opinions on condition?

[only_me]

can i please have your opinion on his condition please? and has he muscled up behind saddle and on his bum? and does he look fit enough to do novice xc?

sorry for questions but really need your help as i have tried my best to get rid of his greyhound appearance!

feel free to cc his confo or conditon, honest opinions please!

end of June:

now:

this is not a post for you to say how pretty he is - i really want your opinions on his condition!!

 

[AandK]

he looks fab, a nice type of horse and a perfect weight for him i think..

 

[tikino]

he looks good and as aandk said he is of perfect weight. the problem is there are to many horses out there that are overweight. i dont see a problem with your lad going and doing a novice xcountry go and hope you both enjoy yourselfs

 

[kerilli]

looks good to me. i wouldn't want to see him carrying a lot more condition for Nov eventing though, i like to be able to see the outline of the last rib or so. looks perfect now though.

 

[MistletoeMegan]

Good condition and he has added some muscle to the bum.

Are my eyes funny or is he stood on a roof in the recent pics?

 

[Sarah_Jane]

For my liking I would to see a tad less weight if you want to be competitive at Novice and that will probably come with him being a bit fitter.

Generally though he looks well muscled and in good condition.

 

[only_me]

thanks for commenting guys

looks like merlin will have to do some more work (or i could just not feed him anymore sugarbeet

)

thanks

have been working to try and get his back more muscled, so will try and continue on cantering work (weather dependant

lol ) and more hacking, as its still 2 weeks to first novice.

oh, and the recent pics are in the same yard as the old pic

my stables have a yard in front so he can be loose and walk around, and the reason that it looks like a roof is because they are built at the top of the hill - the red roof is my house

thanks again guys

 

[Kallibear]

I'm going to rock the boat a bit: I think he's a little overweight now. He's looking well muscled but he also looks like he has a belly on him - the abdomial curve he should have, going by the rest of his condition, is missing, suggesting he's carrying a lot of abdomial fat. His type of horse generally do carry their fat internally in the ventral abdomen.

He's not obese by any means, but he definintly does not need to put any more weight on, and loosing just a little (or placeing it with muscle) would do him good.

 

[only_me]

no, i asked for honest opinons

will take him off the sugar beet and increase the fittening work i think, so that he becomes a little more leaner looking and more muscely.

how do i loose the adominal fat?

 

[Kallibear]

You personally, or the horse?

He'll loose it just with loosing a little weight. Cobby horses put their fat on their necks and crests and bum. More TB-y types seem to carry it inside more - it's not until they're obese that they start to get the crest and the big bum.

As he gets fitter he'll get more abdominal muscle and the belly will lift anyways- that's why the obese show horses don't have a belly - they're fit AND disgustingly fat (you can be both!)

I do prefere horse to be lean and muscled, rather than 'well conditioned'. It's better for them all round. If he was mine I'd ideally like him to loose maybe 25kg or so (i.e just a little) but to honest, as winters coming I'd just be leaving him as he is and letting him drop some weight over the winter.