# Morgan Mare Confo Critique



## frlsgirl (Aug 6, 2013)

I'm looking at this 6 year old Morgan Mare. Here are a couple of pics. I will add a link to a video later.

I'm looking to do low level dressage and trail riding. According to her owner, she has a great disposition, loves to go on trails, is an easy keeper. Her sister is a world champion saddle seat horse, so the owner bought her thinking that she would take after her sister, but she doesn't.

She walks and trots fine but has trouble with the canter transition...don't we all? 

Can a saddleseat reject make a good low level dressage horse?

Anyway, let me know what y'all think. I'll add the video later today.


----------



## arrowattack09 (Jul 10, 2012)

Well, she definitely is beautiful! 

Those pictures are not any good for judging conformation. 

I would be curious as to why she is having issues with her canter transition. A stifle injury, perhaps?


----------



## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

looking forward to the video!


----------



## Keller4583 (Jan 6, 2014)

frlsgirl said:


> I'm looking at this 6 year old Morgan Mare. Here are a couple of pics. I will add a link to a video later.
> 
> I'm looking to do low level dressage and trail riding. According to her owner, she has a great disposition, loves to go on trails, is an easy keeper. Her sister is a world champion saddle seat horse, so the owner bought her thinking that she would take after her sister, but she doesn't.
> 
> ...


What is her registered name?


----------



## frlsgirl (Aug 6, 2013)

Here is the video.


----------



## frlsgirl (Aug 6, 2013)

DreamHorse.com Horse ID: 1896991 - Scandias Angel Eyes

Here is her ad on Dream Horse including Pedigree info.


----------



## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

have her Vet checked before you purchase her. The transition from trot to canter did not show on my system. It could be a training issue or a rider issue.


----------



## Elana (Jan 28, 2011)

she is a nice enough horse but lacks reach with her hind end. This may be due, in part, to the front to back ride she is being forced to give (she is being ridden front to back and to be a dressage horse she needs to be ridden back to front). She may be a bit long in the coupling and that will also impact the reach of the hind leg (at the walk the hind foot step should over reach the front foot). 

She is just going along. I think she is a nice horse. Would like to see a conformation shot. Better to see her in person.


----------



## Keller4583 (Jan 6, 2014)

frlsgirl said:


> DreamHorse.com Horse ID: 1896991 - Scandias Angel Eyes
> 
> Here is her ad on Dream Horse including Pedigree info.


She's from the UVM lineage. They are known for smaller height and thin legs. There are two types of Morgans. Ones that favor saddlebreds and ones that favor stock breeds like quarter horses. This horse even from the picture, wrong lead in front and right lead in the back, tells me that her conformation and collection skills are a little off. I've had a western pleasure horse that couldn't lope because of his balance. We sent him to a trainer and now he's fine. It will take some time to get through her canter transitions. There's a reason she's not in the show ring. That may be it. She's a total cutie and would make a cool trail horse.


----------



## frlsgirl (Aug 6, 2013)

I was wondering about that too. Her foot fall sequence seems a little off. Thanks everyone for your input.


----------



## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Show me where she is cantering with incorrect footfall? I do not see this at all. I can't clearly see, but it looks like the rider is using a training fork. 

I like this little mare. For your level of riding and competition, as you said in the beginning, I think she'd be great.


----------



## frlsgirl (Aug 6, 2013)

When I first watched the video on my Iphone I wasn't able to see all the details. Then I rewatched it on the computer, and you can see that there is something off about her movement. I wasn't sure if it was the sequence or just the rythm. 

I'm not sure what a training fork is but it looks like she is riding her with a martingale type of contraption. 

I'm still planning on going to see this mare in person, as she is located within a reasonable driving distance, but I'm not bringing my checkbook or a trailer. 

Since this will be my first horse I want to make sure it's the perfect fit for me.


----------



## PixiTrix (Sep 11, 2013)

I agree that at the canter her footfall seems off- maybe it is under reach like Elana mentioned...to me it looked like she was on and off rhythm in the hind. Cute horse though, maybe it's just something odd, I'd check her out in person!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## frlsgirl (Aug 6, 2013)

I have an appointment to go see this mare tomorrow and will post an update; maybe even some pictures.


