# AQHA Palomino Mare 6 yo



## No Spots Here (Jan 26, 2012)

This is my personal riding horse. I have owned more horses than I can remember but this is the smartest (she can read my mind) horse I have ever known. She is the easiest horse to train - just show her something new once or twice and she has it. Excellent ground manners. Will tote beginners then spin and slide for me. BUT she has one characteristic that baffles me. Just a few hints - its nothing like cribbing, weaving, pulling back when tied, biting, kicking, bucking, bolting.

Take a look at her conformation and see if you can name it. By the way, she is 14 hands. Completely sound.


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## lilruffian (Jun 28, 2010)

A few more photos would help as she appears to have some flaws that may or may not be due to the way she is standing. For example she appears to stand under herself quite a bit and it is impossible to tell how she squares up in the back end without both legs standing straight.
What you can see is that she has a nice shoulder and though her neck is set just a tad high, it doesn't compliment her too badly.
Back is borderline long but ok and she has nice sloping hindquarters in my opinion.


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## No Spots Here (Jan 26, 2012)

lilruffian said:


> A few more photos would help as she appears to have some flaws that may or may not be due to the way she is standing. For example she appears to stand under herself quite a bit and it is impossible to tell how she squares up in the back end without both legs standing straight.
> What you can see is that she has a nice shoulder and though her neck is set just a tad high, it doesn't compliment her too badly.
> Back is borderline long but ok and she has nice sloping hindquarters in my opinion.


Here are 2 more pics. Took me awhile to find these. 

HInt - The answer is related to the way she rides.


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## Red Gate Farm (Aug 28, 2011)

How about a riding pic?


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## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

Heavy on the forehand?


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## No Spots Here (Jan 26, 2012)

Red Gate Farm said:


> How about a riding pic?


Here are 3 pics of my little mare and a very beginning rider. I think that this was her 4th or 5th lesson.


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## Red Gate Farm (Aug 28, 2011)

Carries her tail to the side?


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## No Spots Here (Jan 26, 2012)

Red Gate Farm said:


> Carries her tail to the side?


No. Her tail usually hangs just fine. Keep guessing.


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## CASugar (Oct 17, 2014)

Does she paddle?
I think she looks lovely.


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## No Spots Here (Jan 26, 2012)

CASugar said:


> Does she paddle?
> I think she looks lovely.


Good guess BUT that's not the answer. Actually she does paddle in front a little. Since I did not have any pics of her front, you cannot see that she is wide thru her chest and toes in slightly. .

PS - What made you guess that?????


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## EmilyJoy (Dec 30, 2011)

Does she pace? Foxtrot?(That would be very un-characteristic...right?)


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## CASugar (Oct 17, 2014)

Just guessing.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

she is very downhill in build, so does she just stop suddenly, like if the rider becomes unbalanced?


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## sarahfromsc (Sep 22, 2013)

Something with her back. Kinda a slight roach, or something?


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## No Spots Here (Jan 26, 2012)

sarahfromsc said:


> Something with her back. Kinda a slight roach, or something?


Sarahfromsc:

Very good eye. When I bought this mare in May of 2013, she was 5 years old and she had the worst (weakest) topline. I rode her in a round pen to try her out and she felt like a 2yo riding for the first time. I could tell she struggled to carry me and the saddle. But I bought her anyway. For the first 6 weeks of ownership, I did nothing but groundwork and lots of backing up. She had been broken to ride at 3yo but laid around in a pasture for the next 2 years. She had some muscle but none along her back.

I'm going to post her problem tomorrow. But you are on the right track.


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## No Spots Here (Jan 26, 2012)

EmilyJoy said:


> Does she pace? Foxtrot?(That would be very un-characteristic...right?)


Great guess but she has wonderful soft jog trot. You're right that would be uncharacteristic for a QH.


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## Elana (Jan 28, 2011)

Without reading the responses I will say this. She appears to have a weakness along her back bone. In fact, it appears there is some atrophy on either side of the spine and behind the withers. He looks to have remnants of a hunters bump but in this photo has enough weight to hide it a bit. 

In the riding photo it looks like she does not know where her back feet are and she appears to pull herself along with her front instead of pushing from behind with her back feet. There is some lack of muscling in her rear end and her peak of croup is a bit far back. 

It is like she had some sort of traumatic injury to her back, or back end or maybe even her pelvis.. or a pinched nerve.. something along those lines.

She is a lovely color, I like her head a lot and she is clearly well kept.


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## No Spots Here (Jan 26, 2012)

Elana said:


> Without reading the responses I will say this. She appears to have a weakness along her back bone. In fact, it appears there is some atrophy on either side of the spine and behind the withers. He looks to have remnants of a hunters bump but in this photo has enough weight to hide it a bit.
> 
> In the riding photo it looks like she does not know where her back feet are and she appears to pull herself along with her front instead of pushing from behind with her back feet. There is some lack of muscling in her rear end and her peak of croup is a bit far back.
> 
> ...


