# Critique pony hunter prospect



## ponygirl813 (Dec 8, 2011)

this is a pony i am really looking at. i want a pony for my expereinced 12 yr. old daughter and her trainer to bring him along. tell me all pros and cons and what the price should be. 

Knee Deep - Paint - Hunter Horse for Sale


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## blush (Feb 10, 2007)

He's adorable.

Very typey, has a super cute jump and has a very solid build...if I was looking for a pony he would be mine haha. I can see him being quite sucessful in the hunter ring, even with the "taboo" paint color. He's flashy, cute and very willing!

What level is your daughter, what's her experience and what does she plan to do with her new pony??

If she's a beginner and this pony is a bit spunky, they may not be the right match. He conformationally looks solid and very nice o/f's, it really comes down to if your daughter and the pony click and if he matches her skill level. It also says in the ad he'll need the right program to finish, so is your daughter capable of polishing off this guy and does she have a trainer to help her?

In my area, this guy would go for 15k+. So I think 10k and under is quite well priced for him. But I know nothing of the price points in that area haha.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## aggiegirl14 (Dec 22, 2011)

He is a very beautiful guy! I know next to nothing about jumping (I ride mostly western but took jumping lessons for a year) but he seems to enjoy it which is always a must! If you daughter is experienced and has a trainer to help bring him along, I think it could be a good match as long as they click. He seems to be kinda "chomping at the bit" but he never looks like he is out of control.

I am taking an Equine Judging and Selection class this semester and am a bit rusty on conformation from my 4-H days, but he seems to have a kinda long back in the video. I don't really see that in the picture on the original sale add, but the one on the video (probably distorted to fit the window) and seeing him in the video I can. I'd also say he might have a steep shoulder, but from the video it looks like he still has those big strides. Idk, like I said, I'm rusty lol But there is nothing I can see that could be a turn off in any way.


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## Hunter65 (Aug 19, 2009)

WOW he is gorgeous. I LOVE HIS NAME. I am not good at critiques but I like him! I am partial to the ponies though lol


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

The only thing I can fault this guy on is his rather long-ish back, but I doubt that would be a serious fault. He is solid in my eyes.


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## ponygirl813 (Dec 8, 2011)

keep critiquing!


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## PaintsPwn (Dec 29, 2009)

He is quite a typey hunter pony! He has a nice amount of chrome and I don't really think that will fault him. A good judge shouldn't fault him for color. Has really cute movement too, and looks like he's happy doing his job - which can be challenging to find on ponies who have been saddled with children for too long.


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## ponygirl813 (Dec 8, 2011)

thanks everyobdy for replying. plz rip apart!!!


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## ponygirl813 (Dec 8, 2011)

bumping


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## maura (Nov 21, 2009)

To my eye he is much more of a sport pony type than a hunter type. 

His neck ties on high to his shoulder in a way that is ideal for a dressage prospect, less so a hunter. He also has the uphill build usually associated with dressage horses, not the level build considered best for hunters.

As far as confo critique goes, he is long backed and is *very* post legged behind. He is also short/weak in the hind quarter, compared to the rest of him. Some of his difficulty with changes might be attributal to that, and it will be hard work getting him fit/strong enough to carry a good quality canter and improve the changes. 

His shoulder is adequate to good, but doesn't carry the kind of angle that is associated with the flat, sweeping movement desirable in hunters. I also find it interesting that the ad shows him standing and jumping, but not moving. 

To my eye, his head is out of proportion to the rest of him. That's a quibble that doesn't really affect function, but again, doesn't scream "hunter" to me. 

Now, after I've been terribly hard on the cute guy, he does show good form over fences with an alert eager attitude that I like. You don't mention your price range or your daughter's plans, so if the price is right and your amibition is local hunter shows, he may be just the ticket. 

But for reference, please compare his photo to some other ponies that are hunter types:



























Now, those are some pretty fancy high dollar ponies pictured, and you're not going to find ones that look like them cheaply, but if you compare the overall proportions, the size of the head, the head and neck set, the length and back and the joint angles in the hind leg, I hope you'll see some of the points I made above.

ETA: Just watched the video. He's a better mover at the trot than I would have anticipated. Little more knee action than you want, but nice long stride with overtrack. The canter is what I expected, he has trouble maintaining a connected, balanced canter and the changes will be hard to fix. 

His attitude and form over fences are pretty darn appealing.


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## sprinkles716 (Feb 3, 2012)

To me he looks weak behind. I like him and I think his price is good, but not sure hes the right one if you are looking to be real competitve. I like his movement and jump, but his markings would throw off the real traditional hunter judges. Are you going to be showing local or rated?


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## welshrider (Jan 24, 2012)

To me his canter looks choppy. Hunters need to be long and low. I also think his head carriage is too high. They like it to be lower with a level neck. I think that his biggest drawback is his colour. Don't attack me, I ride and show english and have struggled with being an adult pony rider, so I know where-of I speak. Being pinto will count loud against him in the hunter ring. He would need to be beyond perfect before judges would see anything but white where it shouldn't be. If you and your daughter are up for challenging the status quo, go for it, otherwise try for something a little more tradional. He could do well as a jumer where colour doesn't matter quite so much, 'cause, I agree, he has a lovely jump.


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## CLaPorte432 (Jan 3, 2012)

Is your 12 year old strong enough to handle a spunky pony? He looks like he is quite energetic and maybe a bit headstrong? Plus, he looks really fast going through those fences. I thought hunters were supposed to be slow and collected? (I'm not a jumper so I don't know for sure) But he looks like he could win a speed jumping round.

I think he is cute though. He's got a nice trot. Doesn't look choppy. His canter looks okay, not as sweepy as his trot but definitely not the worst that I've seen. To me, it looks like he has a nice jump. But like I said, I'm not a jumper.


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