# OK tell me ALL the things wrong with this boy...



## ChingazMyBoy (Apr 16, 2009)

Im bad at critique! But I know one good thing.

He is adorable


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## maddiemaisie (Jul 31, 2009)

:lol: that's just what i think too  whatever faults he may have they're exactly the reasons i LOVE him!!


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## Fire Eyes (May 13, 2009)

_It's hard to critique when they're not standing square. All I can really see is he's a bit chubby, and has a bit of a ewe neck. In some of the pics he looks like he needs a bit more muscle.

And not in a rude way, but is he missing an eye? It looks like it.. :/

He's an awesome colour though, and he looks very sweet.
_


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## morganshow11 (Dec 19, 2008)

I like the black spot on all four legs!!


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## themacpack (Jul 16, 2009)

It's kind of hard to tell much, conformation wise, with his head down. However, he is absolutely adorable, I have a huge soft spot for one-eyed horses.


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## maddiemaisie (Jul 31, 2009)

Sorry they're not very good pictures, he like to follow so i can never get far enough away to get a picture, that's why they're all a little "rushed" yes he is blind in 1 eye (still has the eye) and his "good eye" isn't all that good either!! I thought he was "underweight" or is it just the muscle wastage that makes him look that way? do you think he needs more muscle opposed to fat?


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## Jillyann (Mar 31, 2009)

I think he needs a lot more top line, and neck muscles.


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## SpiritJordanRivers (May 31, 2009)

He's really pretty!! He's got a long and gorgeous mane for an Appy. He's does have an ewe neck though and it needs more muscle, but other than that he's pretty good. I love his spots <3


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## hollybee (Aug 14, 2009)

other than being a bit underweight,
he's absolutely gorgeous !!


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## IheartPheobe (Feb 15, 2009)

his neck needs a lot more muscle..  He looks good, though. I have a horse who looks EXACTLY like him in the 8th pic in the OP.. Except he's a buskin. lol.


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## West (Aug 18, 2009)

I see nothing wrong with him. Very lovely looks like a good pal to have.


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## FlitterBug (May 28, 2009)

First of all, I do love the spots.

Starting from the ground up...... Be carefull with his suspensory issues. A lot of this is coming from not using his hind end properly. He is not flexing much through his stifle and hock, leaving the fetlock to take a brunt of the suspension. I would wrap his legs while working him, not just splints, but polos or sports boots to support the fetlock. He is dragging his hind end behind him, instead of pushing, this contributes to the tight hamstrings and tight lower back, and further contributing to the lack of topline. The dropped back is making the barrel look a little dropped and pushed back, similar to a person letting their belly hang out. He is pulling himself through his front legs and the bottom of the neck, giving him that "ewe neck" look. The muscles in his shoulder look very tight and underdeveloped. His bracing through the lower neck gives the neck that curled up look. He is basically just a little upside down.

I don't think he needs more weight, and its not a matter of just adding more muscle. He needs to learn correct posture. Correct balance and posture will help the body to move like it is supposed to move. Correct movement will always show in the end result of the body. I also would not call it conformational issues. We don't look at a person and say they have bad conformation, they may have a different length of bone, or different genetic tendencies, but these are not the things that will make a person look poor in their body, it is their posture and athletic ability. With the right tools, you can teach this to your horse, strengthening his entire body and encouraging the healthy muscle development.


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## maddiemaisie (Jul 31, 2009)

FlitterBug said:


> First of all, I do love the spots.
> 
> Starting from the ground up...... Be carefull with his suspensory issues. A lot of this is coming from not using his hind end properly. He is not flexing much through his stifle and hock, leaving the fetlock to take a brunt of the suspension. I would wrap his legs while working him, not just splints, but polos or sports boots to support the fetlock. He is dragging his hind end behind him, instead of pushing, this contributes to the tight hamstrings and tight lower back, and further contributing to the lack of topline. The dropped back is making the barrel look a little dropped and pushed back, similar to a person letting their belly hang out. He is pulling himself through his front legs and the bottom of the neck, giving him that "ewe neck" look. The muscles in his shoulder look very tight and underdeveloped. His bracing through the lower neck gives the neck that curled up look. He is basically just a little upside down.
> 
> I don't think he needs more weight, and its not a matter of just adding more muscle. He needs to learn correct posture. Correct balance and posture will help the body to move like it is supposed to move. Correct movement will always show in the end result of the body. I also would not call it conformational issues. We don't look at a person and say they have bad conformation, they may have a different length of bone, or different genetic tendencies, but these are not the things that will make a person look poor in their body, it is their posture and athletic ability. With the right tools, you can teach this to your horse, strengthening his entire body and encouraging the healthy muscle development.


Thankyou for all your advise.....yes i have been worried about the suspensory issues and unsure whether to work him at all, i've been looking at boots to offer some support to his hind legs and will certainly have a look at polo/sports boots.
He certainly does pull himself from the front end and doesn't work from the back at all, he seems to just pull his back end along behind him. What would you suggest to help him better his posture and help to correct some of these issues? Will his ewe neck improve with better posture/muscle? or will the muscle on the underside remain always giving him the "upside down" look?
What is likely to of caused him these issues, is it damage to the suspensory ligaments that have caused him the posture/muscle issues or are they likely just entirely seperate issues (don't really know much background on him, apart from he's been shoved from pillar to post over the last 12 months)


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## FlitterBug (May 28, 2009)

Its actually usually opposite, the posture/muscle issues led to the poor suspensory. If you are familiar with polo wraps, use those, if not, use something like the professionals choice SMB. This will restrict some movement in the fetlock and cause him to use his other joints a little more efficiently. Almost like if you try to walk without moving your toes at all, your other joints will have to bend more to walk.

