# Conformation critique for Jasper



## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

He's very stocky which is nice


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## WhyAHorseOfCourse (May 28, 2013)

Yeah, and he's a nice size, about 15.2


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## CatrinaB87 (Dec 29, 2008)

A little post legged in the back, and slightly downhill looking? How does he ride?


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## WhyAHorseOfCourse (May 28, 2013)

Here's another picture, I couldn't get him to stand squarely  Yes, now that I look at the picture closer, he does appear to be a little downhill, although I never noticed it much before. 

He's a good ride, the "standardbred" shows when he wants to trot fast, but other then that he is quite smooth. As far as we know, someone tried to ride him but didn't do a real good job and gave up. I've only ridden him 4 times, and haven't cantered yet. It's nice to start a horse from, well, almost scratch


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## CatrinaB87 (Dec 29, 2008)

WhyAHorseOfCourse said:


> Here's another picture, I couldn't get him to stand squarely  Yes, now that I look at the picture closer, he does appear to be a little downhill, although I never noticed it much before.
> 
> He's a good ride, the "standardbred" shows when he wants to trot fast, but other then that he is quite smooth. As far as we know, someone tried to ride him but didn't do a real good job and gave up. I've only ridden him 4 times, and haven't cantered yet. It's nice to start a horse from, well, almost scratch



Amazing how the picture can change the conformation of the horse! He looks more evenly built in this one! I hope he works out well for you!


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## WhyAHorseOfCourse (May 28, 2013)

Yes, pictures can be deceiving. Thanks!


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## Endiku (Dec 6, 2010)

I very much like him, and he has a nice head for a standardbred (don't take offense STB owners!) Weak coupling, sharp croup, and a bit of a steep shoulder, but his legs are clean and straight, his neck sets nicely, and his hip isn't too shabby either. Over all, I think you might have trouble getting him to use his back properly because of it's length and the coupling, but that he'll make a very nice mount. Sad to hear that no one put a good foundation on him, but it sounds like he's in great hands now!


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## WhyAHorseOfCourse (May 28, 2013)

I'm a little confused as to what you mean by "using his back properly"...? 

I've been trying hard to start him correctly, thankfully the barn owner/trainer helped me for the first two rides


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## Endiku (Dec 6, 2010)

By using his back properly, I mean for higher level work...dressage, hunters, that kind of thing. Because he has a slightly long back and long, weak coupling, it will be harder for him to tuck in his belly, round his back, and push himself forwards from behind. It doesn't mean he CAN'T, and you should definitely work with him on carrying himself correctly because its great for him (builds topline, can help prevent early swayback, etc) , it just might be a bit tougher for him than for a horse with strong coupling. I have a little driving mare who has coupling similar to his, and she has to work harder to stay in proper frame, but its definitely not impossible!


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

he is a nice looking horse. was he a trotter or a pacer ? I have seen them come off the track and be retrained as riding horses and the hardest part was to get them past the pace or trot into a canter. Have fun !!


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## WhyAHorseOfCourse (May 28, 2013)

Ok, thanks for clarifying. He's actually using his hind end really well, especially when I do round pen work with him, although he does seems stiff when I ask him to position his head.


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## WhyAHorseOfCourse (May 28, 2013)

stevenson said:


> he is a nice looking horse. was he a trotter or a pacer ? I have seen them come off the track and be retrained as riding horses and the hardest part was to get them past the pace or trot into a canter. Have fun !!


We don't really know much about his background. I don't think he was either, the past owners had him in a muddy pen and couldn't take care of him anymore, the rest of his history is anyone's guess. Thanks!


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## Endiku (Dec 6, 2010)

He does look like he carries himself well at a canter for his breed  he has nice legs for harder work, which is great!

Remember though, that using their hinds when they aren't being ridden, and using their hinds when they have an extra 100+ lbs on their back are two different things, and any horse will have a hard time doing it at first. That's why at first, any youngster should be asked to learn how to just travel 'forward', then 'long and low' before ever being asked to round themselves, push from behind, etc. It takes them a while to build up the muscle and endurance for doing that.

Your guy's stiffness when you ask him to bend his neck and tuck his head has to do with his back, believe it or not! If a horse's back is hollow (very typical of horses just being started under saddle, like him) he can not properly hold his head. If you don't worry about his head position and focus on teaching himself to round his body and propel from the back, you'll find that his head and neck with naturally fall into place. If you ride a horse from back to front, rather than front to back, it will learn to round it's body and its head will follow, rather than you hold the head in position and dragging the rest of his body along with it. Remember that gaited horses (including pacers) also tend to have higher head carriage than other breeds also, so even if it looks a bit 'wrong' to you, he might actually be doing what his body allows him to do to the best of his ability. It isn't bad, its just a 'signature', if you will, of his body type!


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## WhyAHorseOfCourse (May 28, 2013)

Yeah, quite true. 

That's what I thought. I only asked him to do it once because I was wondering how he would respond  I'm not expecting him to collect anytime soon, just working on more muscle and understanding what I'm asking of him while riding. 

By the way, I ride him in a halter and a dressage saddle, as is obvious from that, I don't plan on showing or anything.


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