# Confirmation question on my endurance horse



## Alwaysridingsmiling (12 mo ago)

Good afternoon

hoping these pictures are good. My mare is 5 1/2 years old
She’s an Arabian, currently in training for endurance and doing well.
I’d love to get some critiques on her confirmation
Ideally I’d love her to be a competitive endurance horse for me.


----------



## phantomhorse13 (Feb 18, 2011)

I saw a post from your trainer on facebook about your mare, so I know she has overcome some behavior issues to do well in her last LD. That sounds very promising. If she was mine, I would have her looked at by a good chiropractor. To my eye, her pelvis looks out of balance, especially in the pics taken from the rear.


----------



## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

Much better. Can you get a picture of the fronts similar to the back?


----------



## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

If she is standing square in those pictures (the ones from the back), I too see some imbalance. I agree with having a chiro or bodyworker look at her.


----------



## Alwaysridingsmiling (12 mo ago)

Yes I can! I’ll grab those 


QtrBel said:


> Much better. Can you get a picture of the fronts similar to the back?


----------



## Alwaysridingsmiling (12 mo ago)

Okay, is that something that can be fixed with a chiropractor? 
thank you

yeah she’s doing amazing and behavior wise she’s a million times better 



phantomhorse13 said:


> I saw a post from your trainer on facebook about your mare, so I know she has overcome some behavior issues to do well in her last LD. That sounds very promising. If she was mine, I would have her looked at by a good chiropractor. To my eye, her pelvis looks out of balance, especially in the pics taken from the rear.


----------



## phantomhorse13 (Feb 18, 2011)

Alwaysridingsmiling said:


> Okay, is that something that can be fixed with a chiropractor?


It would be where I would start. I doubt the chiro will be the total fix, but if your mare gets an adjustment that should help her be able to work more evenly. We are all better to one side than the other, so that means we generally need more repetition on the bad side to even things up.


----------



## Alwaysridingsmiling (12 mo ago)

I’m not sure she’s incredibly squared up, I need to double check her
She was moving alot



ACinATX said:


> If she is standing square in those pictures (the ones from the back), I too see some imbalance. I agree with having a chiro or bodyworker look at her.





phantomhorse13 said:


> It would be where I would start. I doubt the chiro will be the total fix, but if your mare gets an adjustment that should help her be able to work more evenly. We are all better to one side than the other, so that means we generally need more repetition on the bad side to even things up.


okay that makes sense 
Thank you!!


----------



## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

seeing as how others have mentioned her hip imbalance, and how you've asked for critiques . . . 
look at this photo:








we

Under normal circumstances, if one hip is more weighted than the other, it will be higher than the other. but, in this photo, the two legs are equal distance from the camera, and this implies that the horse is bearing EQUAL weight upon both legs. But, as you can see, the right hip is higher, and the tail is offset to the left side. If , ( and better photos would help diagnose this) equal weight is each leg and even so the right hip is higher, well, you have an imbalance of the spine.

In other respects, regarding the conformation of your horse, proper photos would really, really make the difference.
Based on what you have posted, I can see that she has a bit of an overly straight neck. A good shoulder, but the straightness of her neck gives her a 'hammer-head ' look. She also has an overly straight rear leg, and her SI joint is well behind the point of the hip. 

I agree that her hip to spine joinging is odd, and her stance supports that opinion. I agree with a chiro check up.

This is not to say that she can't run for miles and hours upon hours. conformation does not always dictate performance, but . . . well , . .. you asked.


----------



## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

I don't know if you ever presented pictures before...but from these....

She is off behind in her being balanced. Look at your picture you presented of how she appears and you can see she is offset and unbalanced.
She is very pointed at her SI joint which in turn appears to make her hind-end weak appearing and very steep to her croup.
Your pictures present her as straight-legged behind which will impact her ability to get under herself with her hind legs - weaker push-off stride for those difficult terrains of up & down I think she may struggle.
Her front hooves, well I see some bad angles present which stresses her tendons quite a bit in some photos..
Although she looks fit, I see deficits in her top-line of muscle development. That is her ability to carry a rider further distances impacted.
I actually would like to see her with a bit more weight on her frame, in muscle not fat....big difference.
I question why her left hind hock is enlarged compared to her right....
I like her nice wide hind-end stance.
I love her soft eye and sweet disposition she exhibits in pictures.
She's really cute...

Now, I am _*not*_ a endurance rider and admit not knowing much about the desired fitness level of the endurance horse and what I commented may be what is wanted...please tell me if it is.
I think she could benefit from being seen by a body worker with how unbalanced her butt appears...that is going to reflect through out her body...and again, her hock enlarged is also the side of deficit.
🐴... _jmo..._


----------



## 4horses (Nov 26, 2012)

Is she sound? I will be honest, I don't think she will do well in endurance. She is lacking in muscle and body condition. The other thing that looks concerning is her posture - she looks like something is hurting. She looks excessively straight through the hind legs. Look at her hind leg in the last picture - it is turned out. Now that could be the way she is standing, but she doesn't stand like a horse that feels very good. 

That said, she has a kind eye and looks very sweet. You may want to have a vet check her soundness. Do some flexions and see if she is actually sound. The number one requirement for an endurance horse is soundness. If they aren't sound they won't pass a vet check. 

