Both are great ways to ride and as long as your horse is not in pain go for what you love to do! HAVE A BLAST  I have a horse that is absolutely not made for jumping (according to some confirmation specialists, and I actually agree) yet, on every beach ride she is jumping the logs as if there is no tomorrow and that is what she wants to do, so that is what she gets to do!


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