I am looking at this 5yr old TB gelding as a low level eventing/jumper mount. He is about 16hh. I know he isn’t standing as well as he could, but this is the best shot I have of him. He has been off of the track since November and has just been allowed to be a horse since then so he lacks muscle and weight. 
Any feedback on him?
Project Horse
July 24, 2012 By 4 Comments
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I like him! Nice and up hill and he looks like he can turn into one of those “big bodied” TBs with time.
He definitely needs more weight and muscle which will develop eventually, especially in the hind end.
I think he has a lot of potential
This horse has nice short cannons and good bone. His withers are well defined and well laid back. Ally is right, he is very uphill. His shoulder is average. His neck ties onto the shoulder well and he carries it high. He has a nice crest with a small dip in front of the withers. His top line is smooth and he will add muscle across the loins. His hind leg appears to be correct
I am not an expert, but even with being underweight, from my experiences, a horse should not have this much of a significant loss of muscle tone in the hind end area. His front end is decent looking muscle wise while his back end almost looks like one that belongs to another horse.
Normally, along with the fact it seems he may have a hunter’s bump, this can be an indication of SI problems. Before I would do anything I would ask the vet to palpate the SI areas to see if he experiences any discomfort. Horses with SI problems can go on to be perfectly sound with little to no limitations… but it can also be hard to get them to that point. Normally, the SI is better the more muscle tone the horse gains, but sometimes the SI area is in so much pain that an injection is needed before the horse is comfortable enough to use the area to put muscle on it. Some vets do not know how to inject the SI and most of the time, it has to be guided by an ultrasound which is another expense. A horse with a SI problem can appear perfectly sound with little ill effects at first until the muscle is completely wasted.
Not saying he necessarily has that problem, its just a caution. Like I said, even if he does, SI problems aren’t really a big deal depending on how much work, maintainence and possibly money you are willing to put into this horse.
I just HIGHLY recommend a palpation of the SI area before anything else and checking the soundness of his hind end. Who knows. Maybe he just doesn’t know how to use it properly, but by the significant wasting of muscle, it could very well be something else.
Otherwise, he looks like a nice horse. He has a nice front end for sure.
Oh and if he does have a SI problem, don’t let that discourage you if you really want him. It is just a matter of some people don’t want a horse with any issues that could pose a risk for some maintenance needed in his future, especially a project horse, so it is something you want to be aware of and looking for in a horse with that sort of muscle wastage.