# Please help evaluate condition



## FeatheredFeet (Jan 27, 2010)

Eeek. Well he does look in better flesh in the second picture. I certainly wouldn't want to see him carrying any more weight. However, he's standing awkwardly in both, so a bit difficult to tell. He does have a plain head. Ok neck length. Might have an ok shoulder but it looks different in each picture. Good bone. He might be very slightly, back at the knee. Difficult to tell from the pics. Very short, upright pasterns and very bad feet. No heels at all and needs a good farrier. 

How old is he? What kind of work does he do? What is his breeding?

Lizzie


----------



## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

Thanks a lot! As I knew these pictures were not perfect for a conformation critique, I wasn't even expecting it, but I might get better ones today, as I'm intrigued now.  What does a plain head mean conformation-wise?

He's a 7yo carriage type Latvian warmblood gelding. The other type is riding type, and they're much lighter in bone. His sire is one of the best carriage type LW studs in country, but his dam is a Hannoverian/Estonian Tori (also carriage type) mix. We do flatwork and trails, mostly, and light jumping once a week - a total of about 5hrs of work a week. 

As for the hooves - I would love to get a better farrier, but there's almost no choice for a barefoot trim in my country. Most even have no clue, how to trim an unshod horse, and of those TWO who have, only one lives in a reasonable distance from me. So I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

This picture might help better:


----------



## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

i ditch the oats and look for an appropriate balanced low carb commercial complete horse feed that will meet his basic nutritional needs. Feeding a horse oats only would be like you living off of donuts. I see a soft horse that needs some work and toning.


----------



## Clayton Taffy (May 24, 2011)

He has a beautiful head! Nothing plain about it.


----------



## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

Joe, he gets a good balancer with his oats, I didn't think of mentioning that, so his nutritional needs are covered. Apart from that, he had almost all winter off work, and I've been increasing his workload gradually - I do believe he is looking better than he did a while ago. Thanks for your input, though, and I completely agree that plain oats do not provide a horse with all that he needs! I also hope that I'm doing everything as it should be done, and, until the end of summer, I will be able to post pictures of a much better toned horse.


----------



## Elana (Jan 28, 2011)

He is a bit over conditioned.... I liked his weight in the first photo.

Nice horse otherwise. Orlov?? cleveland Bay?


----------



## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

No, a carriage type Latvian Warmblood - or a light draft, as they're sometimes called, this one in particular ir 16.2hh and still might grow a little - they mature very slowly. Our national breed. Thanks for your evaluation! I'm currently increasing his workload, hopefully he'll become fitter as time goes.


----------



## Tracer (Sep 16, 2012)

Looks like he's in the same boat as my boy right now - plenty of bulk, just of the wrong kind! I've just switched my boy onto a locally produced food that is known in the show circuit for helping with a top line to give me a hand, what with the horrible winter weather we've got at the moment.


----------



## Elana (Jan 28, 2011)

There are these warm blood carriage horses that have become quite rare (the Cleveland Bay is one such horse). They were bred to provide a nice consistent type and color so carriage horses would be matched. 

I am unfamiliar with this Latvian breed. 

What has happened is that a lot of these horses.. bred for carriage work.. are not being bred anymore and the breeds are becoming rare.. or even extinct (some light draft horses as well such as the Suffolk Punch). The warmbloods that are being bred are largely being bred for sport horses and come from the ranks of former cavalry mounts. Meanwhile, the warm bloods who used to bring the guns up in massive hitches are being passed over. 

I think this is a shame. These carriage warm bloods are often quite good horses with very stable dispositions. 

I do not know if the Latvian breed is rare but looking at this horse I see a field hunter. His shoulder is a bit steep and he is over weight.. but look at the nice bone, decent hind leg and so forth. Hooves might be a bit long.. but what a nice solid horse all the way around. 

I think the breeders of warm bloods for sport horses are missing the ball in not looking at these carriage horse breeds.


----------



## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

Thanks, Elana, that was a very valuable description. Carriage type LW's are not exactly rare or extinct around here, there are still several strong lines (the sire of my boy represents one of them), but carriage driving as such has become almost non-existent and there's very little activity in the field of competitive driving. So most of these horses are being used as riding horses and many lines have become a lot lighter in bone, being crossed with the riding type LW. Many of these horses also get exported to Russia, Finland, Sweden - for crossing with some of the much lighter European warmblood breeds, and giving them some bone, as well as a calm nature and a willing attitude. They often are used in riding schools, as well, because they are in general good learners, enjoy people, are very endurant and, although can get quite stubborn and are often born bomb-proof, they don't lack any energy and are in no way lethargic. So their popularity is very natural - it's just that over time people are starting to want a lighter, faster horse.


----------



## Icrazyaboutu (Jul 17, 2009)

I think he is overweight. Up the workload to get more muscles and maybe lighten up on the grain. I don't think he needs all that much.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

i like the horse . He looks good and solid, and I do not think he is overweight.
He is in 'good flesh' so it just looks like he needs to be toned . 
Just ask your farrier to take off some toe and round it when he files and leave him some heels.


----------



## disastercupcake (Nov 24, 2012)

I don't think he was underweight in the first picture- he just didn't have any muscle. The second picture I think he is overweight, imo. His flank is completely filled in. I think he just needs more work


----------

