Strengthing hindquarters

dominobrown

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I have a horse I am breaking in to sell, she is a 3year old ID who is quite young looking. She has been really good to break and has a lovely nature but bad conformation. She is really weak behing and I was wondering if there is any way to build her up. I honestly think that alothough she will never be perfect she just needs time to mature, Irish draughts are slooowwww at growing!
Anyways I want to sell her, just as happy hacker, safe cob etc but I worried no one will even consider her, despite the fact she is so good to do. I am not asking much money for her at all but do you think people would be compleatly put off?

(will post a picture in a second)
 
If she is still looking very young - is she ready to be being broken?

The best way I have found to strengthen the back end is by doing a ton of marching up and down hills - but I wouldn't want to be doing this with a 3yo.

Are you able to at least wait another couple of months, let her get some nice new grass down her, and that will at least give her a chance to grow on a little more. As you said IDs are slow to grow - so maybe she just needs a bit more time?
 
Hill work is generally good, though I would worry in this case that as she is so young and immature she would find it difficult so you would need to build it up very gradually. Lunging can help improve balance and strength etc but again be wary of overdoing it. Will wait to see pictures! As you say yourself she is only a young ID so isn't going t look really muscley just yet.

Is she rising 4 or only just 3? Though either way if she is struggling maybe it would be best to ease off for awhile and allow her time to grow. I don't think poeple would be too put off so long as you were honest with them.
 
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I second the thoughts about age. I think at 3 she is too immature to expect her to do the best work on hills. Let her grow up a bit, or sell her as she is. Don't risk injury or long term problems by doing too much. She's not ready, and people who know horses shouldn't expect too much from a baby ID. :)
 
picture.php


The picture is of a 2 year old, she is a bit bigger now. Although I agree she shouldn't do too much, I have to sell her, and with her conformation no one who is into Irish draughts is going to buy her, I got her because she failed inspections and was just a 'get rid of it quickly, want nothing more to do with it' job. I am looking for a good home, but I don't have the time for her next winter, as I am at uni, already have one horse and I am more intreseted in evennting/ point to pointing.
 
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