You Be The Judge with Molly Barry

This article is from the November 2019 Horse Deals magazine.

Back in November 2019 Horse Deals welcomed young 4* event rider Molly Barry. Molly is originally from Victoria, though she has now has made the move up to Canberra to attend medical school. Molly specialises in retraining off the track Thoroughbreds with her business Off The Track Eventing.

Here are the three Thoroughbreds in random order...

Scroll down the page to see how Lisa has placed these three Thoroughbreds as show prospects.
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First - This gelding’s eye is kind, though perhaps timid and requiring praise to keep him confident.

This horse has good straight legs but is a little upright in the front pasterns and flat in the feet. Both are manageable conditions. He has a good hindleg, though I would inquire about swelling in near front leg.

His body is very uphill, very good angle of hindquarter: good jumper alert! His neck is set on acceptably, he has a very good angle to the shoulder and good depth of girth. Long, but strong back; this horse will take a long time to muscle up at the start of a season.

Second - This is quite an outstanding looking 2-year-old. Hopefully, he will maintain his proportions when he grows!

He has a willing look in his eye, with perhaps a glint of cheekiness.

This gelding has likely had a soft tissue injury in the off fore: he has clay and swelling in this leg, with what appears to be a bow. The right knee looks slightly behind the cubital/fetlock line which predisposes this horse to knee soreness; this may just be the photo. The hock angle is minimal, while this predisposes a horse to break down in the hock, it also produces the kind of movement that I like.

This gelding is compact and has a very well-set neck which will produce an elegant frame. He has a strong back with a good length and good angle in the hindquarter. He has a pretty head.

I would rank this horse as number one if there is a good explanation for the tendon/ligament injury.

Third - Before looking at this last mare there are some factors to take into consideration: This horse has a winter coat and has been taken straight out of the paddock. It is important to recognise that whether you know it or not, this will affect your judgement of the horse. Make sure you’re judging her by her conformation, not her coat!
The horse’s eye tells you a lot about a horse’s temperament. This mare has a kind eye. She looks like a horse that will try to please and be fairly forgiving of the odd mistake by the rider.
This mare’s legs look clean. There are no obvious bowed tendons, splints or other deformities. There is a cut on the off hind anterior to the hock joint. These are common and not usually a problem, though would be a subject of discussion if I were looking at this horse. Is this an indicator of poor temperament? Is she spooky or running in the paddock all the time?
The legs appear straight, the knee is neither in front or behind the line drawn from the cubital (elbow) joint and the fetlock joint. The hind feet may be flat. It may just be how the horse is standing.
This mare has a nicely set neck. She is downhill but as a 3-year-old, she may grow. She has a slight swayback, but good depth of girth allowing room for the heart and lungs. She has a strong hindquarter with good angle that will probably improve with growth.
Overall this looks like a sweet horse. She would be ranked higher if she was more uphill, so as a 6-year-old mare she may turn out to be much nicer.

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