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'You be the Judge' with Lisa Cleary

Lisa Cleary is a well known name in the showing genre and has worn many hats over the years as competitor, breeder, judge and owner of quality horses including Royalwood Chorus of Love and LJS Heaves Above. With an ‘eye’ for a Champion in the show ring, Horse Deals is pleased to introduce Lisa Cleary as our expert this month in You Be The Judge.

Here are the three Thoroughbreds in random order...

2yo brown gelding, mature approx 16.2hh

2yo brown gelding, mature approx 16.2hh

2yo gelding, mature approx 15.3hh

2yo gelding, mature approx 15.3hh

2yo chestnut gelding, mature approx 16.2hh

2yo chestnut gelding, mature approx 16.2hh

Scroll down the page to see how Lisa has placed these three Thoroughbreds as show prospects.
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2yo brown gelding, mature approx 16.2hh

2yo brown gelding, mature approx 16.2hh

First - 2yo brown gelding, mature approx 16.2hh
I quite like this little horse and he has a lot of qualities I would look for when choosing a Thoroughbred to show. He has a nicely set front and comes out of his shoulder well, so I think he would carry himself well naturally. He also has great sloping shoulder along with a good wither which will make the saddle sit better and not be so inclined slip forward. He has a nice short head with lovely shaped ears along with quality bone and limb and good pasterns. He looks a little high in the hip and a little short in the quarters but this could be just because of his age, it would be interesting to see him later. He looks somewhat straight in the back legs and stifle and he could also be upright in the front feet, these conformational traits will affect how he covers the ground and how big his stride will be and this is something a show horse really needs to be a winner. Overall out of the three, and as a show horse, his pros outweigh his cons in my opinion and once matured will complete a nice picture of what a show horse should be.

2yo chestnut gelding, mature approx 16.2hh

2yo chestnut gelding, mature approx 16.2hh

Second - 2yo chestnut gelding, mature approx 16.2hh
My second choice I feel, although has some great traits, doesn’t have the elegance or refinement of my first choice. When evaluating the conformation of a horse, you need to consider the three even sections that the body should be broken into. This horse is fairly proportionate and balanced, which is quite often overlooked these days when selecting a show horse. People don’t realise how important correctness is, as this can affect soundness, longevity and functionality of the horse. He has a good shaped front but personally would like him a little longer in the neck and his head is a little straight. Looking down to his legs, he looks a tad upright in the pastern and turned out in his front offside leg, I do like his hindquarter and length of croup. He is also nice and deep in the body and a has good span of ribs and I think he would carry a saddle quite well. Although I consider him to be a good type, he doesn’t have those ‘show star’ qualities I would look for in a show horse.

2yo gelding, mature approx 15.3hh

2yo gelding, mature approx 15.3hh

Third - 2yo gelding, mature approx 15.3hh
Although my third choice has one or two things I would look for in a Thoroughbred to show, such as a pretty head with good eye, unfortunately he isn’t my ideal type. He has shorter front legs, a very low set short neck and chest that lacks that nice arch that is desirable. He is quite thick through the gullet and his neck shape also tells me that he may not have any self-carriage or sit up nicely into the bridle. A neck like this is harder to develop into good shape that is looked for in a show horse. From the photos he looks like he could be cow hocked and have rounded joints and also be a bit roach-like over his back and quarters, which is not ideal and would mean his movement would be affected and have a shortened stride. I think he is probably a better fit for another discipline.


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