# Ill-Conformed Broodmare?



## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

I don't think it's her conformation as much she's rocked back like she's looking at something scary (maybe she's even been "corrected" by the handler). The way her ears are forward, the look in her eye, even the raised tail.......I think she's hesitant about walking forward. 

BUT, on only one photo it's hard to tell. It could be pain, her heels are pretty low. That's the main thing that grabs me is her heels. I don't think she's sickle hocked, I think it's just how she's standing. 

Too bad they didn't include other photos to show her better. That is a very poor sales photo no matter how the horse is actually built. :frown_color:
She does look tense and uncomfortable.


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## LoriF (Apr 3, 2015)

I was thinking the same as above. Either she is getting ready to step back or leaning back from a correction or she is trying to lighten the load on the front end due to pain. It's hard to tell. 

I don't think she is built that badly.


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## rambo99 (Nov 29, 2016)

It says in descriptions on ad she has sore shins. She's a nice looking mare, I see nothing glaringly wrong with her.

Like others said probably got corrected or spooked. She looks pretty on alert with ears forward and head up.


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

rambo99 said:


> It says in descriptions on ad she has sore shins.


It's not a very well written ad, the way I read it was that it was her 3 year old daughter that was shin sore. 

The listing photo is a horrible photo to judge from. Her stance is doing her absolutely no favours and you honestly cannot tell what her conformation is really like. She could be nice. She could be a mess. Who knows?


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## The Equinest (Dec 18, 2019)

When you move the leg back to stand below the buttock, I imagine it wouldn't be sickle hocked at all. "Sore shins" is very vague however and should _definitely_ be looked at by anyone considering her. As for the stance - she's a broodmare, so it could be a pelvic tilt, or just a weird shot. (Either way, people breed poorly conformed horses all the time, so there's not much we can say either way unfortunately.)


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## rambo99 (Nov 29, 2016)

blue eyed pony said:


> It's not a very well written ad, the way I read it was that it was her 3 year old daughter that was shin sore.
> 
> The listing photo is a horrible photo to judge from. Her stance is doing her absolutely no favours and you honestly cannot tell what her conformation is really like. She could be nice. She could be a mess. Who knows?


Very well could be,I read it as it was the mare listed for sale that had sore shins. Will have to go re read it. Agree poorly written ad horrible picture. Although mare does appear to be nice enough looking from what I can tell.


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## Chevaux (Jun 27, 2012)

Other posters have made good comments. My thing I’d like to add — that is the lowest I’ve ever seen withers on a thoroughbred; I’m used to seeing prominent withers in that breed and,while an acceptable height for most breeds, that alone would make me not guess her as being a pure thoroughbred without being told to the contrary.


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## Aprilswissmiss (May 12, 2019)

Chevaux said:


> Other posters have made good comments. My thing I’d like to add — that is the lowest I’ve ever seen withers on a thoroughbred; I’m used to seeing prominent withers in that breed and,while an acceptable height for most breeds, that alone would make me not guess her as being a pure thoroughbred without being told to the contrary.


The reason I came across this to begin with was because I heard of her sire being particularly low-withered, and this popped up in his google photo search. Perhaps it's just a trait of his bloodline.


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

That is a horse that is standing in pain.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

For her price $2900, a mare of prime breeding age, I'd be wanting to know what's wrong with her. I agree with Foxhunter, that looks to be a fairly classic founder stance, kind of leaning back off of her front feet. It sounds like she and her 3 yo filly were in a "rescue" type situation, the ad mentions nutritional deprivation (starvation?), so I would doubly wonder if she had laminitis and these folks don't want to do the work of bringing her fully back to health and keeping her there. That pic is gawd awful for a confo critique, so I'd reserve judgement on sickle hocks.


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## 4horses (Nov 26, 2012)

I'm guessing pain and not spooked. Her toes look way too far forward. I'm going to guess laminitis.


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