OTTB - 5 yrs - another I'm considering

I quite like this mare's body, but find her head quite unappealing :( Not sure if it is just her tall ears or small eye or what... Not sure if I could get over that even though I know you don't ride the head.

Anyways she has won about $44,000 on the track, and has a pedigree with lots of high money earning horses. I know she has wraps on and hard to see her legs. They say she is very quiet and ammy friendly, but don't think she has been let down yet.

I really like her short back, shape of her hip and strong coupling. Her shoulder angle is decent, but I wish her angles were more open. Her rear legs look a touch straight in one photo and ok in another. Neck looks long enough in the photos, but in the video it looks short. Is she worth a look? I would be doing lower level dressage and hunter/jumper. I would also like a mare to possibly get approval with a warmblood society for possibly producing a warmblood foal down the road.

Obviously I would defiantely get a PPE if I decided to get her.

Anyone see anything I am missing?

Pedigree at: http://www.pedigreequery.com/chocolate+diva
Video at:

Oh my gosh. I could get over her head. Already have. I think she's beautiful!
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She is quite nice but she is not built in front for jumping. I like her looks.. but in the video she is short strided and moves like her front feet hurt.

If you look at this horse pay attention to the front feet.. and the soundness and depth of the hoof wall. I suspect she is thin walled with somewhat delicate feet (and this, along with the low angle of her humerus) would prevent her from jumping and could leave her prone to bruises and abscesses in her front feet. You do not want to use a horse with thin walled feet for breeding.. especially for warm bloods. The offspring may inherit the thin walled feet of the dam and the size of the warm blood.. which would be a constant maintenance issue.

The top of her pedigree is quite nice but the bottom is not really exciting.

I'm with Elana, she walks as if something hurts in her front end. Definitely short striding and choppy.

Honestly, I don't see anything wrong with her head or ears. They're not as fine as they could be, but they're certainly not huge and coarse. As far as her eyes, they're not as big as some, but she's not pig-eyed.

If I were looking for a horse to do primarily flat work, she'd be a candidate. For jumping, not so much.

Thanks for the feedback - much apprecaited!

Gorgeous mare!

Absolutely not bothered by the head. Her close coupling is a huge plus for jumping and dressage. Strong back. Nice shoulder. Very proportional.

However, she appears to be sore in the front. She has an incredibly hind end when walking, but becomes painfully short streded at the trot. I have some experience with OTTB, and this is not uncommon, though, and should not immediately rule her out for consideration. Many of them have their shoes unceremoniously pulled when put up for sale or sent to rehab (to save the owner money), leaving them sore for weeks. Also, trot is not a gate they practice often, as most work is done at the canter (and then, often favoring only one lead). The ground also looked hard.

I can't really tell in the pictures, but check that her pasterns are not too long (a common thing in OTTBs that isn't really conducive for a jumping prospect). Her leg bones look a bit fine for the size of her body, but again it's hard to tell from the video.

If you have the time and experience, a rescue is a noble and rewarding thing. Often, you can find a real gem in the rough this way. You just have to be willing to put in many hours or retraining and be sure you have either the experience to do so correctly or the hands-on professional help you'll need.

She is truly stunning, though.