# A rescued paint: how is his confirmation?



## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

Really difficult to tell anything from that pic (the first pic is useless for a confo critique, so I'm going off the minuscule second pic) other than he is VERY straight through his hind legs...and honestly almost looks sickle hocked at the same time.


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## sirgalahadkem (Apr 24, 2012)

I hope this comes out bigger. I'm going to take more current pics of him tomorrow. This pic was taken a few months after I rescued him


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## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

Yes, much better!

Okay, starting from the front and working back...

His throatlatch is a bit thick, but I like where his neck ties in on his chest. He is a bit pigeon breasted. Decent shoulder angle, which is good.

Sky high withers. 

His front legs are nice and straight and his pasterns are a good length, but they strike me as a little on the upright side. He also looks like he has almost no heel.

His back might be a tad long, but he has good depth through his heart girth.

Not a huge fan of his back end, though. He has a rather large hunter's bump (in fact, his back almost looks roached in that pic, but it could be lack of muscle). His stifle is nice and low, but, as I thought from the smaller pic, he is indeed straight through his hocks and sickle hocked. His rear pasterns are also very upright. Is his right rear hoof as short as it looks in that pic?  It looks fairly clubby, as well.


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## Tryst (Feb 8, 2012)

For showmanship they judge her handling of the horse, not the horse itself...so she should be good there. 

He is a pretty color, has nice length of heck and head looks pleasant. He appears to be a bit thick in the throat latch. Shoulder is slightly straight, as are his pasterns. Back and loin coupling are ok, but need muscling. Hind end needs more muscling and at the present degree of conditioning the croup appears steep. Hind legs look like they could be quite cow-hocked, but need a photo from the rear to tell for sure. They also appear a bit sickled and straight. Not a great candidate for halter class IMO, but she can still have a lot of fun in other classes.


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## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

Tryst said:


> Hind legs look like they could be quite cow-hocked, but need a photo from the rear to tell for sure.


I'm not seeing this, to be honest. He does toe out a little, which is common and actually what you want to see (toeing out helps the hind legs rotate correctly as the horse moves), but I'm not seeing the drastic hocks-almost-touching that signifies being truly cow-hocked.


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## sirgalahadkem (Apr 24, 2012)

This was mid rehab on him. He was stuck in a straight stall for 2 years with no grooming, hoof care, or exercise besides a little turn out here and there. It's been 2 years of slowly going from hooves crumbling from the inside out to finally, last trim, his hooves are almost hooves. you're right... he had no heel... he didn't even have a frog because that straight stall was never cleaned. He has no top line muscle to speak of. I'm finally cleared to start that kind of work with him now. I'm hoping there's a chance of improving some things you listed now that I'm able to work on more advanced things with him. 

This is the most recent pic I have of him. Again sucks for confirmation (my boyfriend riding and only his 2nd time on a horse ever) but he's finally starting to get heels growing in. (Yes his hooves were that bad. Ended up having to do barefoot trimming because his hooves couldn't hold a shoe)










and another (again not great for confirmation. I'll take some good ones next time I see him)


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## RoosHuman (Dec 27, 2011)

I think that once he muscles up a bit, he will do quite well in 4H shows! At the ones around here, it is based more along grooming/sportsmanship/fitness of the horse. I see no reason he couldn't' be successful in that arena.


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## sirgalahadkem (Apr 24, 2012)

Ok these were taken today. About 2+ years after the main ones. My sister took them with her android phone so they aren't the best I can get. I couldn't find my good camera today!


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## sirgalahadkem (Apr 24, 2012)

Ok these were taken today. About 2+ years after the main ones. My sister took them with her android phone so they aren't the best I can get. I couldn't find my good camera today!


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## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

MUCH better!!

I actually REALLY like him. His back legs still have me on the fence about whether or not he's sickle-hocked or not, but overall, he looks really good.

I still see a bit of a hunter's bump and his withers look a little shark-finny to me. He's a little light on bone, especially in the front. 

Love his neck and shoulder. And that bum...NOM!


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## Tryst (Feb 8, 2012)

He looks much better in the new photos and agree NOT cow hocked with the rear shot. She should have fun in 4h with him.


