Honest critique wanted: 2Yr old filly with dubious past

My honest opinion is she is a pretty little mare that looks well cared for now.

I personally really appreciated that comment of Dreamcatchers... I asked for, and want, an honest critique... but I loved the perspective of somebody saying to me that she may have large faults, but that they may not be of consequence. Maybe it seems odd to you, but its exactly what I needed to hear, as I had been worrying myself sick about this horse and her future and mine.... does that make sense?

Thank you!

I think she is a cutey and you have done a great job with her! Right now her hind legs look too long for her, but as she is still growing I wouldn't stress about it too much. She may grow out of it, or she may not, but I don't think it is likely to be a big problem for her if you are not looking for a high lever competition horse. She has a super cute face/neck too :).

Honestly there is nothing there that is going to prevent her from doing most things at least at a lower level of competition. With her back end she may have a bit of a hard time collecting nicely for dressage, but with the right training and work you could probably even get her doing that decently well - it just won't be as easy as it is for some other horses with the build for it. Learning it though will probably help her all around and be good for her.

The only thing I don't think she would be able to do looking at her current pictures is carry a large amount of weight on her back. She just does not have that high weight carrying sturdy build & strong loins. But unless you are a very large rider, that won't be an issue either.

I see horses with a similar build to hers on the trails all the time and they can go all day long for their owners.

Thank you for your wisdom!
I will keep it all in mind... I love dressage, so she will definitely get more than her fair share of that once she starts under saddle.

But I really appreciate all the comments, especially since everybody seems to imply that she is worth putting some time and money into.

I think my nerves are due to the fact that its become so hammered into our consciousness that conformation and breeding is almost everything, that I started being unable to see the woods for the trees.

And thanks everyone for giving me the insight that even very imperfect horses can be just perfect for what they need to do. And if she can be a kick-ass trail-BFF-buddy someday, then I would feel that she was definitely worth 'saving'.

I am definitely going to start doing a bit of work with her, to try build some muscle and balance.... and then I'll post another update in due time!

I would like to start by asking how long have you had her?

And to say that I really like her and don't see anything glaring.

Super Nova

A wise horseman once said, "Look at the horse at 3 days, 3 weeks, 3 months and then not again til 3 years.". What he meant was avoid being over critical at the gawky stages (yearling uglies ring a bell?) and to wait until the horse has had time to develop a bit once they've past the "baby adorable" phase. This little filly is only 2 and still growing, which she'll likely do until she's 5 PLUS she's being rehabbed from being uncared for. She looks a whole lot better than she did in her first 2 pics and in 6 more months she'll look a whole lot better than she did in the 2nd set of pics. Because she was not cared for, she may lack the tone in her legs to correct the cow hocked stance that many young horses have in the beginning. They lose that stance once they are steady on their feet, eating well and playing to build the muscle and tone needed to hold their legs straight. If she was kept in a small corral or stall, she may not have ever had the chance to correct that.

So rather than say something that may end up not true later on, I want to wait and see this filly again in 6 months and at that point I may say something. Right now I don't see anything wrong with her that good groceries, exercise and time won't cure.

We DO get so wrapped around in pedigrees and bloodlines that we miss a perfectly good animal standing in front of us, and I'm one of the WORST in that regard. Helping out an animal who doesn't have all your "must have criteria" is pretty pure selflessness and needs to be applauded. Good job Muumi, she's looking awesome, keep it up.

She arrived round Christmas last year, so late December...

And yay! Thank you!

Thanks so much for your kind and awesome words... they are really helping me to get a little more grounded and a lot less stressed.

Before I picked her up, I went to visit all the youngsters at the facilities where they were kept to pick her, and as far as I could see, they were kept their entire lives in small pens, so when she arrived home with me, what struck me was that more than just being skinny, she just had no muscle whatsoever... her neck was hollow, from the back her thighs were gaunt, her chestbone stuck out, and I could see every bone in her spine.

It was so hard for me to pick one of the youngsters back then... they were all really scared and in bad shape, and it was a very overwhelming situation for me, that I didn't feel in control of.

Ugh... I have a lot to say about where she came from, etc... but its just quite hard to talk about.

Anyway, you're right... I realise now that I'm judging her at the worst possible time now... she is starting to fill out in all the previously hollow places, but she is far from developed, and on top of that, she is still growing.

I think I will stop worrying for now... and start exercising her more actively, as many people suggested, and keep up with the groceries, and then update in 6 months or so... hopefully it will be a pleasant surprise!

She is a terribly sweet little lady... with regards to her personality, I couldn't really have asked for anything more.

Thanks so much for your input and support, Dreamcatcher, it means a lot to me.