It’s a while since we’ve engaged so it’s possibly a good time to press the "refresh" button! As the title suggests, good conformation can assist good soundness and, therefore, good longevity which is obviously in the best interests of both equine and human partners.

I love homebred horses. In our Irish Event Programs, national and international, the breeder and breeding is listed. As a commentator, I always commend the breeder. Without the breeder putting the right horses on the ground, we are lost. Breeding is a real labor of love and involves a long wait. ...

First Say EPI is a quite tidy, lovely quality, blood-type filly. Of note, I normally see more quality showing in the Thoroughbred x Warmblood or Irish Sport Horse cross individual when the Thoroughbred is on the dam side, as in this case. I quote the great breeder Jan Greve who stood Quidam de Ra...

Nottingham IPH has refinement. He possesses a nice fine tail hair and coat and an interesting shape. He is a little in two parts—what’s in front of the shoulder and what’s behind. I’d prefer to see his near fore forwards by 6"-8” and hind feet the same apart as the front to achieve an ‘open stanc...

As a selector in the Gorsebridge Go for Gold Event Horse Sale, we can have over 300 horses coming at us during the selection days. A standard routine is needed which does not change. My first question is, "Has the horse quality?" By quality I mean Thoroughbred % or Thoroughbred influence. I’m con...

Has this horse quality? The answer is definitely yes. This first impression is so important. As a selector for the Goresbridge Go for Gold Event horse sale, I have an abbreviation ‘GPO’ which stands for "Good Pull Out." It means that the first look prompts the potential client the need to bring t...

“This is a quality sort,” Chris Ryan began when looking at this 4-year-old Thoroughbred. “The Thoroughbred is a renowned breed improver/refiner for all the sporthorse stud books, and the pure Thoroughbred has his own register. They are the elite of the species as regards to refinement.”

“This individual is all quality being full Thoroughbred,” Chris Ryan first observed about this 5-year-old off-the-track Thoroughbred gelding. “Some carry more refinement than others and this fellow is quite fine. He is short coupled. And, he is a lovely strong colour!”

Chris Ryan’s first observation about this 4-year-old Thoroughbred mare is that she looks to be a “nice quality sort. She is perhaps a fraction thick in her head-to-neck connection – it could be that her head is quite strong. I’m not so keen on those with pretty heads, even on a filly, which can b...