Strictly from the pics, I don't see any reason this horse couldn't perform lower level dressage and eventing. She's not even really stifle high, and while she could a better angle on her shoulder and pasterns, she seems to step out well enough, and step under well-enough (in the one engaged trot pic). In general, QH/TB crosses are solid for many sports. In lower-level dressage (Second Level) and eventing (Training/maybePrelim), obedience, submission, and accuracy can get even a mediocre mover top placings :-). Unless she's suffering from a conformational-based lameness right now (navicular. ringbone), I don't see much for concern, but your instructor, obviously, has actually seen the horse in action. Sometimes it's the mental game they can't play
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I'm a big fan of 'go out there and do it, and if you run into a problem, address it then'. Eventing is so much more than conformation. It's about heart and boldness, and love of what the horse is doing. There are conformationally sound horses that just can't get past first level in dressage. There are Olympic gold medalists who rode horses that shouldn't have been able to do 3rd level, much less Grand Prix....
Go out there, have fun with your mare as long as she's generally sound and happy -- enjoy the ride until you hit that wall. Know that if you grow in leaps and bounds, you may outgrow the mare, or she may surprise you. Either way, no use worrying about it if you haven't hit the wall yet.
Thankfully, her lameness is not conformational-based, but silly mare-being-silly-in-the-paddock-based. haha. She managed to injure her suspensory while rolling under a fence and forcibly removing the fence post.
My trainer hasn't been my trainer very long and hasn't really seen her at her peak (pre-injury). We are riding again (w/t/c), but her movement is nowhere close to where it was. My trainer made some comments about her conformation that had me questioning my horse (mostly about her pasterns). I know I'm biased since she is my horse, so I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something glaring.
Your daughter's old POA sounds like a great horse. :)
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Go out there, have fun with your mare as long as she's generally sound and happy -- enjoy the ride until you hit that wall. Know that if you grow in leaps and bounds, you may outgrow the mare, or she may surprise you. Either way, no use worrying about it if you haven't hit the wall yet.
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I think I'm over thinking things as I wait for her to heal from her suspensory injury. I do tend to do that... haha.
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Thankfully, her lameness is not conformational-based, but silly mare-being-silly-in-the-paddock-based. haha. She managed to injure her suspensory while rolling under a fence and forcibly removing the fence post.
My trainer hasn't been my trainer very long and hasn't really seen her at her peak (pre-injury). We are riding again (w/t/c), but her movement is nowhere close to where it was. My trainer made some comments about her conformation that had me questioning my horse (mostly about her pasterns). I know I'm biased since she is my horse, so I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something glaring.
Your daughter's old POA sounds like a great horse. :)
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