# Standardbred Mare Conformation



## aggiegirl14 (Dec 22, 2011)

She looks underweight. I don't know much about standard bred confo, but she is clearly toed in, especially the front right. Her back looks a little off too, maybe slightly roached? Maybe it's just that it dips in after the withers...

ETA: didn't see where you said you knew she was pigeon toed in your post, sorry for the redundancy!


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## Elana (Jan 28, 2011)

This is a typical Standardbred. She is built like a rectangle which is best for trotting (or pacing). She is long in the back but not weak. Her croup is a bit steep. Her knees and hocks are low and she has good bone. Her neck is ewed and she has typical long ears and is somewhat hammerheaded. these horses can come a LONG ways if they are worked correctly to build their "ring of muscles" so their abdominal muscles strengthen and their neck "turns over." 

Usually they have very good feet. 

The biggest flaw I see are bench (offset) knees and that causes her toes legs to rotate and so she is pigeon toed. 

Get her out trotting up long hills and over caveletti and start teaching her to bend and give to the bit (or side pull.. whatever you start her in). She needs a ton of foundation work.. but these horses can be very nice to ride if you are willing to do the basics and rebuild their muscles.


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## Elana (Jan 28, 2011)

PS: No to corrective shoes. Let her grow out and get a farrier in to trim her. 

Standardbreds usually have good hoof wall and good feet. Hers will get figured out, just give her time. Have the farrier every 4-6 weeks and you will see.


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## SkyeDawn (Mar 31, 2011)

aggiegirl14 said:


> She looks underweight. I don't know much about standard bred confo, but she is clearly toed in, especially the front right. Her back looks a little off too, maybe slightly roached? Maybe it's just that it dips in after the withers...
> 
> ETA: didn't see where you said you knew she was pigeon toed in your post, sorry for the redundancy!


Yeah, she is underweight. Working on her groceries  She's on free choice hay when pastured during the day, she also gets hay in the morning and at night, a pound of oats, shoglo, msm, vegetable oil, apple cider vinegar, flax seed and BOSS. Before they just had her on sweet feed.

ETA: Also on a mineral block.  She doesn't like peppermint or treats! Going to try some carrots and apples. I drop them in her bucket. She's kind of mouthy so I don't want to encourage the behavior. She doesn't put her mouth on people, but she likes to play with things with her lips.


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## SkyeDawn (Mar 31, 2011)

Elana said:


> This is a typical Standardbred. She is built like a rectangle which is best for trotting (or pacing). She is long in the back but not weak. Her croup is a bit steep. Her knees and hocks are low and she has good bone. Her neck is ewed and she has typical long ears and is somewhat hammerheaded. these horses can come a LONG ways if they are worked correctly to build their "ring of muscles" so their abdominal muscles strengthen and their neck "turns over."
> 
> Usually they have very good feet.
> 
> ...



Thanks so much for such an informative post! I don't know much about SBs, I know mostly about QH.

Currently working her on trust and respect issues on the ground. She's not bad about it at all, but the guy that had her before said he lunged her once in a round pen and just let her do it herself, and never again. He said he saw no point in ground work (!!!).

She's incredibly intelligent and picked up lunging incredibly quickly. Under saddle currently working on balance and flexion and bending at the poll. I was told she doesn't know how to flex, it just makes her turn. -.- Clearly he wasn't doing it correctly! lol

He had her in a severe curb bit, right now I'm working her in a jr cow, but I've only worked her under saddle twice, and both times about 15 minutes each. Groundwork is much more important to me right now. She has a super sensitive mouth though, not bad, just really responsive, and neck reins very well (which was something else I was told she doesn't understand) so I'm thinking about switching her to a snaffle.


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## minihorse927 (Aug 11, 2008)

Just a quick question, how long has the previous owner had her and was she ever on the racetrack? If she was and he has not had her very long (as maybe his riding/training does not sound the best), please know that on the racetrack standardbreds are taught that the harder you pull on their mouth while they are trotting/pacing, the faster and harder they will run. They tend to keep this with them until you train it out of them, and a lot of people who get them end up with the horse running off on them when they are trying to stop. 

