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birdof1977
Silver Member
308 Posts |
 Posted - 12 Jan 2010 : 10:33:41 AM
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As in the title really.
Just wondered how you would rate my horses condition at the moment.
As he is the first pure bred arab I have owned, I thought I would ask some of the more knowledgable of you
I think he's a bit on the fat side and lacking in decent topline and muscle, but what do you guys think?
:)
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alethea
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
1526 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jan 2010 : 10:39:17 AM
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I think he looks in very good condition. I agree he could do with some more muscle on his back end, looks like he needs building and strengthening up abit, but other than that he looks fab
Alethea
Aristotle Arabians |
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jaj
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
4324 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jan 2010 : 11:11:56 AM
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Doesn't look fat to me bless him  !
My mare is out of condition as she had a foal last year and she looks vaguely similar to your chap. Just needs building up slowly with exercise and feed (not easy in this weather I know)!
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Kuraishiya (Maleik el Kheil/Kazra el Saghira) and Sahara Bey (Kuraishiya/WSA Charismma) |
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LYNDILOU
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
13976 Posts |
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birdof1977
Silver Member
308 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jan 2010 : 12:19:28 PM
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Thanks guys. I am struggling a bit at the moment with the weather etc to keep him in regular work. :( although up until the snow hit, he was excersised at least 5 times a week.
Although we are lucky enough to have an indoor school, its a bit hit and miss as to wether or not its busy when I have time to ride him.
He is a good doer in the spring/summer months when there's enough grass, and lives on 2 mugs of local balancer and a scoop of chaff a day, but at the moment he's on 2 scoops of chaff, a scoop of beet and 2 mugs of local, plus 24lbs of hay.
Several people have commented that he was getting a bit porky lately, not in a nasty way, they are people who's opinion I would usually respect, but as they are not 'arab people. I thought I would ask the experts. :)
HI am thinking of changing his diet as he doesn't seem to be doing to well on this one. Could any of you reccomend anything that won't pile on the pounds but will help put weight on in the right places, along with excersise.
Lyndilou. He is 11 and this is his pedigree
http://www.allbreedpedigree.com/island+balthazar |
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Holly
Gold Member
England
529 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jan 2010 : 12:36:36 PM
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I think he looks lovely and would say that his weight is about right but he is lacking in muscle on his behind. If possible lots of hill walking is great for building up his bum muscles especially if you really push him up the hill and keep him on the bit so that he is working harder.
If he is eating his feed then I wouldnt change it as he looks good and spring is approaching so all those good doers are far better to come into spring with less condition rather than more. As i think i have the fattest arab on arabian lines i know how important and useful the winter is for getting the weight off my porker although she is still the size of a house and we are in January already! ahhhhhhh! |
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pinkvboots
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
3290 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jan 2010 : 12:51:01 PM
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| He looks great not too fat, agree with the others he lacks back end muscle, my gelding has the same trouble he is 6 in May and I find it hard to create muscle and top line in this area also, if you don't mind me asking how old is your gelding? |
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Montikka
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
2653 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jan 2010 : 12:57:35 PM
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| Lovely chap - I agree with the others, he's not fat, he's very similar to our older mare, she's 12 y/o and has just the same lack of muscle behind, this can seem exaggerated by the fact that she has huge 'arab shoulders'. |
   
Louise, Warwickshire |
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LYNDILOU
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
13976 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jan 2010 : 1:15:34 PM
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looking at his pedigree I bet he is a really good mover  he has a great front but he may always be a tad weak behind, it will be interesting to see if you can muscule the back end up though |
   
www.dreamfield-arabians.com |
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birdof1977
Silver Member
308 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jan 2010 : 1:39:13 PM
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He has got lovely movement Lyndilou. Just floats over the ground in canter and has a lovely expressive trot.
Hopefully once the weather clears up I will be able to get him off the yard. We have some great hills to work on nearby, so I will be making the most of that. Hopefully that will muscle up his backend a bit more.
I have only had him since September, and where he was before he was only used for light hacking twice a week, so he was fairly lacking then in muscle, but I'm hoping to get out and about a lot in the following months.
With any luck I will be able to do the same with him as I did with my last pony (on loan) she went from this
The first time I rode her.....
to this ........
in about 3 months.
Just found this pic too of my lovely boy. The day I went to view him.
To me, he looks a bit slight on the back end there?? And that was in the middle of summer.
Oh and a couple more recent pics. Just to show you how he moves....
Coookies and ice cream if you get this far :)
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honey
Platinum Member
N. Ireland
2634 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jan 2010 : 6:28:54 PM
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| he looks great have to agree with the others he doesn;t look fat at all, a bit more topline and muscle and he will be a different horse. looking forward to seeing future pics. |
    
