Help- Topline/muscle building??

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littlen

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Hi,

I am currently attempting to improve the condition of my horse. So far I am not having much luck and I would appreciate some help or advice please!

He is a good doer. He was obese when I got him (he was given to me as old owner couldnt cope) and I have managed to get him down to a reasonable weight. Despite being obese he came to me with literally no muscle or topline due to never being worked properly or in an outline before. I am trying my best to improve him so I can take him places this summer, providing he will behave!
His main problems are a lack of muscle along the hind quaters (think triangle shaped!) and also a lack of topline of any kind. He also has a saggy tummy due to being allowed to get huge which I doubt I will ever be rid of but I would like to try and tone it up.

I am currently having lessons with an instructor to help and in lessons he works in a nice outline, however when I try it myself he behaves awfully and works with his head right in the air. Obviously I cant build muscle unless he works proplery so I am stuck.

He wont lunge, just bombs about at 100miles an hour until dripping with sweat. I dont think he understands. He will not do trotting poles on the lunge yet, just runs around them.

He is feed baileys lo cal balancer as he cant have anything else due to weight/lami.

So,

- Does anyone have any ideas of how to get him lunging correctly and in an outline without having a fit. He does not respond to voice aids well although is improving.

- Does anyone know how exactly to get an outline out of him? In other words what exactly do you do to get an outline?

- Are there any other excersises that can be done to build topline?


If anyone has any before/after pics of their horses with and without topline and advice how it was achieved i would be very grateful.
 
I read a comment on here last year about how they lunged and tried it on mine and found it works really well.
Basically keep the bridle on, and have a pair of draw reins. Put them equally over the withers so they dangle to the ground. Then put them through the front legs/chest and clip them to the bit, tie a know to thecorrect length and lunge. Pressure is gone completely when they work rounded correctly and encourages to hold themselves there.

Here's a pic of what I'm trying to explain lol!

25157_421960496752_708806752_5000810_2832255_n.jpg
 
Why don't you have a lesson with your instructor to improve his way of going on the lunge? Once your lunging is more established and he is settled you could use a Pessoa / John Whitaker training aid on long and low position. I am not a gadget fan by any means but this has really improved and strengthened the topline on several horses I have worked with in conjunction with correct ridden work. These things take time and lots of work and patience, keep going!!
 
I hack 2 or 3 times a week. We are lucky in that we have lots of hills which really helps build up topline and backend. Nice to get out arena too!
 
He is hacked about 3 times a week, sometimes more. I have an hour lesson and I would like to introduce some schooling/lunging into the routine once I become more confident (at the moment I am nervous alone in the school and he picks up on this, he also wont lunge so I dont really lunge if I am honest.)

My instructor has given me some lunge lessons. She also teaches me in the school and he works well. It just wont work when I do it alone.

We dont have many hills but the small one we do have I take advantage of :)
 
He is hacked about 3 times a week
Click to expand...

Up it - and the amount of actual work he does. This is what will fitten him and get the result you're after.

My horse never goes in the school, is well muscled, tonned and fit (well prior to going on box rest anyway).
 
tackle the outline issues on your lessons!
lunging- can someone not lunge whilst you ride so he gets the idea a bit more? then try without a rider- roller and side reins on or the draw rein method once he is sensible
as much work as possible but make sure he is forward and going into the bridle at all times.
work him everyday, esp if he is a little porky. hill work is excellent. raised trotting poles too.
how old is he? very young or older horses will be more difficult to get topline on.
 
Lunging is good for topline - I use a chambon for mine, as he can hooyet round then without it jabbing him, and when he does decide its time to work (ie when he's a bit puffed out!) he works really well in it.

I would also up the hacking if you can, also as you seem to enjoy doing that! I have started doing hill work in my field (which is very hilly) going up and down the hill for about 10 mins, in walk, then trot, then cantering up the hill. I have only done this a few times so far, but I think it should have a good effect on his topline, and his fitness.Is there anywhere you coudl give this a go? :)
 
Mine finds working into an outline rather hard, sometimes it's def harder to get her working properly than others. Thb I can usually put this down to my errors (the other times she is v fresh and rather a cow!!) as sometimes I feel nervous and I find it hard to feel brave enough to send her forwards. When she isn't working forwards enough then there is no way she can work in an outline. You really need to push him forwards (not necessarily carting round the school or on a hack, just working with a nice tempo with energy), only when he is working forwards enough do you have any chance of an outline. He will find it hard at first so allow him breaks. You don't have to restrict schooling to the school. On a hack you may find he is more naturally forward going so it might be easier to introduce the idea to him then, always with leg on though. As well as that then just loads of hacking with hills. No need to go flying around, a decent walk and trot are really beneficial to keep the weight off and build tone.
Good luck, it is rather a slow slog but def worth it in the end!
 
Agree with those who have suggested hill work. Me and Dylan are working in a similar vein at the moment, teaching him to go in an outline and improving his muscle.
 
Rather than lunging, why don't you try long-reining him? I'm sure your instructor will be able to give you some lessons. It is far easier to get them into an outline, gets their rear legs working underneath them, and you can control the speed with your outside rein. Hope this helps, good luck!
 
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