----------



## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

Interested to hear how she rides for you
I like the look of her - I think her poor hind leg action might be down to her saddleseat training because I rode a couple of arab x saddlebreds that moved in much the same way because they'd had excessive use of the training martingale and tight side reins to get their heads in a forced position rather than achieve it by riding them forwards from behind into true collection. 
They like the high knee action in those classes but now you want her to learn to throw her legs forwards and actually move more naturally
Its something you should be able to fix if you like her


----------



## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

Keep us updated ^^


----------



## frlsgirl (Aug 6, 2013)

More info on this mare. I went and checked her out today. She is the sweetest little thing. Here are a couple of conformation shots. I made a little video of me riding her. I'm still trying to figure out how to upload it.


----------



## frlsgirl (Aug 6, 2013)

Angel Eyes - YouTube

Here is the video of me riding her with a couple of pics at the end.

I really liked her. She's so different from the big warmbloods I've been riding. 

She hasn't been worked since September so she's lost most of her muscle tone. I had the owner ride her before I got on her. She was not "hot" like I thought she would be, and she did let me put my leg on her without freaking out.

Anyway, let me know what you think.


----------



## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

I Like her! She is just s cutie! and her movement reminds me of a gated horse that wont gait. I can see it in how she stiffly holds her tail and moves her back end. I may be wrong but thats all i can think of.


----------



## frlsgirl (Aug 6, 2013)

Here is a better video - a continuous shot of me trotting her going counter-clockwise, and then cutting across the arena and trotting clockwise. You can see her leg action a bit better here.

She did spook right as I was turning to change direction but she was easy to get back under control.

When I first approached the long side, you can see her trying to sneak a peak to the right - the foal she's been babysitting is up there


----------



## flytobecat (Mar 28, 2010)

I would have her vetted too. I not an expert but her foot fall did seem off and it looked like she was heavy on her front end. Like she was pulling with the front and not pushing with the back.
She's very pretty though and Morgans are usually great horses.


----------



## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

Only you know how she feels and obviously you'll have a PPE done but from the video I really like her. 
I'm not seeing any problem with 'footfall' or being a bit heavy on her forehand other than whats typical of a horse that's been trained to have a headset by having it tied in forcefully rather than being ridden from behind into it
I like that she spooked - proves she's not doped!!!


----------



## frlsgirl (Aug 6, 2013)

Do you think I'm too tall for her? Also what did you think of the two confo pics I posted?

Yes I'm planning on getting her pre-vetted.


----------



## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

Hard to really judge the confo pics as she's lost some condition and its amazing what a difference that can make to a horses shape
You might find that your legs come down a bit too low when you ride in a longer dressage length stirrup which could affect the way you cue her if your feet end up below the girth?


----------



## Inga (Sep 11, 2012)

I do not think you are too tall on her. I like her as well but I do see something in the way she moves in the back. The PPE will tell you if it is anything to worry about or if it is just her or... might benefit from a Chiropractic adjustment or two. It might also just be that she hasn't been worked in awhile and needs to regain muscle. Just like the rest of us, when we get out of shape, our movement is not the same. 

She reminds me of this lovely little Morgan gelding I used to ride as a kid. He was a great little horse and I have thought many times, I wish I could find another one like that for my nephews to ride.


----------



## frlsgirl (Aug 6, 2013)

All good points.

I think she would make a great "first" horse because she has the right disposition. She's kind of like a little pocket pony. She is so super willing. 

She doesn't know leg yields at all and I asked her to move side ways and she did. She just does whatever you ask her/tell her to do. She sometimes has to think about it for a minute, but then she'll try to do whatever is asked of her.

I even got to load her onto a trailer and unload her again - no problems. 

My husband test rode her too...although he nearly fell off at the trot - she handled it great though - we just told her whoa and she stopped. She had this look on her face "help - I'm losing my rider, someone tell me what to do !"

Will she make it very high in dressage? Probably not, but that's ok. This will be my very first horse so if we never make it past training level, it's totally fine. 

I can still ride big fancy Warmbloods once or twice a month, so that I can contintue my personal Dressage education and so I don't lose the feel of how big horses move.


----------



## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

She's beginning to sound like the horse for you!!!


----------



## freia (Nov 3, 2011)

I only know very basic conformation, so others have commented much better than I can.

But there is something about her I really like. Maybe it's just because I'm a diehard Morgan fan. She seems very willing - like she's really trying. I like how she holds her tail - like she has a little sass and attitude. Her look is very sweet ad relaxed. I have no clue how well she'd do in shows for you, but I'm thinking that as a first horse, she could make a really nice partner.