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xsara
Gold Member
822 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jan 2010 : 7:50:47 PM
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| i agree he is not overly fat but needs a bit more topline, my four year old part bred looks like him at the mo i thought she was a bit chubby but didnt have the topline and so i have increased her feed and changed it slightly and at the moment i havent been ab;le to ride her as much as i would like but i seen an improvement in her back in the space of a couple of weeks and is now a bit move covered in that area she has also strenghtened up alot over the winter with what she has done so a bit of time and he will be looking like ytour loan pony in no time which you did a real good job with looking forward to seeing some more pictures of him as he matures. |
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Meggie-Lu
Platinum Member
England
1519 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jan 2010 : 7:58:12 PM
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It's hard 2 judge your own horse, the part bred Merlin lives with was in a hell of a state, now he looks fab!
It's sooo much better 2 get some really gd advice frm arab owners.
I think he looks great, very pretty boy! |
   Danger Mouse |
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birdof1977
Silver Member
308 Posts |
Posted - 13 Jan 2010 : 04:27:14 AM
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Thanks so much for your kind words.
I was talking to my friend last night, who although doesn't have a
Arabs does know horses. And I commented on how well her two boys were looking this winter, compared to last winter. She told me that the only thing to have changed in their diet this year was she had changed there regular chaff to Dengie Alfa a oil.
I think that I am going to try my lad on this, and see if the extra oil's make any difference.
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Eeyore
Gold Member
1181 Posts |
Posted - 13 Jan 2010 : 10:18:01 AM
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He looks lovely You can't beat hill work for muscling quarters up.
Mine are always too fat despite my best attempts to keep them slim, I'm sure there is something in the water round here. |
Heléna
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Pasha
Platinum Member
England
3622 Posts |
Posted - 13 Jan 2010 : 10:27:12 AM
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| Pole work is fantastic for getting them to use their back end - start with flat poles on the ground and move on to raised poles - my physio swears by them, although we have a big enough bum already lol! |
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dawn
Bronze Member
United Kingdom
226 Posts |
Posted - 13 Jan 2010 : 1:53:27 PM
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| Hi, i changed my 2 to alfa a oil as well and makes a lot of difference plus nice glossy coat. Your boy looks fine and once the weather breaks youll be bak working him. Best feed combination i have found is alfa a oil, calm and condition and equilibra. Both my 2 are on this vartying quantities as ones 14.3 and the other 16.1 bith oure bred arab but looking great even through the cold winter. xx |
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birdof1977
Silver Member
308 Posts |
Posted - 13 Jan 2010 : 2:44:51 PM
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Thanks Dawn and Pasha.
I managed to ride him last night, but he was soooooooooo fresh, It wasn't really riding, more a case of trying to stay in control on his back. LOL.
Today he has gone out properly for the first time in 2 weeks. I'm hoping this will calm him down, as my friend who puts him to bed for me on a wednesday also excersises him when she has time, and I don't want him behaving for her like he did for me yesterday. LOL.
Anyway. I'm going to start changing his chaff over next week, and see how he goes from there. I did look into Calm and condition, and I'm still considering this, but as spring is coming (I hope) I don't really want to bulk him out too much. The lo-cal is great, I know he is getting the right amount of vits and mins with that, without the extra calories, and if he starts to look a bit lacking in weight, I shall just up the beet a bit.
And pole work was something we had started before the bad weather hit and we shall now resume.
Thanks again for all the advice.
I shall keep you updated with his progress  |
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pinkvboots
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
3290 Posts |
Posted - 13 Jan 2010 : 4:18:50 PM
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I have just changed to Alfa oil too and Arabi looks so much better, we were using HiFi Lite as he was overweight at our last yard but we moved yards at the end of Summer and the grass is not a rich here.I also asked the nutritionist at our feed shop and she said you need to feed enough protein to build muscle.
Pasha I agree with you about the pole work I am going to start once the snow has gone. |
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troystar
Bronze Member
United Kingdom
63 Posts |
Posted - 13 Jan 2010 : 4:42:29 PM
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looking good i wish my old boy was as big as him Ive got a long way 2 go with mine, i got him on prep mix 9pounds a day hes coming on nice, probably two hot for your boy, get riding him that keep him firm  |
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birdof1977
Silver Member
308 Posts |
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How do you think he's looking??
