# Coming 3yo tb gelding



## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

He's cute and very leggy.
I see different things depending upon which picture viewed.
Long pasterns in every picture, one though he looks like he is dropping DSLD started and know that is not true.
One picture he looks to stand under himself with his front end, the next picture is stands better squared.
He has a very long sloped wither/spine junction, "laid-back wither" it is called might give issue to saddle fitting in time.I am not sure if that also is a precursor to a weaker back..
The picture with the cribbing strap his neck looks short and thick..remove the strap and his neck is longer but I still not see a really clean "defined" throatlatch, then look at him moving and he is a elevated longer, thinner neck again with decent throatlatch, as that will come into play if you indeed do dressage and need that compression and on the bit look now so desired.
In still pictures he is noticeably butt-high, but a decent topline when in motion.
Not totally sure what to think about that shoulder cause standing I like, but in motion either he is not extending as he is his hind leg or something...but the balance is slightly off to my eye.
As a eventer it might effect performance but low-level of 2' jumps should not...if you wanted to go high level I might be rethinking some depending upon where this horse finishes his development at.
He has a flat profile and head proportionate to the body in size.


As said, he's cute and going to change many times yet again as he goes through his gangly stage.
He is a heck of a prospect and can go many directions for sure. Do enjoy your project.
_How big is he currently and where are you expecting him to finish out at?_
_My guess is 16.2 - 16.3 or more?
_
:runninghorse2:_..._


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

horselovinguy said:


> _How big is he currently and where are you expecting him to finish out at?_
> _My guess is 16.2 - 16.3 or more?
> _
> :runninghorse2:_..._


Thank you  

He's about 16.3 or 17hh (standing him next to my 16.3h mare he looks taller but not by much) and I expect he still has a hand or more of growing to do. He's going to be a very big horse - his legs are significantly longer than my mare's and he doesn't honestly strike me as a horse that will mature leggy.

Both his parents are solid built, but neither is particularly large - google says his dad is 16.1 and I know his mum, she's 15.3ish at a guess. So he's already taller than both of them. Interestingly, his dad's front is a lot like his, but I think Cayde is a better type in the back end:








(And I don't think Cayde's sire is as butt high as he looks in this photo, but I can't find a better one - I'm just going off what I've seen of A: his progeny and B: Cayde's breeder's breeding choices)

Edit: I should also note that his sire has produced some MONSTERS, it's not uncommon to find a 17hh Vital Equine son and I've seen two that were over 18hh


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

Also, I'm a chicken, if I event him I doubt I'll even take him 1* :lol: I get shaky when I think about popping over a 3' jump if it isn't going to fall easy. I also find dressage extremely stressful and would definitely rather showjump but I don't think Cayde will make a showjumper, as much as I love him he's just too big for those tight technical lines. My mare is much more coordinated than him and SHE struggles, and she's nowhere near as big as I expect him to be.


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## LoriF (Apr 3, 2015)

I'm not here to critique because I'm horrible at it. He almost looks like a yearling to me as opposed to almost three. Big guy. I hope to get to see him as an eight year old. That would be cool


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

@LoriF lol yes I tease him about his immaturity all the time. He's a big baby!

Another thing I forgot to mention in my replies to @horselovinguy is that he was definitely not trotting properly in that movement photo - he's extremely lazy and I have to PUSH PUSH PUSH to get anything much out of him, and I'm not planning on fixing that because he's my partner's horse and my partner is a novice. Pushing is much easier than holding when you're first learning! Here's a pic of a better trot, from about late January/early February when I was starting him (well before I bought him lol)


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

He looks like a nice all around horse, and yes, still physically immature. The only thing that I find a bit negative is how his neck aligns with the body, and how straight it is. The 'S' figure of a normal equine neck bone structure in his case is a bit flattened out. If he is not ridden back to front, i.e. if the rider does a lot of pulling back on him, he will end up either dropping the front/lower part of the neck and becoming upside down in shape, or will brace against the bit, and stay hard and straight.


So, that is the one thing I might say about him. Lazy is good. Besides, I bet once he is out in the open, and sees a purpose for really moving out, he may be an absolute rocket!


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

^ I do all my flatwork from a classical dressage perspective, and my partner won't be allowed reins at all until he's developed a strong independent seat so no one should be pulling on his face at all  

We hope he stays lazy at least until my partner has a strong enough seat to not accidentally ask him to go!


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

Unrelated to conformation but somebody on fb called him underweight tonight - do you guys think he needs more groceries? I feel like it's a good thing to see a growing horse's ribs a little bit, because excess weight leads to OCD lesions and epiphysitis, but there's definitely a line and I'm now second-guessing myself about whether I've crossed it.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

He's growing and maturing....
He _is_ a good weight, classic in he_ is_ covered and yes, you _should_ see a hint of ribs as his skin glides over them when he moves, just a hint of them when he is standing still.
He's a Thoroughbred not a stock horse...
Today people are used to seeing fat horses, period.
I too would far rather not make a young animal still growing have to cart around extra poundage as it is detrimental to every organ in the body and every bone and soft tissue in the body with added stresses not needed.


_*He looks good.*_
Obviously you are watching carefully that as he gets a growth spurt you address his food amount fed and consumed..
Continue on... hear, but use your own good judgement when evaluating and making changes or not.
:runninghorse2:...


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

So, asking questions....
His daddy _*is*_ gorgeous.
I do notice what appears pin-firing marks on his hind leg..
_Did that take daddy out of racing by tearing a tendon/ligament?_
Wondering if the long pastern is a hereditary thing and if so, something to watch carefully in your boy in future endeavors..
:runninghorse2:...


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

I firmly agree with you that people are too used to seeing fat horses. Same with dogs, I have a greyhound and the comments I get about his weight (and he's even slightly fat!).... 
But I do have anxiety and can take things too much to heart, so thank you. I really appreciate a word of reason.


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

horselovinguy said:


> So, asking questions....
> His daddy _*is*_ gorgeous.
> I do notice what appears pin-firing marks on his hind leg..
> _Did that take daddy out of racing by tearing a tendon/ligament?_
> ...


Also looks like a bow on that RF tendon? Daddy's pasterns don't look long to me though.

I am very mindful of tendons, Cayde will be legged up very gently and slowly


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## LoriF (Apr 3, 2015)

I don't think that he looks too skinny in your photos at all. He's young and lanky and he's a breed that should be that way at his age. Don't pay attention to it, grow your baby the way that you want to.


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## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

Exactly what @LoriF said.


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