----------



## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

I think she'd be a really good fit. My DH once fell off of our 15yo gelding, Tyke--been there done EVERYTHING horse--when he was trying to pick something off of the ground FROM the saddle. He didn't get up right away and Tyke stepped on his hand!! Tyke said, "NOBODY falls off of ME!" Well, better than bucking!
I like her mind, but I think she'll be looking for that foal and some friends for a couple of weeks after she moves, so be careful. Still, your leg rocks a little posting trot and she didn't mind that, so I believe she'll train in well for you. I like her size personally, but if you've been riding 16.2hh horses it might seem small. She has a good sized barrel. I think if you alternated between arena training and trail riding you could bring that canter along. Really, the extended walk does much more to limber up and add muscle to a horse than people think, and it doesn't ask to the horse to do anything difficult or hard to understand. Also, I like to use lots of downward transitions an transitions between gaits, which is what they look for in training level.
Let us know what you do. =D


----------



## frlsgirl (Aug 6, 2013)

Corporal said:


> I think she'd be a really good fit. My DH once fell off of our 15yo gelding, Tyke--been there done EVERYTHING horse--when he was trying to pick something off of the ground FROM the saddle. He didn't get up right away and Tyke stepped on his hand!! Tyke said, "NOBODY falls off of ME!" Well, better than bucking!
> I like her mind, but I think she'll be looking for that foal and some friends for a couple of weeks after she moves, so be careful. Still, your leg rocks a little posting trot and she didn't mind that, so I believe she'll train in well for you. I like her size personally, but if you've been riding 16.2hh horses it might seem small. She has a good sized barrel. I think if you alternated between arena training and trail riding you could bring that canter along. Really, the extended walk does much more to limber up and add muscle to a horse than people think, and it doesn't ask to the horse to do anything difficult or hard to understand. Also, I like to use lots of downward transitions an transitions between gaits, which is what they look for in training level.
> Let us know what you do. =D


Thanks Corporal. I was hoping you would read my thread and respond  Yeah, my position felt a little off on her, especially since I'm used to the big Warmbloods and Dressage saddles. I'm not sure what kind of saddle that was - maybe a pony AP? It was really hard to even post the trot because there is no swing to push you up. It was super windy and my jean bottoms were fluttering all over the place - which was a good "test" because it didn't bother her. 

Yeah, I'm also concerned that she will be sad to leave "her" foal but there are always new friends to be made at a new boarding facility.


----------



## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

EXACTLY!! New friends and new adventures. Scoop her up before somebody else sees her!!


----------



## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

^^^I agree
And for what its worth after many years of riding 16.2 + horses I found myself owning a 14.3 arab, it did seem strange at first but now I much prefer that size of horse


----------



## frlsgirl (Aug 6, 2013)

PPE is scheduled for Friday...fingers and toes crossed!


----------



## 4hoofbeat (Jun 27, 2013)

Keller4583 said:


> She's from the UVM lineage. They are known for smaller height and thin legs. There are two types of Morgans. Ones that favor saddlebreds and ones that favor stock breeds like quarter horses. This horse even from the picture, wrong lead in front and right lead in the back, tells me that her conformation and collection skills are a little off. I've had a western pleasure horse that couldn't lope because of his balance. We sent him to a trainer and now he's fine. It will take some time to get through her canter transitions. There's a reason she's not in the show ring. That may be it. She's a total cutie and would make a cool trail horse.


My Morgan has UVM lines and his legs are not thin. of course he is 28, and of the older UVM stock. perhaps they've changed their tune. 

UVM was the original breeders for the mounted Calvary horses, they had to be sturdy and strong. 

to the OP have you gone to see her in person? (oops just saw the posts about you seeing her... disregard) LOL
she looks great! just keep in mind a Morgan head set is not going to be like a TB or QH or a WB


----------



## frlsgirl (Aug 6, 2013)

Ana passed her PPE with flying colors. Now we just need to hammer out the details and she'll be ALLLLLL MINE!


----------



## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

Such exciting news - hope the next step goes smoothly


----------



## frlsgirl (Aug 6, 2013)

Me too. I'm so nervous. I texted her my offer but haven't heard back yet.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Little Jane (Mar 7, 2013)

Good luck! She's a gorgeous little mare—I really like her.


----------



## Inga (Sep 11, 2012)

I hope it all goes well for you and your little mare. Notice I said "your mare" ha ha . Looking forward to seeing pictures of the 2 of you together.


----------

