Before and afters - Condition

[Wagtail]

and finally arching her neck to get some topline!! (She's never worked in a proper outline before but after putting side reins on for a lunge she now wont stop standing like this, even will no pressure!!)

Lovely mare and loooking much better than when you got her. In this final pic though you have her on a very tight rein, almost in rollkur. Saddle flaps are right over her shoulders too. Does her saddle slip forwards?

 

[Megibo]

Megibo I get right confused between your two!

Hehe A couple of people on my yard have suggested driving them and asked if they were sisters.

 

[3bh]

March 2011:

August 2011: (6 months later)

July 2011 (racing fit):

May 2012:

 

[ozpoz]

I haven't read the whole thread, but Pigeon and Welsh D I congratulate you
for the happiness in the eyes of your animals - now that IS good management

 

[lottiepony]

Some amazing photo's I really like the fat to fit ones as this really does take such hard work!
Here are a couple of mine, first up is Magic, ex-racer who I went to see and luckily the boyfriend at the time agreed we just couldn't leave her there so that was an easy one to wangle excuse the idiot and guess what time of year it was lol

New Image by lottiepony, on Flickr

100_4185 by lottiepony, on Flickr
and very proud as only four months later:

Jays 10.04.2011 102 by lottiepony, on Flickr

Jays 10.04.2011 022 by lottiepony, on Flickr

and these 2 photos of Billy pony were taken in the same day just to prove you can turn anything into a beauty with a bath and some plaits

3213_90494427183_1274334_n (2) by lottiepony, on Flickr

3213_90494437183_2944590_n (2) by lottiepony, on Flickr

 

[eatmyshorts]

Wow Lottiepony! Magic has been transformed!! What a lucky girl!

 

[Daytona]

Ludo as a 4 year old

And as a 5 year old

And nearly 6 years old

 

[dark_prince]

That looks like a completely different horse OP!

 

[Firewell]

OP well done. I love your horse, he reminds me of my beautiful ex-racer that I adore. Your horse is a credit to you and he loooks magnificent .

 

[Shantara]

Some lovely changes here

Here's Neddy!

 

[Big Ben]

Love your Appy, BB. Do you still have him? He's stunning.

Nope, I sold him last year, he wasn't enjoying the transition to English, so he has gone on to a young man who is roping with him, and they are having a blast.

 

[mcnaughty]

my boy when i got him

and after

i know the saddle does not fit it was just for the picture

OMG! That is amazing! All of the poorly souls have such an amazing colour change! I know you boy was clipped but you can still see the difference!!

 

[mrsk29]

some great transformations everyone!
i have probably posted these before..

and a year later...

 

[dafthoss]

The day he arrived

And how he worked

And him after being clipped this morning (he wouldn't stand still hence standing funny, I'll get a better one tonight)

And how he goes now

And another bareback in the snow

 

[Rupert-the-bear]

agree gone from healthy to obese

Totally agree with this, although the end of last year at a top level show, one of my judges commented on how it was such a lovely refreshing change to see a horse that wasn't overweight!! (she regularly judges HOYS qualifiers so has quite an influence too!)

Will try and find a pic of him at the show to show weight

 

[wispagold]

Can't believe some of the transformations on here. Some of you have an extremely good eye and others I am not sure what would have become of some of the horses in the before pictures if they have had not been fortunate to come across the right people!

There is nothing wrong with my horse, just the growing up process!

As a 2 yr old:

At 4yrs old (first time jumping)

At 5yrs old

At 7 yrs old:

 

[pinball]

Thank you mcnaughty he's not always that shiney

 

[Twinkley Lights]

LOL! I won't take offence at some of those comments! FionaM12, if you didn't wish to sound rude, perhaps you might have tried to think of at least something nice to say surely, before going on to say he was fat!

But yes, i agree, he is fat! He's also quite a bit younger & just broken in the first photo, so no topline or muscle. He's very much a typical good doing cob & lives on thin air! He's a total nightmare to keep weight off - i would certainly never deliberately keep weight on him - he'd been paddocked all Summer & in daily work at the time of those photos with no feed whatsoever! I can assure you, i am not the type to keep or make my horses fat for the showring - i don't show any more, but i only ever did it for a bit of fun anyway. He is now a veteran & still such a very good doer - currently living out 24/7, has had no feed or hay all Winter & i am just setting up a fatty paddock for him!! In January! Every Winter i think "He's bound to start losing weight now.... he's bound to start losing weight now..... please let him start losing weight now!!"

P.S Glad somebody appreciated his dotty feet tho!! Love his ermine marks.

He is beautiful just my sort and having a fresh air fatness cob type I feel your pain. I'm at a loss how to manage my girl and further we are suck at bordering 3-4 condition and she was grossly fat when she arrived.

Pidgeon well done stunning lad.

 

[Noodles_3]

My old mare

When I first got her

AFTER

Couple of months on in my care

Miss that mare so much

X

 

[amandaco2]

^^^
Wow.
was she wormy or post foaling when you got her?

 

[LittleGinger]

At 7 yrs old:

What an AMAZING shape! Lovely colour, too.

Amazing transformations... Really inspiring to know some horses' lives can be turned around so fully. Some people have a real eye for spotting 'diamonds in the rough' (e.g. at sales) and I love seeing the before and afters... I love seeing the 'normal' ones too, i.e. those that are beginning training and then again further down the line - makes me hopeful that maybe one day I will discover a horse underneath my boy's giraffe pose.

 

[JFTDWS]

At 4yrs old (first time jumping)

At 7 yrs old:

Lovely horse, but I'm mostly just envious of your position -such a strong "safe" seat on the baby jump and awesome on the second

 

[Paint Me Proud]

Chico not long after I bought him (aged just gone 4, unbacked)

One year later

8 months later - a week after emergency colic surgery

And 6 months after colic surgery, a bit on the fat side but that has come off since he has been back in work

 

[FionaM12]

Chico is so pretty Paint me Proud.

 

[Pigeon]

July 2011 (racing fit):

May 2012:

Wow, his face is so much like my lad's!! What's his breeding?

 

[Pigeon]

And him after being clipped this morning (he wouldn't stand still hence standing funny, I'll get a better one tonight)

Amazing improvement, and how cute does he look clipped!!! Like a peach haha!

 

[Crazycob06]

Have posted these before but here is Izzy.

Obese, unfit, bargy cob, just before I got him on loan - July 2009

Trec orienteering - Summer 2011

Think this is Spring 2012

Endurance October 2012

Hard work but he is in perfect shape now according to the vet and physio. Had some problems with his feet and neck so was only hacked for 8 months last year, but back in tip top form now.

I don't have any before pics of tinks but I'd say she was quite like yours when I got her, maybe more fat on her neck. She is looking like the spring photo now and I'm looking forward to getting her fitter! I can't believe the difference in her!

 

[trendybraincell]

Shadwick when I bought him at 2.5/3 yrs old

Fat Shadwick we moved to a dressage yard and the new regime began

Lets get slim!! I have no idea how much weight we shifted but that was probably his lightest weight wise.

This is last summer as a 10yr old, don't have any untacked recent pics to compare

To say I watch the waist line would be an understatement!

 

[chestnuttyy]

I never do these... please don't be mean!!!

Before (18 months ago)

Sumer 2012

 

[tinap]

2 days after we bought him in May 2008

July 2010

its a little deceiving as the daughter has grown so much between the 2 photos (still only 5'1" mind) but he was such a fatty when we bought him. He looks fab over the summertime when he is at his fittest & out competing every weekend, does get a little porky over the winter still though.