I would probably start with hand walking for a while, a slower walk rather than faster. Start slow and build up, this will start to help his whole topline. Light currying along the topline will also help the circulation in that area. Not just a light curry over, but a good amount of time stimulating the area.

You will notice a change with just the hand walking, and after a certain amount of time, I would start offering a little more support. I use long reins or balance bands to help the horse establish its balance from the left to right, then it will be easier to stretch the topline and start using the hind end better. Long reins can be tricky, and take some training to use correctly. I have heard good things about the pessoa balance system, but I use something different that was pattented by my trainer. I could be wrong, but I am guessing that he would need some type of support before he could easily travel in a circle on a line.

Usually, this type of damage is caused by poor riding, poor saddle fit, or both. Horses naturally carry more weight on the front legs, even though the hind legs are better designed for it. In the wild, they travel a lot and have an opportunity to learn to balance, however, with people, they rarely have the need to travel and then we compromise their weight carriage without teaching them how to carry themselves correctly. Some horses rebel, some horses just keep trying, doing what they can with the body they have. Horses have to be 90% lame before showing signs (attracts predators in the wild), so there can easily be problems in the musculoskeletal system without any obvious limping.

His whole body can improve, but it will be a slow process. It will start from the back and move its way forward. He needs to strengthen his core, and everything else will follow. He can handle light work, occasional trail ride, pony ride for a cousin, etc. If you wanted to do anything extensive with him, I would recommend a lot of physical focused work to build up to it. You basically have to become his personal trainer. Even if you don't want to do a lot with him, taking on a project like this can turn into a great learning experience.

Half an hour of handwalking every day with leg wraps will do wonders in the beginning. Dressage work will help, but I would try to find someone with more of a classical approach for this guy. Good luck with him.


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## RacePony007 (Jul 4, 2009)

He is a fit looking horse! His legs are nice, and not too long, he has a nice short back, he may be slightly roached back but barely, and he has a little thinner neck than I prefer, but is their something wrong with his right eye!!!


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## maddiemaisie (Jul 31, 2009)

Yes he is blind in his right eye!!


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## maddiemaisie (Jul 31, 2009)

FlitterBug said:


> Its actually usually opposite, the posture/muscle issues led to the poor suspensory. If you are familiar with polo wraps, use those, if not, use something like the professionals choice SMB. This will restrict some movement in the fetlock and cause him to use his other joints a little more efficiently. Almost like if you try to walk without moving your toes at all, your other joints will have to bend more to walk.
> 
> I would probably start with hand walking for a while, a slower walk rather than faster. Start slow and build up, this will start to help his whole topline. Light currying along the topline will also help the circulation in that area. Not just a light curry over, but a good amount of time stimulating the area.
> 
> ...


 
Thats great, THANKYOU, will start with some regular walks in hand, i don't plan to do too much with him but would like to get him looking/feeling better!!


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## LiveToJump (Jun 19, 2009)

He honestly looks like he just has weak suspensories. 

I had a Trakehner that had weak suspensories, and there really isn't anything you can do about it, it is just how they are built, She was young, and green broke. It wasn't an issue of what she'd been doing or where she'd been. It sometimes isn't a matter of using themselves properly. I had the best leg vet out to look at my mare in the state, and he told me just to work her as I normally would, but just to keep an eye on soreness after work, anything that would indicate problems leading to a pulled suspensory. 

I wrapped her or put support boots on her hind every time I worked her, especially when we jumped.

When I sold her, she was schooling 3' at home, and winning at the 2'6 Hunters level. They hadn't bothered her, but I was completely upfront with her new owners about it. It can lead to some serious injuries. A pulled suspensory can mean a horse will never do everything they did before (work-wise). 

I also cold-hosed her legs to help tighten the muscle back up and make sure to prevent soreness after every time we had a hard flat lesson or jumped at all.

Just be careful with it, and keep a good eye on them. Horses are pretty sturdy animals, but its always good to monitor. 

Has a Vet come out to give you any input/advice on it? I would definitely have a vet out in person, because they are better judges than us on here 

Good luck with him, he sure is a doll! I love his markings.


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## maddiemaisie (Jul 31, 2009)

No my vet hasn't yet seem him, he was seen by the vet in his previous home before he came to mine, have ordered him some boots so will start working him in them, if he could just cope with light trail rides that would be great, don't really want to do anymore than that with him, he doesn't show any signs of being in discomfort (although of course horses are great at dealing with thus hiding pain) he is very clicky though in the joints when walking round the field, he doesn't click when taken out.


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## roro (Aug 14, 2009)

I am in love with this horse's coat and face. But on to the critique...I would say he has an ewe neck, post-legged with deep pasterns in the hind, calf-kneed in the front, and could use some more weight. I can't really tell from these pictures but check to see if his hooves are even. Also in all the pictures he is standing with his front feet wide apart, suggesting suspensory problems or pain.


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## AussieDaisyGirl (May 21, 2009)

I love his spots! He's the prettiest appy I think I've ever seen! I agree his neck could use some more muscle but otherwise I think he's good.


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## maddiemaisie (Jul 31, 2009)

roro said:


> I am in love with this horse's coat and face. But on to the critique...I would say he has an ewe neck, post-legged with deep pasterns in the hind, calf-kneed in the front, and could use some more weight. I can't really tell from these pictures but check to see if his hooves are even. Also in all the pictures he is standing with his front feet wide apart, suggesting suspensory problems or pain.


He does have the most adorable face but yes he also does have suspensory problems, he doesn't seem to put any weight on he's on good grazing but just maintains his weight at the same, very bad ewe neck!!


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## horseluver50 (Mar 19, 2009)

he's got a bit of a hump in his back, and his backline is a bit long. 
He needs a bit more muscle as well.

He has a gorgeous color!


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