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## sirgalahadkem (Apr 24, 2012)

I did my 4-H run about 10+ years ago. I'm passing the torch onto the next generation. I want to pass on my knowledge from my years in 4-H and the little knowledge I have from the National Championship Standardbred Horse Show. I just hoped that he would give this girl a chance for a couple ribbons. From riding him for 2 years, I realized he would not be a western pleasure horse or anywhere near it! I still think he would be a good hunter/jumper. One of his favorite things to do while free lunging is going over a knee-high straight rail. He will actually do it himself if I'm standing on the fence talking with the others at the farm.









The rail is knee high on a 5'6" person. The top of the posts are about waist height maybe a bit taller.

I rescued Sir Galahad because I felt bad for him. He's the exact opposite of what I wanted when I was looking to buy a horse again but I fell in love with him and felt so bad for him. In 2 years, he's gone from spooky and needing a tie-down to almost bomb proof and relaxed on a loose rein with a plain snaffle. Next thing we're working on is rounding and bending to help build up his top line (still doesn't like keeping his head down but he at least tries to round himself). He lunges on a loose line, trail rides through anything including swamps and even under fallen trees (well those that are well supported by other trees and leave enough head room for a rider). We've had hunters shoot behind us, he doesn't flinch. The farm owner's kid rides ATV's and motorcycles around the property which doesn't interest Sir Galahad nor does the backhoe, chain saws, or falling trees. I actually have videos of a friend standing next to my horse while he's snoozing as a backhoe and chainsaws are running maybe 20-30 feet from him. His favorite activity is trail riding and kicking around his 40" ball in the ring.


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## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

I think with some training, he could make a great little jumper. Maybe even a hunter, but I'd have to see how he moves on the flat, too. 

He honestly sounds like him and my Aires would get along splendidly. lol They're both laid-back and nothing phases them.


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## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

I think with some training, he could make a great little jumper. Maybe even a hunter, but I'd have to see how he moves on the flat, too. 

He honestly sounds like him and my Aires would get along splendidly. lol They're both laid-back and nothing phases them.


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## sirgalahadkem (Apr 24, 2012)

Here's some video!


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## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

He's got nice gaits! His trot looks really smooth and his canter looks rocking horse. I could definitely see him as a hunter.


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## sirgalahadkem (Apr 24, 2012)

His trot is deceiving... It's BIG very hard to sit and requires a lot of leg muscle to not bounce on him. The canter is fun!!! Big and bold but smooth. If he goes too fast, it can be hard to move with because of the combination of speed and how huge his movement is.

If you're interested, here's his pedigree. 

Sir Galahad Kem Paint


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## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

He looks well-bred on the top side.


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## Elana (Jan 28, 2011)

This horse is good from the girth forward. He is a little light in bone and light in forearm and in the last photo I want to do something with his feet.. he appears a bit slipper footed. I like his shoulder and I suspect is large movement comes from freedom in that area. 

The back end is another story. He is long backed and his point of rump is too far back so his back is too long as a result. his hock is too hign and he is sickle hocked to the point where in the photo with the barn behind him (he is facing to the right) he appears to be developing a curb! His hocks are a bit small and I expect this horse will develop spavin at some point if he is really used. Spavins are not the end of the world.. but are common on horses with this hind leg confOrmation. 

Here is a horse that needs to have his whole pelvis forward from where his genes put it. He needs a lower stifle and a lower hock and then he would not be sickled. 

He works on his forehand, which is a result of his long back. He jumps as I would expect him to.. he has too shallow an angle btween the point of shoulder and the point of elbow. 

I do like his coloring. I like his attitude. That last can make up for all the flaws I mention above.


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## sirgalahadkem (Apr 24, 2012)

DraftyAiresMum said:


> He looks well-bred on the top side.



I recognize only a few horses in his pedigree. I was into standardbreds during my showing days so I know a little more about them than stock breeds. (I think everyone recognizes Impressive though!) I tried to contact his breeder to see what they were thinking when they bred him (in other words what did they breed him for...) The breeder said he was bred as a ranch/pleasure/trail horse and one of his same line was an Olympic torch bearer.


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## Palomine (Oct 30, 2010)

ConfOrmation. Not confIrmation, unless horse is joining the church.

I am wondering about the bump below hock on off side in the shots? What is that?


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## sirgalahadkem (Apr 24, 2012)

Palomine said:


> ConfOrmation. Not confIrmation, unless horse is joining the church.
> 
> I am wondering about the bump below hock on off side in the shots? What is that?



Never noticed it until you just pointed it out. I looked at him today and it's not there. He's definitely not off on it. by the way... is your pic a snowshoe?


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## sirgalahadkem (Apr 24, 2012)

From today!


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