Condition critique please & advice...

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Sarah1

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Hi

The following are all recent pictures of my big boy. Bailey is approx 17hh, believed to be ID x WB (tho more ID I think).
I think his weight isn't too bad at the moment - if he lost a bit he wouldn't look poor but I don't feel he looks podgy either (tho have a tendency to look at him through rose coloured specs as he's my angel!). What do you guys think?
Also need to try to tone him up a bit through winter tho my riding is cut to weekends now due to lack of facilities - I will probably just hack too as it's the only riding I'll do. I know I can school on hacks etc but do any of you know of any really specific exercises that could help us achieve results a bit quicker?!
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and these are just because he's so handsome...!
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Apologies they're all taken on one side - he has a big area of hair missing on the other side from one of the others in the field :mad:
Thanks
 
Thank you!
I will still have to watch his weight like a hawk through winter tho - he can get fat on fresh air! ;)
 
Great horse - just my type.

Schooling on a hack - brilliant!! Lots of really sharp transitions, incluing walk to canter and back to walk, or halt to trot and very importantly transitions within the pace (do a really slow but very 'up' trot and then extend the trot) . Leg yield. Walking backwards round corners, neck flexions, etc, etc, etc!! Used to have a book on this, but basically everything you can do in a school you can do on a hack with a little imagination!! Oh and use any hills you have - slow canters, etc, etc.
 
canteron said:
Great horse - just my type.

Schooling on a hack - brilliant!! Lots of really sharp transitions, incluing walk to canter and back to walk, or halt to trot and very importantly transitions within the pace (do a really slow but very 'up' trot and then extend the trot) . Leg yield. Walking backwards round corners, neck flexions, etc, etc, etc!! Used to have a book on this, but basically everything you can do in a school you can do on a hack with a little imagination!! Oh and use any hills you have - slow canters, etc, etc.
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Thanks! He's just my type too & such a gentleman! :)

We do try to do most of those things out hacking (not the backwwards corners thing tho!) - I'll stress that we try tho! I'm not the greatest rider but he puts up with my garbled instructions anyway!!!!
I'll have to give myself a kick up the behind and start being a bit stricter with myself!
The backwards corner thing is very intersting - is that to get them to take weight back a bit and supple up? We haven't done much rein back - any fool proof suggestions for nailing it most times?!
 
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would depend on how he winters, i couldn't let mine ever be that size as it is such a good doer however if yours is a bad doer thats perfect for winter. really nice horse.
 
BBD said:
would depend on how he winters, i couldn't let mine ever be that size as it is such a good doer however if yours is a bad doer thats perfect for winter. really nice horse.
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Nope - gets fat thinking about grass! I have to work really hard year round to stop him becoming huge - he weighs probably 600kg tho and is, in the words of my saddler, built like a house! He's in a 52" girth which is on 3rd hole one side & 4th on the other so I'm really quite happy with that, considering - he's on hardly any grazing and is just fed hay other than the days he works when he gets a handful of lite balancer with half a handful of happy hoof!
 
BonneMaman said:
How old is he? He looks fab though, just right at this time of year. Enjoy!!
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He turned 10 this year! Thanks - I've had him since he was 4 and he grew a bit bigger than anticipated so I look like a pea on a mountain but I wouldn't swap him for the world he's a darling :)
 
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