How is she looking now?

tonitot

tonitot

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Hi all :) I posted a while ago with some pictures of Ethel and you all said she needed more weight and topline, I posted again a few weeks later but she hadn't changed much. So, I now have another picture of her from the other day and I think she loks better ... but what do you all think?

Here is Ethel back in September ...

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And here she is now ....

ethelbaby.jpg


I know her neck is still awful, but I assume that will come on with work, but being only 3 she's not in full work so it will be a while. Does she need any more weight on? I don't think she needs less weight being a poor doing TB coming into winter :p what do you all think??
 
I think she definitely looks like she has put some on round her bottom and her waist. I might even *tentatively* say she has put a little on her neck too although it could be that she is fluffy now :)

If she were mine I'd want a little more on her still as it is cold now but well done on the improvement so far. She'll probably grow into her neck as time goes on. She's only a bub after all. Ad lib hay on the floor so it is building up muscle in the right direction whilst you're waiting but I'm sure you know that already :)
 
Hey, I'd say she needs to build up the neck more! erm can I ask what you are feeding her and what work she is doing?

My gelding came to me looking the same way but he has had a rubbish year since he finished racing. He was on a restricted paddock with a coblet and not given any hard feed or hay through the hot dry summer we had! I put him on ad lib haylage and for hard feed, calm and condition (2scoops a day) and alpha a oil (2 scoops a day). And this is how he has changed

Ollie.jpg


2 weeks in
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and about 4 weeks ago
Ollie-1.jpg


His neck up close now looks huge, but he is piling on the weight so much I've had to cut some of it back lol
Not sure if this helps but it has certainly worked for Ollie :D
 
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I think she IS looking better but I'd also want to see more weight on her.
I have a skinny mare (well, she was - she isn't now!) and I feed her calm and condition and bailey's number one, with plenty of oil added & a handfull of competition mix.

As for her neck - it is pretty slim but as you say, she's only three. Time yet for lots of improvement! ;)
 
Weight wise she does look better, well done :D But as you said her neck still looks very skinny!!! I found lunging in draw reins helped my boy build alot more muscle on his neck, and i only lunged once a week in it (twice to start with). Looks like a nice wee horse, good luck with her :)
 
Thanks guys :)

Chellebean - She has two feeds a day both consisting of 1 round scoop of Alfa A Oil, 1 small rectangle scoop of Recoup (she was on this when I got her and did very well on it so I put her back on it) and two small rectangle scoops of soaked speedi-beet, plus a haynet at night which I'm currently putting more and more hay into until she starts leaving a bit, but if putting hay on the floor will help build the muscle in her neck as jesstickle has said then maybe I should start doing that?
 
She looks tons better then when you got her T :D
I know exactly what you mean about her neck, i didnt notice it last time i visited until i looked at the photos i took and its really obvious :eek:
 
Ollie is feed haylage off the floor and these pics are with him in very little work at 7years old if that helps? I didn't realise your mare was only 3, so my bits may not help much! although C&C has some sugabeet in it already. I believe it has done wonders for him :D
 
Oh forgot to mention her workload .. as she's only a baby she spends most of her time lounging around in the field with her new 19yr old boyfriend, but we occasionally go for a hack with a friend just to get her out and about. We only go out for about half an hour and only walk :)

Nicole - thanks for the advice :) I'm reluctant to use draw reins as I've never used them before so wouldn't want to do it wrong and do more damage than good.
 
Hay on the floor won't help build her neck up as such but pulling hay out of a haynet can lead to them developing muscle on the underside of their neck which will just make it look worse. It is more about preventing incorrect muscle developing. If she is messy eating from the floor I had some great suggestions from people on here about how to feed it from ground level without it being loose

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=415421

my thread here. Obviously you want her to eat as much hay as she will, unlike my fatty boom boom, but in case she isn't a big hay eater or trashes it all it might be useful :)
 
I personally would say you are doing fine feeding, as she's only 3 and too much hard feed to build her up could cause damage to her bones as she's still growing big time. she looks a lovely sort so don't rush as she's only a baby still.:):):)
 
She is looking better but could still do with putting on a bit more weight. Her neck should improve with correct schooling as she should start to develop a topline.
 
Jesstickle - Have had a quick read through and there are some interesting ideas there :) I haven't ever fed her hay from the floor in her stable, she's always had her net so not sure if she's messy so maybe I'll try it for a few days :) I am a bit concerned about her developing a ewe neck so if she isn't a messy beast and doesn't decide it's funny to make me stand there picking out strands of hay in an attempt to save as much bedding as possible (as my old loan pony did) then I'll continue to feed her from the floor :)

And thank you EB :)
 
I've always liked Ethel, since the beginning. I do think she looks better, more weight on especially tum and bum. I would be happy is she came out of winter in that condition so perhaps try to get a bit more on her to see her through. I think her neck will change in time, as she matures and her workload is more defined. Stick with it, she's lovely and you're doing a great job. x
 
i would feed her from the floor, up her alpha and her hay/haylage and leave her be, and not work her at all for the next year! she is only 3. i would also strap her topline daily and add a balancer like top spec or blue chip. yes she has dropped her belly down a bit but she is a long way from being round and developed..she looks very immature and needs time to grow and fill out.
 
Angelbones - Aw thank you :) It's nice to know people on here like her :D

ofcourseyoucan - I have thought about putting her on a balancer but I don't know which one would be best for her, there are loads of different types of blue chip and topspec and I never know which one to get her. Do you have any suggestions?
 
i would try either blue chip original or topspec, and also add some oil in the hope she might store it as fat! good luck she will need plenty hay in this cold weather.
 
Echo Bravo said:
I personally would say you are doing fine feeding, as she's only 3 and too much hard feed to build her up could cause damage to her bones as she's still growing big time. she looks a lovely sort so don't rush as she's only a baby still.:):):)
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Ditto :D

She's looking good hunny. Don't pile on the weight too quickly at this stage, though the balancing act isn't easy! Fibre. Try haylage if you can. Also Equijewel is brilliant :D
 
ofcourse, - thanks for your advice :) I shall add a bag of one of those on my next order. What oil is best to give her? I can grab some today whislt shopping if I know what I'm getting :D

MrsM - Thank you :) Might see about haylage but wil have to work out costs etc before actually buying it. She was on Equijewel when she was at the racing yard where I work and if I remember rightly she was one of the ones taken off it as she refused to touch her feed with it in there :D
 
tonitot said:
Hi all :) I posted a while ago with some pictures of Ethel and you all said she needed more weight and topline, I posted again a few weeks later but she hadn't changed much. So, I now have another picture of her from the other day and I think she loks better ... but what do you all think?

Here is Ethel back in September ...

DSC01050.jpg


DSC01046.jpg


And here she is now ....

ethelbaby.jpg


I know her neck is still awful, but I assume that will come on with work, but being only 3 she's not in full work so it will be a while. Does she need any more weight on? I don't think she needs less weight being a poor doing TB coming into winter :p what do you all think??
Click to expand...
def looking better and much more relaxed. Well done. If she were mine, I would be lunging her a few times a week in a chambon. Chambons make them use their back and neck muscles and if used correctly, don't give a downhill horse. Well done though, she is beginning to look good!
 
Fairynuff said:
def looking better and much more relaxed. Well done. If she were mine, I would be lunging her a few times a week in a chambon. Chambons make them use their back and neck muscles and if used correctly, don't give a downhill horse. Well done though, she is beginning to look good!
Click to expand...

I haven't thought of using a Chambon, I've never used one before so how do you use them? Would this kind of work be okay for a 3yo? I don't want to overwork her :o
 
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