From Lauren:
Just in case you had forgotten, ROLEX IS ALMOST HERE!! I’m so busy with Keeneland that I forget most of the time too, it’s okay. T-minus 9 days, 23 hours, and 12 minutes to go from where I’m sitting here and even less time will stand between us and RK3DE when you read this. Between now and then, I will be carrying around more muck tubs full of mulch and pallets full of flowers of every shape, size and color than I even want to try to count but, come hell or high water, those XC jumps will be decorated to the nines. Now, onto the OTTB column of the week that I’m sure you have all been anticipating on the edge of your seats. CANTER USA has graciously granted Eventing Nation permission to use their photos and so, without further ado, I bring you three CANTER prospects from around the country for you viewing (and buying) pleasure. These horses, in my humble opinion, represent the OTTB ideal in one way or another and, while I obviously cannot vouch for their temperament or soundness, I can guarantee that they could be your next big star from a conformational and pedigree standpoint. Don’t forget to keep those pictures of your own OTTB’s coming to [email protected] so that you too can be EN famous and get out there and go gallop an OTTB!
Crypto Nicki (CANTER page)
http://www.pedigreequery.com/
2004 15.2+ Mare
GRANTVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA
$500
Top Five Most Notable Characteristics:
- I would really like to see close-up pictures of her front legs but a cosmetic scar and ‘rounded ankles’ do not scare me.
- The videos lend me to believe that, once ridden like a show horse and not a racehorse, she will have a very nice way of going. Her trot appears ground covering, she appears fairly consistent in the bridle, and seems to move forward with a pleasant spring and reach.
- Using the phrase “good-feeling” on the racetrack can sometimes mean “holy terror breathing fire with sharp teeth and a point tail” but, at least based on this filly’s videos, she is probably just acting like a fit Thoroughbred and not a homicidal maniac.
- This filly’s expression does lead me to believe that she is probably a little hard-nosed and will have a difficult, stubborn streak when crossed. However, this attitude can also be applied in a constructive manner and is, in my experience, a major attribute when searching for a legitimate upper level prospect. Sane, quiet, weak-willed horses do not go Advanced.
- Conformationally, I love the angle and length of this filly’s pasterns. In the picture above, she is actually UPHILL (even better than being even). Her neck could tie in a little higher and she is just a teensy bit back below the knee but her hip angle and short cannon bone length counterbalance those things.
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Sara’s Smiling (CANTER page)
http://www.pedigreequery.com/
2007 16.2+ Gelding
WOODBINE, MARYLAND
$1500
Top Five Most Notable Characteristics:
- The kindness in this horse’s expression really strikes me. He just looks as though he would pack any kid or grandma over any fence you pointed him at. In the close-up picture of his face on the CANTER ad, it’s as though he’s saying “Oh…are you touching my lip because you have food? Really? Well, I mean I’ll eat a treat if you think I deserve it.” What a sweet face!
- This may just be the week of UPHILL horses. When I say uphill, I determine this by mentally drawing a straight, horizontal line from the top of their withers straight back towards the top of the horse’s tail. If this line crosses ABOVE their croup with “air” to spare, they are most certainly uphill. If this imaginary line lands directly over the top of their croup touching it at its apex, I consider the horse to be ‘even’ and well-balanced. If this imaginary line crosses through the horse’s croup, thus indicating that the horse’s croup is above his or her wither, I consider the horse to be DOWNHILL and pass without a doubt. For our buddy ‘Smile’ here, there is A LOT of clearance between the line and his croup. Major plus!
- I wish this horse were being stood up in such a way that he wasn’t standing ‘over’ himself so much. This makes him appear deceptively back at the knee and kind of ‘slanty’, with a shoulder angle more severe than it may actually be. In reality, I think his front limb conformation is actually quite good, his shoulder is quite sloping, and his neck just ties in beautifully to the whole package.
- According to his CANTER page, this horse has already been restarted and acclimated to turnout. Bonus! He sounds ready to learn a few new tricks and hit the show circuit in short order, which saves tons of time and money in the long run that can be better spent on competitions rather than down time.
- The length of this horse’s back is really pretty ideal and will most certainly result in a fancy step with a lot of power to launch off the ground. Coupled with those comparatively short cannon bones and his ever-so-slightly closed hip angle, I’d venture a guess that his guy is going to be FAAAAANCY on the flat.
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Cold Surf (CANTER page)
http://www.pedigreequery.com/
2006 16h Gelding
PHOENIX, ARIZONA
$FREE!
Top Five Most Notable Characteristics:
- Between being adorable and free, I felt I just had to mention this horse. He may have several things working against him, but sometimes you just have to avoid looking a gift horse in the mouth (let you vet do that, instead) and give a guy a chance. After all, look at those dapples and check out his pretty blaze on the CANTER page.
- This kiddo was a $40,000 Keeneland yearling purchase and is the most well-bred horse featured this week. Definitely a pro.
- He last raced 4/2/13, pulled up, and was vanned off. While this would encourage me to reallllly vet this horse thoroughly, as would the comment from the trainer on the CANTER page that he has a “minor ankle and knee”, and while these things probably mean he is not suitable as an upper level (prelim/3’6+ prospect) I don’t think that he is unsound enough to be struck off of the prospect list.
- Conformationally, this horse’s pasterns are attractively short, as are his front cannon bones. His hip angle is quite open but I bet that lends him to having a hell of a stride and a ton of scope. While this horse is even versus uphill, he fits very nicely into the rectangle of wither-elbow-stifle-croup and compliments that box-y frame with fantastically angular hind limb conformation that should really help him overcome any lack of ability to engage that his open hip angle might lend him to.
- It is worth mentioning again that, while it is clear that there are soundness concerns with this horse, they may all be very manageable. If you take anything at all from my columns regarding soundness make note of this:
When looking for a resale project, I vet each and every one of them within an inch of their lives and accept nothing less than perfect. Most of the time, I spend more on vetting the horse than the purchase price. When you are vetting a resale project, spare no expense and cover all bases. When looking for a competition partner, there are not many things that time will not heal. Just take a minute to imagine how many truly great horses would have been discarded, retired before their glory, or relegated to the lower levels before their prime if digital radiographs and ultrasound technology has been available in the true heyday of Eventing. Hell, Heyday probably would have been one of them and he never would have brought home gold from the Pan-Am’s or helped the US to Silver in Atlanta with his 9th individual placing. Bows will set, chips in the right places will never cause even the slightest soreness, fractures will calcify, and silly cosmetic blemishes like pin-firing scars aren’t even worth a glance. On a resale project, I wouldn’t touch any one of those things with a ten foot pole. BUT, on a horse that I am looking at to be acompetition partner for a client that is willing to provide a forever home and do a little maintenance when the time comes, there are innumerable athletes out there that possess the conformation, athleticism, mind, heart, and body to be truly great but may be just a little rough around the edges and may have gotten in a fight or two that they didn’t win. Don’t rule out these horses. Trust a vet to advise what issues can and cannot be lived with, dealt with, and maintained before you exclude a horse from you list of prospects. And always remember that you can’t breed, buy, or train heart.