My friend has an Arabian she rescued and that horse has also struggled with body condition and poor muscle tone. The horse is thriving now but did get some time off (months) for soundness issues. 

Sometimes the horse we end up with isn't capable of doing the things we dream of doing. That's the way it has been with most of my horses, but other characteristics make up for their shortcomings. My horse Harmony has a muscle disease- yet she's the first to greet me, and the most likely to make me smile. You can whistle and she runs up like a horse in a movie. I leased my next horse prior to buying her- she didn't meet any of my criteria. I thought I would just borrow her for a while and maybe sell later on. Once she was here, I realized I was never parting with her because she was super fun to ride and very trustworthy. You couldn't ask for a better horse.


----------



## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

She's not square in any of the photos. Pretty much all the same. One front out further and backs turned out to some degree. I don't typically jump to body worker but for this horse I think it would be something to look at. I too see an overly straight back leg.


----------



## boatagor (Jun 27, 2017)

My gelding was out in his pelvis like your mare appears to be. He never stood completely square, but you could see one side was higher than the other from the back. He also always stood with one hind leg under himself like your mare is in the pictures. I've had him see a chiropractor every 3 months for almost a year now and he's finally able to stand square, his hips are level, and he overall seems more comfortable. I also recently saw a chiropractor for a running injury and apparently I was out in my hips, after a couple months of treatment I feel like I'm 20 again lol. I highly recommend it for both the horse and the person.


----------



## Zimalia22 (Jun 15, 2021)

That mare is only 5 1/2? She appears to be a lot older. 
There are certain things going on that sure don't look good. 
In this pic, look at the hind leg she is standing on, will be her right leg.








Look how straight she is thru her hock. See also how her ankle is starting to drop. Classic signs of DSLD.

Now look at the same hind leg in this one, the right hind.









You can see it more easily. Plus, look at her spine. A 5 1/2 year old mare should not be showing her spine that way unless something is going on that eats the weight off her. I'm betting it's pain. 

I'm not a vet, and there is every chance I'm wrong. In fact, nothing would please me more than to be wrong. But if the mare was mine, I would be having a vet check done. She's got problems in her rear end.


----------



## Alwaysridingsmiling (12 mo ago)

4horses said:


> Is she sound? I will be honest, I don't think she will do well in endurance. She is lacking in muscle and body condition. The other thing that looks concerning is her posture - she looks like something is hurting. She looks excessively straight through the hind legs. Look at her hind leg in the last picture - it is turned out. Now that could be the way she is standing, but she doesn't stand like a horse that feels very good.
> 
> That said, she has a kind eye and looks very sweet. You may want to have a vet check her soundness. Do some flexions and see if she is actually sound. The number one requirement for an endurance horse is soundness. If they aren't sound they won't pass a vet check.
> 
> ...


She has ridden in endurance and finished incredibly well, she’s been 2nd 
She is incredibly fit and can go forever without soundness issues ….. but she’s also taken incredible care of with aftercare and rest days.

she loves to go

I’m going to see about having a chiropractor out


----------



## Alwaysridingsmiling (12 mo ago)

Zimalia22 said:


> That mare is only 5 1/2? She appears to be a lot older.
> There are certain things going on that sure don't look good.
> In this pic, look at the hind leg she is standing on, will be her right leg.
> View attachment 1124672
> ...


She was underweight and we are now putting weight back on her. She’s 5 1/2
She’s had a vet check and passed with the vet agreeing that her legs look a little straight but that she has no soundness issues at the moment.


----------



## 4horses (Nov 26, 2012)

Just be aware, if she does have DSLD, it does progress. She may be sound now but it will eventually get worse. My first horse had DSLD. She was sound to about age 15 but progressively got worse.


----------



## Alwaysridingsmiling (12 mo ago)

4horses said:


> Just be aware, if she does have DSLD, it does progress. She may be sound now but it will eventually get worse. My first horse had DSLD. She was sound to about age 15 but progressively got worse.


Okay thank you 
I’ll have a vet do another check. How is DSLD diagnosed


----------



## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

Alwaysridingsmiling said:


> Okay thank you
> I’ll have a vet do another check. How is DSLD diagnosed


DSLD Diagnosis 

The vet who wrote this article is very good at explaining things.


----------



## Alwaysridingsmiling (12 mo ago)

Thank you!


----------



## stormfront (Oct 19, 2021)

DSLD in our arab did not start to effect him until he was 14. His hind end is almost identical to your mare’s in the leg department. He was also never worked very hard at all, with long periods of time off — quite different from endurance competition! Swelling in his suspensory tendons is what prompted the first of the diagnostic workups leading to his diagnosis. It’s a horrible disease, but sometimes horses can have some sort of working life before it progresses too much, and then a long retirement. On the other hand, a friend’s mare was PTS within a year of her first symptoms due to its progression. Our gelding has days when he is incredibly stiff, and he tends to want to lie down a lot and dig holes to rest his hind legs. Not sure when it will be his time.

These pics were taken a month before the swelling began. I already suspected DSLD:


















Your mare looks very sweet, if needing some condition. Keep an eye on those fetlocks.


----------



## Alwaysridingsmiling (12 mo ago)

Thank you very much 
So sorry 
To hear about your gelding, really hoping that isn’t the case for my mare.
Ill be keeping an eye on her for sure


----------

