He looks like a lovely horse Starlite but I am going to be brutally honest here:
1.) He looks off in the stifles, particularly the left.
2.) He has no reach and and a slightly mincing stride in the back end (perhaps related to the stifles) which makes him look uneven as his front end is quite reasonable.
3.) The way he has been trained absolutely reeks of too much time in side reins: He is very rarely on the bit, often he is behind the bit evading contact or sucking back from the bit - a very very bad thing for dressage. I would prefer to see a horse in front of the vertical while they are young so that they can move correctly.
4.) Judging from the way they free jump, I have several questions about this facility! Watching him jump obstacles that were beyond his scope at this stage in his training and then seeing him hit the ground only to have his head jerked around by the lunge line made me cringe!
Nice horse but no. 1 is a dealbreaker for me. No's 2,3 and 4 can be dealt with if you choose to but stifle problems are all sorts of hell that you don't need!
Thank you thank you thank you. The "free jumping" part made me absolutely shudder as well. Number 1 confuses me, would you mind elaborating? And I agree..I don't need anything that causes me hell. :shock:
Sarah was right on all points except I dont' really know if the lack of stride under is a stifle issue or just being ridden behind th ebit and on the forehand.
I was also amazed at the free jumping ad the way he was cut short on his landing. I figure Sarah has a better eye for these things that I do, but perhaps she can explain, 'cause I would like to know how to see these things.
Sarah was right on all points except I dont' really know if the lack of stride under is a stifle issue or just being ridden behind th ebit and on the forehand.
I was also amazed at the free jumping ad the way he was cut short on his landing. I figure Sarah has a better eye for these things that I do, but perhaps she can explain, 'cause I would like to know how to see these things.
Me too. The ripping of his head upon landing is what got me shaking my head.. Instinctively it just seemed wrong. The stifle once pointed out to me, looks very very stiff like he is avoiding really extending it at all but unfortunately I do not have the experience to notice these things myself yet.
I am getting really worried I am never going to find a good horse in my price range.
I would pass too. Like Sarah pointed out, there is something going on with his back end. If it is an unsoundness issue or a training issue I don't have the eye to tell, but it is enough for me to think it is too much of a worry.
To me, price would play a role in how I would proceed with this horse. If he was in the $500 - $2,000 range, I might pass. If he is above the $2,000 mark and I was serious enough about him, I would have him vetted.
While I agree that there is something off about his back end, I'm more inclined to think it is his rider then a physical problem since you say he is green and young.
To me, price would play a role in how I would proceed with this horse. If he was in the $500 - $2,000 range, I might pass. If he is above the $2,000 mark and I was serious enough about him, I would have him vetted.
While I agree that there is something off about his back end, I'm more inclined to think it is his rider then a physical problem since you say he is green and young.
He is over the $500-2000 range, but not by much. I am not over the moon for him, so it isn't a huge disappointment. I am just glad I have an extra set of "eyes" here that can help me with these kinds of things, because as I said before I don't have the experience to pick it out myself yet. Video's are such a huge help, I live in a rural area and so far have been able to eliminate several horses that otherwise I would have driven several hundred miles to see.
Hard to say if his jumping style is a result of the way he is being jumped (i.e. on the lunge) which has lead to him using his body incorrectly as he knows his head is going to be pulled inwards or if they have done little else with him over obstacles other than let him throw himself over whichever way he sees fit, or a combination of both. There is also a big difference in the videos because the one I posted is a much higher jump in which case it is easier to distinguish each phase of the jump, I just used it as an example.
He is a lovely looking horse and seems to have a calm disposition to boot, maybe keep your eye on him if you feel like shelling out for a full pre-purchase exam to see what is going on in his hind end. The rest is all a matter of training, or un-training rather :wink:
Starlite, don't feel bad. I took a $2k horse on a trial that had a stifle issue, which cost me $800 to find out in farrier, vets and ultra sound bills to discover the issue. All for a horse I didn't own, nor did I buy.
That $800 lesson, meant that I am pretty quick to see a stifle issue now.
I am glad that you didn't go through the same thing I did.
Starlite, don't feel bad. I took a $2k horse on a trial that had a stifle issue, which cost me $800 to find out in farrier, vets and ultra sound bills to discover the issue. All for a horse I didn't own, nor did I buy.
That $800 lesson, meant that I am pretty quick to see a stifle issue now.
I am glad that you didn't go through the same thing I did.
I have this REALLY bad habit: I grew up in Yamhill County Oregon (quarter horse country, Bob Avila's barn when he was still in Oregon was a few miles from my house..) anyways, I see a nice butt on a horse, regardless of breed..and I stop looking at everything else. And their head. A pretty head, and a nice butt..I am sold. And it is scary to say, I have been around horses my entire life. I have just never been taught right from wrong (movement, upright pasterns, downhill, sickle hocked etc). Now as an adult, with several thousand dollars of my hard earned money on the line..I still find myself looking at heads & butts . It is a really really bad habit. But, the good thing is, I have learned SO much by error..for example, the warmblood buckskin mare that I posted was a horse that I was really excited about, until her flaws started getting pointed out i didnt notice any of them. I know I am just rambling, but atleast I am aware of it and I have really learned so much from everyone. I am SO grateful I found this place.
I understand, I am so pleased to have found this place too. There is so much knowledge here that would cost you thousands to take along to see a horse.
You can still go for a pretty butt and face though - just post a vid here first
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