I also agree that I see a typical standardbred body, long and typically lean. They want as long as stride as possible on them for racing. Toed in as you said and her knees are not set correctly. She does need to put on some weight, but you already said that too. You might also look into knee boots for her. If you haven't used them before they can be a bit tricky to fit and put on correctly. Usually knee boots can be found on websites/tack shops that deal in racehorses of any sort. 

Getting a farrier to trim her correctly may help her feet out a bunch also. If he had her for a while it is possible he made it look worse by rasping and not knowing what he was doing.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## SkyeDawn (Mar 31, 2011)

minihorse927 said:


> Just a quick question, how long has the previous owner had her and was she ever on the racetrack? If she was and he has not had her very long (as maybe his riding/training does not sound the best), please know that on the racetrack standardbreds are taught that the harder you pull on their mouth while they are trotting/pacing, the faster and harder they will run. They tend to keep this with them until you train it out of them, and a lot of people who get them end up with the horse running off on them when they are trying to stop.
> 
> I also agree that I see a typical standardbred body, long and typically lean. They want as long as stride as possible on them for racing. Toed in as you said and her knees are not set correctly. She does need to put on some weight, but you already said that too. You might also look into knee boots for her. If you haven't used them before they can be a bit tricky to fit and put on correctly. Usually knee boots can be found on websites/tack shops that deal in racehorses of any sort.
> 
> ...


That was what I was wondering as well. I think he has had her about a year and a half, I know the people that owned her before that and they never rode her. My trainer also worked with her as a yearling. She was bred to be a pacer, her neck brand matches Ima Parkin Oops, Sire: Park Place Standardbred, Grand Sire on Dam's side: Incredible Finale Standardbred. She was bred to be a pacer but was never raced because her knees were underdeveloped. I actually have the opposite problem with her right now, any tug while moving, no matter how slight or if I'm bumping with my calves, slows her down rather than flexing at the poll. Working on it, but I'd rather have good brakes than a horse that grabs the bit and takes off. But that is an excellent thing to keep in mind when working with racing bred SBs.

I know she will be toed in anyway, but I know a lot of horses are toed in. I'm hoping it won't be as severe when her feet are fixed. They should grow out fairly quickly because the ground here is soft, but I have no patience! lol. I want to be able to work on them now because she can't be comfortable with how uneven they are right now.

And he can sit a horse, but he always rides in spurs and likes to 'cowboy the sh*t out of them' as my trainer says.

ETA: I know nothing about Standardbred lines.


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## Elana (Jan 28, 2011)

Before worrying about flexing at the poll, teach her to lengthen her topline and use her abdominal muscles to support her back. She needs to find balance and that starts by getting a lower head, and a longer topline, reaching under herself with her hind feet. 

Use hills. Get her to trot up hills with her head down (hills are steep and you only walk at first). Use caveletti to trot over.. she will need to drop her head and pick her feet up over caveletti. 

Get the curb off her. Use a side pull or a snaffle. When you ask for something just gently squeeze with your hands.. like gently squeezing a sponge.. and release. Even when you ask for a turn.. just squeeze and release. It is her reward when you unqueeze your hand. Separate your hands and use a leading rein to help her turn. 

When you lunge, do it properly and use either a lunging cavesson or a snaffle bridle. If you use the bridle, run the lunge line through the snaffle ring closest to you, up over her crown (behind her ears) and snap the snap in the snaffle ring away from you. When you change directions, have her remain in place ON the circle and walk out to her.. change the set up and turn her. 

When you drive her use the whip pointed at her hip and your other hand in line with the horse's bit. Try to get her to track up (reach under with her hind leg and step in line with her front hoof track.. not swinging her rear in or out of the circle. To move her butt out, point the hip at her hip and wiggle it. To move her forehand out, point the whip at her elbow. Be fluid in your motions. To drive her on, step to the rear and get behind her hip; to slow her down get in front of her hip and opposite her shoulder. Raise the whip to move her, lower it to slow her. 

Get side reins and put them from the bit to the cinch ring. Have them relatively loose at first. Have them even in length. As she gains balance, flexibility and muscles, you can gradually tighten the side reins (over weeks). When she is on the circle and properly bent, the inside rein will be a bit loose and the outside rein a bit tight (supporting her) because they will be the same length. 

