Paint mare critique

About 4 to 6 months. The first photos were taken when we went to look about buying her. The last picture was after we had had her a while (and she had been worked less since we had her so maybe that made a difference I'm not sure)
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Yeah, figured out it was the stupid computer messing with the photo, not the horse. Lol. Her back and coupling look fine.
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What does 'back in the knee' mean?
Thanks!

Back at the knee means that the cannon bone is set slightly behind the forearm at the knee joint. In a horse with straight legs, you should be able to put a dot at the elbow, knee and fetlock, and when they're connected, draw a straight line through them. If you do the same thing on a horse that is back at the knee, your line will angle backward from the knee to fetlock.
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Thanks!
And how would back in the knee be troublesome in conformation?

Thanks so much~ appreciate it.

Being back at the knee puts uneven stress/wear on the knee joint, which can lead to soundness issues and arthritis. Being slightly back isn't a major cause for concern, just something to be aware of as the horse gets older and is used more.
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Thanks!
And, this kind of communication and educating is exactly what makes this forum a valuable one.

Not a problem at all. I wasn't big into conformation until I got my gelding. I knew some of the major conformation issues and could spot them, but the more subtle problems (like back at the knee and tied in behind the knee) were not something I could readily spot or know the consequences of. When I got my gelding and decided I wanted to eventually event with him, I started educating myself on conformation so I could determine how suitable he is to the discipline and how far we can go.
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