horses musculature

[jenbleep]

i had an article in HORSE magazine about this but i cant find it anywhere!!

can anyone tell me what you can look for on a horses neck, back and hindquarters to tell that hes been schooled correctly? for example, if a horse has more muscle at the bottom of the neck near the withers rather than all the way over what does this mean? etc etc

thanks guys xx

 

[cosmo_sam]

I'm no expert but I always look for what I call the "dressage muscle" - basically by that I mean that the neck is full in front of the wither and not hollow.

In my experience, horses in work that are being schooled regularly and have been so for some time - if the schooling is through and swinging, then that muscles develops. If the shape has been manufactured and the horse is tight, then that muscle doesn't develop.