# appy appendix critique...honest and polite please



## LoveMyAppyx0o (Mar 9, 2012)

heres three more


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## crimsonsky (Feb 18, 2011)

i think he's quite the handsome fellow! not exactly the best confo shots but he looks to be decently put together and in good weight/condition for his age.


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## horsemadgirl (Aug 23, 2011)

Really nice horse  slightly large head, does it lower its head when it canters? beautiful. x


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## TimWhit91 (Feb 3, 2012)

He is adorable!


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## oceanne (Apr 13, 2012)

Hes got nice colour.I feel he is tied in a bit high and his croup is a bit slopey,but all in all,not bad.Wish I could see more of his legs.You could work on his topline.It looks to me like he has bowed his right tendon at some point.A slow bow.


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## Clayton Taffy (May 24, 2011)

Oh my gosh !!!! He is darling, I want Bring him to my house.
How tall is he? Confo? who cares, he is darling.


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## TimberRidgeRanch (Mar 6, 2012)

Okay I have to say for an appy I really like that boy. To me hes one you really have to look at to nit pick him over. Nice big boy you got. Love him!


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## Chopsticks (Mar 11, 2012)

i want him! love everything. do not look here when he shows up missing.


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## Rascaholic (Oct 4, 2010)

Chopsticks said:


> i want him! love everything. do not look here when he shows up missing.


Don't come to Ga either if he goes missing! He is awesome.


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## LoveMyAppyx0o (Mar 9, 2012)

LOl thank you everyone ! I'll have to keep some extra eyes on him !

And he does tend to keep his head pretty high at all times, doesn't really ever come down. 

I'll get some better pictures for you guys these were all kind of angled


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## oceanne (Apr 13, 2012)

I do love the fact that he has dark skin on his face.Very attractive.


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## Faceman (Nov 29, 2007)

LoveMyAppyx0o said:


> And he does tend to keep his head pretty high at all times, doesn't really ever come down.


That's the TB influence, along with the head and long legs. The Appy and TB in him came out strong...the QH genes were obviously pretty wimpy...:rofl:

I wouldn't worry about the narrow chest...without a lot of QH influence, it is about what you would expect...


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## LoveMyAppyx0o (Mar 9, 2012)

OK ! i just took these today, i hope these pictures are a little better ? sorry hes dirty lol just finished riding so he had some saddle sweat going on...


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## oceanne (Apr 13, 2012)

IT is very hard to tell,but possible slight bows in both front...Has he ever had any problems with that while youve had him? I love his leg markings btw.


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## oceanne (Apr 13, 2012)

he reminds me a little of our app,but your boy has those great leg markings.I have a pic of him in my album if you would like to see him.Plus,your boy has a lot of black...which I like very much.


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## LoveMyAppyx0o (Mar 9, 2012)

i didnt really know what bowed meant so i looked it up, do you mean bowed tendons ? if not please explain, im not very familiar with the term and some one before you said the same thing.

hes never lame, not even once...if that helps.


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## Faceman (Nov 29, 2007)

I see no bowing in the legs...


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## LoveMyAppyx0o (Mar 9, 2012)

i was going to say i looked up bowing of the legs (not the tendon) and i dont think he has it.


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## AshleyCL (Sep 19, 2011)

He's so pretty! I love him


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## Chopsticks (Mar 11, 2012)

i don't think he's bowed either, his leg markings really throw off the eye leading them to look a bit off but they look good to me. his hock angle is his biggest flaw, a bit straighter than preferred and he's a little chunky right now (sorry!) but I'd still steal him if I saw him in the paddock


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## LoveMyAppyx0o (Mar 9, 2012)

Lol yea I know he is !! I work him alot so hopefully he'll she'd some pounds this spring!

Any good tips on a healthy way to get rid off his hay belly ?


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## Thyme (Sep 4, 2010)

STUNNING horse!!
<3
He looks perfect to me!
Love


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## Faceman (Nov 29, 2007)

LoveMyAppyx0o said:


> Lol yea I know he is !! I work him alot so hopefully he'll she'd some pounds this spring!
> 
> Any good tips on a healthy way to get rid off his hay belly ?


Good luck...most Appys can get fat on sticks and leaves...hard keepers are few and far between...


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## Oxer (Jul 9, 2010)

oooh i like him. have you ever jumped him around?? he looks like he'd make a fun little sport horse!


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## LoveMyAppyx0o (Mar 9, 2012)

lol he love love loves to jump. BUT he likes barrels more lol i always switch it up though, never showed him in either yet


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

This is a nice solid horse. Looks like a horse I would like to ride.


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## Chopsticks (Mar 11, 2012)

getting an easy keeper fit is a lifelong challenge (see my Porkchop) What has finally worked for us is my BO got better (or some would say worse) hay. they were feeding super high quality alfalfa and enough of us complained for years that they changed the mix to higher timothy and grass content. I also keep my boy on a dry lot with twice daily feedings- no round bales!!! he only gets enough low starch feed to hold his supplements. if you can't get a dry pen with measured feedings, a grazing muzzle is a must!! ab work on the ground (which is actually better for the topline than the belly but it does double duty) is hay fork ab lifts. Scratch him right in front of the sheath to get him to 'lift'. I do this every time I see my boy (3 x week) and do ten-twenty with a hold of five seconds. great for loin area as well as fat belly. rump scratches are good for this too- scratch the rump three or four inches outside of the base of the tail and they suck up their abdomens hard...hold for a few seconds. make sure your boy is tolerant as there is a risk of kicking.


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## LoveMyAppyx0o (Mar 9, 2012)

thanks alot ! i didnt know those workout tricks. sounds like a good plan ! i will definitely put it to use, as well as put him in a dry lot. ill give you guys an update picture in a month !


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## TexanFreedom (Apr 2, 2012)

He looks like a blue roan, not shure of pattern.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

I see no bowing. it's the patterning on his legs. 
I see that he has prospered in your care. He had overgrown feet when you got him and low heels, and was develping an under neck bulging muscle, due to the martingale. You will want to work on developing his upper neck muscles instead of letting him keep his lower neck braced, thus the bulge that develps there. 

he is narrow, but his legs are really straight and clean. He looks sturdy and I bet he'd be awesome in endurance riding.


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## LoveMyAppyx0o (Mar 9, 2012)

yes he has come along way, and what you said about his neck is exactly what im trying to work on now....you have any ideas on what could help ? 

(just know i use a hackamore and i dont have any english tack)


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Well, it's obvious that you are improving his body, so you must be doing something right. So, he no longer rides in the martingale?

I think there are lots of threads on how to get a horse to build topline, or to ride "long and low". All of those things can help build up the upper neck muscles and relax the under muscles. Any kind of riding that does not have the horse coming above the bit and bracing against it will start to relax the lower portion, and to build the upper, you encourage the horse to lift it's neck up from the lower portion (where it comes out from between the shoulders) and arch the upper portion, and break AT the poll, not part way down the nect.

read what you can by Dr. Deb Bennet. she writes about the anatomy of horses and tons of stuff about conformation and how to develop the neck muscles. her articles are in Equus magazing. look at their back issues and read her articles in sequence. you will learn a lot.

By the way, I jsut had to say how much it irritates me when people say, "he's a pretty nice horse, _for an Appy_". He's a nice horse , period.


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## LoveMyAppyx0o (Mar 9, 2012)

thank you so much  your a huge help !

and no , no martingale anymore, that was the first day i bought him and he was still in the tack the girl who showed me him had him in. he hasnt had one on sinse


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