# critique of my ottb



## jaytee (Jan 31, 2012)

we picked this girl up in september 2011, just curious as to what you guys, think.


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## SRCM16 (Oct 7, 2011)

-short back
-high wither
-slight ewe neck
-skinny neck (lacking in muscle)
-upright shoulder
-nice legs 
-bad neck tie in 
-nice hind end
-nice head


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## lilruffian (Jun 28, 2010)

Not a bad shoulder, though yes, a little upright.
Neck mostly needs muscling.
Good depth of girth.
Nice short back
Front legs look good.
Hindquarters have a nice shape, but again, need some muscle.
Good back legs.


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## sarahver (Apr 9, 2010)

Firstly I would like to say that a ewe neck is an underlying conformational flaw; it is _structural_. This horse does NOT have a ewe neck, she is simply undermuscled. Quite common amongst TBs that have been galloped. The way they are worked at the track and taught to brace _against _the bit causes this appearance frequently, due to the way the muscles are developed under these conditions. With correct work and some long and low exercises this will be rectified nicely. I respectfully disagree with the neck tie-in statement; I think her neck ties into her shoulder beautifully. With conditioning, this will become apparent.

Length of back is excellent. Shoulder is a little upright - she should pick her front legs up quite well if jumping however you may experience some difficulty lengthening gaits for dressage.

Hind legs are camped out (behind the vertical from the hock). This will hinder your ability to get her to carry herself and truly collect.

Would like to see a little more length of croup, again, propulsion will be the main issue stemming from this.

Not conformational per-se, but she has a lovely face and kind eye. A horse with a kind eye is well worth overlooking a few minor flaws. Overall not a bad horse but you will need to work with what you have got and strengthen appropriately in order to get the best from her. Conformationally I wouldn't expect anything top level, but attitude will be just as big a factor in her success also. I wish you both well!


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## jaytee (Jan 31, 2012)

thanks sarah, here is a pic of her when i picked her up at the end of september, quality isnt the greatest but u get the idea


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## SRCM16 (Oct 7, 2011)

sarahver said:


> Firstly I would like to say that a ewe neck is an underlying conformational flaw; it is _structural_.


I was stating what I saw, that's all. Calm down. :wink: 

I'm not an expert on TBs, like you seem to be.


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## sarahver (Apr 9, 2010)

My post came off a little overbearing, not my intention and not really my style, no need for calming heh. Things tend to look more austere in print.

To be honest, the term 'ewe neck' gets bandied about a lot in these types of critiques, no matter what the breed and it is a bit of a pet hate of mine, sorry if you bore the brunt of my frustration SRCM :wink: However, these types of critiques can be a great learning exercise also. For comparison, let me illustrate:

Here is a true 'ewe neck' where you can clearly see the characteristic s-shape of the vertebrae:









Here is one of mine when I picked her up with a very undermuscled neck:









The difference after a lot of conditioning:









Jaytee, she looks to be a nice mare, keep us posted with her progress!


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## SRCM16 (Oct 7, 2011)

Interesting. So does my mare have a "true ewe neck"? I've had a lot of people say she does (including halter judges) but it looks similar to your horse. 

http://www.horseforum.com/horse-conformation-critique/conformation-muscle-weight-critique-123731/

Sorry for somewhat taking over your thread Jaytee!


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## sarahver (Apr 9, 2010)

She is a tougher call. She is certainly lacking topline which can be misleading. However, it looks to me like she is swan-necked, rather than ewe-necked, given the arch near the poll and dip before the withers, particularly evident in the second set of pictures. Can't clearly see an s-shape that is indicative of a true ewe neck. Swan necks are a _similar_ conformation fault but less severe. 

She looks like a sweetheart


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## SRCM16 (Oct 7, 2011)

sarahver said:


> She is a tougher call. She is certainly lacking topline which can be misleading. However, it looks to me like she is swan-necked, rather than ewe-necked, given the arch near the poll and dip before the withers, particularly evident in the second set of pictures. Can't clearly see an s-shape that is indicative of a true ewe neck. Swan necks are a _similar_ conformation fault but less severe.
> 
> She looks like a sweetheart


Yeah, I haven't been able to work her much with school. :-(

That's really interesting! I've never heard of swan-neck. Could that be why she has muscling under her neck? 

Thanks, she's the honestest pony I've ridden.


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