Take your time. 

Look at ground driving her too.


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## SkyeDawn (Mar 31, 2011)

Elana said:


> Before worrying about flexing at the poll, teach her to lengthen her topline and use her abdominal muscles to support her back. She needs to find balance and that starts by getting a lower head, and a longer topline, reaching under herself with her hind feet.


Thanks for that awesome response. The reason I was working on flexing her at the poll was to teach her to bring her head down. Right now she likes to take off at a trot by holding her head high and hollowing out her back. At a lunge I ask her to extend her trot and lower her head. Should I be working on something else?

The only reason I'm worrying about her poll and flexion is to lower her head and work on her flexibility, and that's the only reason. Is it wrong to do this?


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## minihorse927 (Aug 11, 2008)

As far as her feet go, I have a little mare who ever so slightly toes out on the hind. So very little that you have to really focus to see it. If my farrier gets her a hair off where she should be, she looks horrendous! How good of a trim the horse recieves has quite a bit to do with how their feet look.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Elana (Jan 28, 2011)

Slow down and try to get her to drop her head at the walk. Not all work need be done at the trot! Do you have hills? can you LEAD her up hills, letter her head free? When she walks up the hill she will lower her head to lean into the hill and you will see a natural carriage.. and that is what you are looking for right now. 

High head and hollow back are what you get when you "cowboy" the horse instead of laying a foundation. 

Take a look at this:
The Horse's Ring of Muscles

and this:
http://www.equinestudies.org/ring_revisited_2008/ring_of_muscles_2008_pdf.pdf

When you are done reading the second article, read it again.. and again.. because that is what it is all about to rebuild your little Standardbred. The writer of that article has helped to rebuild several Standarbreds who were off the trotting track.. where the horse trots or paces with his head high and his back hollow.. for speed and so they do not 'break.'


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## SkyeDawn (Mar 31, 2011)

Elana said:


> Slow down and try to get her to drop her head at the walk. Not all work need be done at the trot! Do you have hills? can you LEAD her up hills, letter her head free? When she walks up the hill she will lower her head to lean into the hill and you will see a natural carriage.. and that is what you are looking for right now.
> 
> High head and hollow back are what you get when you "cowboy" the horse instead of laying a foundation.
> 
> ...


Amazing articles, printing them off for a more thorough perusal later.

Unfortunately, there are almost no big or long hills around here. I live in Indiana, and mostly around here it's just farm land. I can take her on trail rides, which are pretty hilly in the park. Would that be too much too fast and counter productive to proper muscular build up?

I will definitely get some cavaletti. I'm assuming the lower the better to begin with?

And less trotting, more walking. Got it. I haven't even tried to lope her yet. I know a lot of SB have difficulty with it. But either way, I'm trying to work slowly with her. Maybe I'm moving too fast.

Should I look into a supplement to help her build muscles? I have her on fairly low protein at the moment, because I work her so little. Maybe I should up that a bit?


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## Elana (Jan 28, 2011)

The reason most standardbreds have difficulty with the lope is because they never had their "ring of muslces" activated first. You will see when you read it. 

Riding up hills is as good as leading or driving. Get up into a two point position and let the horse go up. Walk first.. trot later.

Caveletti on the ground to start. Eventually raise them up when the horse gets good at them. 

This will take weeks to get going.. and months to get really working for you. 

Take your time. 

Don't wast your money on supplements. If you need to add calories, add 1/4 to 1/3 cup of corn oil to his feed. You will probably need to add vitamin A to his diet (super 14 or some such) since corn oil can make Vitamin A less available to the horse. 

And do take you time.....


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## Misty'sGirl (Oct 22, 2007)

Just wanted to add that SBs are awesome, and definitely switch to a snaffle. As has already been said, pulling hard on their mouths is often counterproductive due to their training. I actually ended up riding my SB in a halter, she's a clever girl and they learn very quickly to respond to other aids rather than just mouth.  Good luck with her, I think she's a cutie!


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## SkyeDawn (Mar 31, 2011)

Added a video lunging her: Sassy Lunging - YouTube

Man, I can't wait until we can go outside and lunge. Such a small area really makes me dizzy.


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