 Very good observation - her problem does stem from a weak topline. I'll post the problem tomorrow.


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## Tryst (Feb 8, 2012)

Her neck looks a bit cresty in the one photo where we can really see it. I would be a bit concerned with potential Insulin Resistance.

Attractive mare overall.


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## Horse Poor (Aug 20, 2008)

Hunter bump?


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## No Spots Here (Jan 26, 2012)

*The Answer*

Thanks to all you who participated. A lot of good observations. *The answer is that my sweet, smart little mare has the worst lope in all of horsedom.* She just cannot get it together.

She has a wonderful soft jog trot and can turn on a dime, stop and back up 100 feet, side pass, turn on forehand and hindquarters but she just can't lope. My husband says she lopes like a short bed truck on a dirt road with 3 flat tires.

Funny thing is - she never misses a lead and can take the correct lead on a straightaway but she has so much drive from her hind end that she pushes the rider out of the saddle.

Like a lot of you said, she is built downhill and is heavy on her front end. But I love her anyway and I'll keep her. If for no other reason - I can put anyone on her back and she will take care of them. So I'll continue to try to get her to elevate her front end and ride on!!


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## myperuvianpaso (Feb 2, 2014)

Her shoulder to front leg is not a straight line, she always seems to be leaning forward. Possible discomfort on the back legs? Pretty horse!


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## No Spots Here (Jan 26, 2012)

myperuvianpaso said:


> Her shoulder to front leg is not a straight line, she always seems to be leaning forward. Possible discomfort on the back legs? Pretty horse!


She has never displayed any discomfort in any leg. She runs and bucks in the pasture like a foal. When I lope her, it feels like she is pushing off with her hindlegs too much.​


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## Elana (Jan 28, 2011)

The worst lope ever is because she is NOT driving with her rear end and rocking back onto her rear end and using her hindquarters to lift and push her forward. She is responding to the bit and (probably) your leg.. but she is working front to back and not back to front. 

If you want to help her, long trots up hill with the rider driving the horse forward in the trot and the horse on a loose rein.. rider in a 2 point. Trotting over cavaletti.. 8 poles, 12 inches high, again.. rider in a two point (takes a few weeks to work up to this many poles at that height). 

In the photos of her being ridden she is pulling her back end along with her front legs and not pushing her front end along with her back legs. 

This is actually something you can improve quite a lot with the exercises above and regular (as in 5 days a week) work.


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## No Spots Here (Jan 26, 2012)

Elana said:


> The worst lope ever is because she is NOT driving with her rear end and rocking back onto her rear end and using her hindquarters to lift and push her forward. She is responding to the bit and (probably) your leg.. but she is working front to back and not back to front.
> 
> If you want to help her, long trots up hill with the rider driving the horse forward in the trot and the horse on a loose rein.. rider in a 2 point. Trotting over cavaletti.. 8 poles, 12 inches high, again.. rider in a two point (takes a few weeks to work up to this many poles at that height).
> 
> ...


 Thanks for your opinion. She feels so heavy on her frontend when she lopes. Funny thing - she can elevate her front end on spins. I haven't ridden much this winter but will get serious again in the Spring. I have some nice hills to use. I've ridden hunt seat so I know the two point position. Thanks!!


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## Krista Stone (Jun 15, 2020)

Do you still have this palomino mare? Skips Vanilla Accent?
She is related to a horse I used to own- Ms Epitome 
I searched for her and just recently found out she was bred and came across this post of yours.


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## loosie (Jun 19, 2008)

Hi, she appears to be built a bit down hill. I will disregard the first pic, as none of the others appear to show her standing over herself like that... which is good! She appears to have a weak lumbar/sacro area, bit cow hocked, or at least turned out on the right hind. That may be 'conformational' or it may be something a chiro vet or such could treat.


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

Just an FYI this thread is from early 2015 and the OP has not posted since September, 2015

However, IMHO, the horse looks to be cow hocked pretty good and splay footed.

That would have to affect her way of moving, which would get worse with time— especially if she did not have a knowledgeable farrier. It appears bad enough (unless camera angle is really bad) that it would affect certain jobs the rider might want her to do.


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## loosie (Jun 19, 2008)

∆oh right! Glad you noticed.


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

Skips Vanilla Accent is from Utah. 2007 model with a right hind tall sock. 15 hands (great grand of your horse Ms Epitome)

The OP is from Georgia with a 2009 horse that she never gives a name for. 14 hands and an anklet on her left hind.

I was thinking if that was her name I might have a relative or few. But nope. Even if it were her name.

That is a lovely picture of Ms Epitome on AllBreed.


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