# Possible purchase for Hunter/Jumper & Pony Club? REALLY need opinions



## poultrygirl (Sep 11, 2010)

Went and looked at this mare the other day while I was on a trip out of state. 
Coming 8 years old, been leased, been a lesson horse, been used by a team member on a college equestrian team.
Original owner, came off the track at age 3 sound. 
Does dressage (not that I would know anything about that...:-() and has hunter/jumper training. O now does stock horses and this mare is the last of her hunters. She was at a training barn, being used in a lesson program, and she just came home a couple weeks ago (shes been for sale for awhile tho, but the barn she was at was too far away for me to go look), and she's....*SKINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNY.*

I have no one horse savvy to take with me when I try a horse, so instead it was just my dad, sitting there, and later insisting that something must be wrong with her, she's so thin. No comments on her movement, ect. I did take pics tho. Didn't go over any jumps (I've only done flatwork, need something to move up on, that knows what it's doing). She was very honest on the flat, not pushy, pretty much a doll with a really nice trot and canter. 

I need more experienced eyes....What do you think of her conformation, etc etc. 





































Ignoring the troll in the red shirt with really bad position and short stirrups  

She also has a "dead nerve" in her tailhead, so she doesnt "swish" it. 

Video of her jumping a few months ago: 



Video of her at a younger age: 



 
Old pics when she saw better days: 



















Opinions, pretty please and many thank yous


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## redape49 (Jul 29, 2011)

Looks like she has something going on with her hips, and for a jumper it kind of concerns me....I'm no expert though =X


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## PintoTess (Aug 18, 2010)

Hard to tell with her weight...maybe she would come nice when she has a little more meat on her bones


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## franknbeans (Jun 7, 2007)

I am not a confo expert, but I see slightly over at the knee, paddles with the left front, and slightly cow hocked, with the left rear turned out. Whether or not any of those will affect her being able to teach you for a few years, low level, who knows.


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## mudpie (Jul 15, 2011)

She currently looks underweight and undermuscled. She's sickled hocked in the hind end, and also her croup is long and extremely steep with her tail set too high. I don't want to say she's wasp-waisted, but she isn't deep enough in the flanks. She's built downhill which is a huge issue. She's also ewe necked. She stands over a bit at the knee in the front end.

She shouldn't look like that at 8 years old. I really think that it's better to move on and find another horse


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## Shropshirerosie (Jan 24, 2012)

mudpie said:


> She shouldn't look like that at 8 years old. I really think that it's better to move on and find another horse


This. I agree, sorry.


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## SorrelHorse (Apr 9, 2009)

I would definitely pass. She is sunk in, underweight, cow hocked, majorly flat on her butt, has zero muscling...and she's only eight years old. That bothers me a lot.


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## Zeke (Jun 27, 2010)

She does seem too sickly for me....I'd pass. Did the owner say how/why she has a dead nerve?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

If she is priced right and a vet gives the ok I would think this could make a nice horse with some TLC. She has seen better days and just may not be getting the best care.


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## mudpie (Jul 15, 2011)

I'm sure that she would make a good horse, but not for the OP's purposes. Her conformation is such that she is unsuited for that kind of work.


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## Endiku (Dec 6, 2010)

I would also pass. Her hind right hoof looks suspicious to me. I really think that it's clubbed, though I'd need more angles to know for sure. There's definately something wrong with the angle though. Whether that's genetic or bad shodding, I don't know.

Her LS joint placement are far from ideal and I don't like the angle of her hips or her shoulder. And I think that both of those are combining to give her a very choppy, fast gait rather than a smooth, rolling one. She looks as off balance as my OTTB did fresh off of the track at the canter. The trot was marginally better, but that canter still bothered me.I know that you said you liked her gaits, and maybe they're better in person or in the saddle, but I can't imagine her being a smooth ride. She was very fidgety and really just didn't seem to want to use her body. I'm not sure she even can, with the lack of muscle that she's displaying.

Add that to the fact that she's probably 30 pounds underweight and needs months and months of flatwork before she should be jumped, and I really don't think she's going to suit your needs. She doesn't look like she's feeling very good and that's probably part of the reason for the lack of 'umph' in her gait, but that may or may not be fixable. Once she's conditioned and on a good diet (and she sounds like a hard keeper which spells m-o-n-e-y) she MAY be capable of lower level 4H or something, but I can't even guarentee that.

IMHO, I'd pass her up. She isn't spectacular and seems to be lacking some basics somewhere, and then there is her health. If you did buy her though, immediately put her on some better food and condition condition condition. I can't tell you much about her jump except for that it lacks scope that I would generally expect to see in a hunter jumper. 

That aside, did anyone else get the dramatic feeling of expecting something bad to happen with that crazy symphony music on the jumping video? XD


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