best way to build topline to a horse not in work??

buddy's mummy

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Hello, can I ask how old Buddy is? Earlier you mentioned he is going to be a field ornament for a few months, is this due to us being in the Winter season and time/daylight is not on your side? Is it because his lameness could mean turnout recuperation? Is he a youngster that would benefit from a few more growing months? Are you actually looking for top line or are you looking to increase his weight, put more cover on him? I am wondering whether you are confusing top line with 'fattening' up? If he has a poor neck then no amount of good old fashioned 'banging' will help because the muscle quality will not be good enough. Need more information because your post is getting more confusing!

Buddy is 15yro irish cob type. he is off work as such but vet advised for him to be lightly worked as is on a bute trial due to unknown lameness few issues (not right) Bone scan is next...he is absolutely fine weight wise, but where he has had a poorly fitted saddle before I had him he has lost muscle and topline. hence wanting to build it back up.
 

DonskiWA

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Think of it this way; this would be the same as us wanting an abdominal 6 pack without working out. It's impossible to get by diet alone
 

Busybusybusy

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I'm watching this with interest because I have a chicken and egg situation - Reg doesn't have enough top line to wear a saddle, although after several weeks on good grass (from September onwards) he has now covered his ribs really well - and isn't hungry because he doesn't clean up his feeds in one sitting, takes 2. So how to build that muscle without riding, and with very little time to lunge or long rein? Is it possible or does he remain a field ornament until the spring.
After my horse went lame he lost all his muscle - it turned out that he also had kissing spines and was operated on, so I have not been able to ride him - he has gone from looking like a hat rack to building muscle all along his topline. I have done this by mainly walking in hand every day, plus long reining - I don't lunge him as he's an idiot, plus I don't want to do tight circles with him. I am now also walking with a Pilates band round his quarters which makes him work across his back, plus do carrot stretches and tummy lifts with him, which the physio recommended.
I do feed him quite a lot, he has as lib hay, cool stance copra, micronised linseed and plain straw chaff, plus vitamins & minerals - he has put all of his topline on with minimal ridden work - I had started riding him (for 4 weeks in walk only) but due to his new muscle, his saddle now does not fit & I need to get a new one, so decided to wait until I get him refitted before riding him again.
 

k_sandy93

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as title?? any miracle feeds..he is fine condition wise but lacking topline/muscle.

I understand what people are saying about 'topline' comes from work not feed, but I have a conemarra that I do BE with, so during the season he's worked fairly hard, most of his training being flatwork whether that be ridden or pessoa, he always had incredible condition, well developed muscles and a shiny coat, but no matter how much work we did, his neck naturally looks very weak (ie, not muscly and looked like he had no top line). I stuck him on a bag of Blue Chip Original and the difference was incredible in his neck, he looked a lot more in proportion and really helped fill his neck out without putting any added weight on anywhere else!
 

EAST KENT

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My problem,Irish Cob mare of 14 yrs,she had a bad do with laminitus last Feb,long period of box rest and eventually graduated turn out.During the summer she regained some weight ,her neck remained rather unmuscled.Now she is sound,out and on ad lib good meadow hay.I need to know if I would be OK feeding perhaps a balancer plus grass nuts and bran/chaff??These balancer things are new territory to an old fashioned horse owner.I want her well,but not to risk Lami again.She hacks out a couple of times a week,but is ribby at the moment
Obviously worming is due,it is the same as last year,for a cob she is hard to keep condition on
 

_GG_

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First of all, don't use strapping/banging on a cold horse. The horse should be warm, having already worked before you do this and it is something you need to start small and increase repetitions gradually. Horses can suffer muscle damage from having this done by inexperienced hands on cold and tight muscles. It is an extremely useful tool for keeping condition on horses that are not in work, I should know as my old mare Teasle came off 15 months full box rest looking pretty much the same as she did going into it working at Advanced Medium. I did it twice a day and each time took an hour and a half. It took so long because I would have to manually warm up each area before strapping it. That involved a lot of work using my hands to get initial heat in, then massage, them heat again and when nice and warm and relaxed, I would strap the muscle and then rub down again afterwards before moving on. She loved it and it worked well with a box rest horse in that it was 3 hours a day of contact and stimulation to break the monotony of it.

For work, I honestly believe hacking builds top line better than any other work, lunging included. Lunging, especially in side reins or other gadgets is great for putting muscle on the neck, but not so great elsewhere. Hacking on varied terrain with the horse having his head where he/she wants it has been the best way I have ever found to get proper topline started. School work just then adds to it.

Lunging is not something I would advise with a suspect lameness to be honest.
 

amandap

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Yes but depending on the cause of the lameness, lungeing tight circles might make things much worse.
I agree. Working when you have removed or dulled the horses defense against further injury ie. pain is not something I agree with even though it is commonly prescribed by vets.
eta. Obviously a carefully managed rehab program is a different matter

I do think a decent balancer containing lysine especially is a good idea. Lysine is the first limiting amino acid (protein most often deficient in grass and hays). So I can see how a quality balancer might help a bit.
 
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