# Good confirmation pics of my haflinger?



## myQHpaul (Jun 25, 2009)

Are these good confirmation shots or should I retake some.

Whatt do you think about his conformation? Anything I can work on? He's a 15 hand purebred, unregistered hafling and will be 7 years old next month. We had him on a weight builder and added another 100 lbs to his frame. He weigh about 1100 pounds now and is being ridden 4 days a week so build muscle. I have only had him for 3 months and what a difference in just that period of time. He does have weak stifles and we are working on those. I bought him knowing he had them but his personality far ou weighs that one minor problem. Now I can't see myself without him. Thanks


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## caseymyhorserocks (Apr 5, 2010)

He could use some work on his topline, examples:
backing with head down
feeding hay/grain below withers (preferably on ground or near it)
hill work
trotting/cantering
feeding beet pulp/amino acids


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## Endiku (Dec 6, 2010)

Backing him up with his head down and feeding him grain on the ground isn't really going to help his topline. Neither will _just_ trotting or cantering. Rather, you could actually make it worse. And the beet pulp will give him weight, but not topline. His weight seems perfectly fine to me. The hill work is the only thing that will help with his top line of those suggestions, and flexation exercises/ getting him to work in frame will help as well.

As for conformation, you're right about the weak stifles, but as long as you're mindful of them they hopefully won't cause problems. His back is quite a bit longer than I like, and he has very upright shoulders that cause his neck to be tied in a little high, but his legs appear to be of good bone and hardy. VERY cute face, and he does look like he has a nice personality!


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## caseymyhorserocks (Apr 5, 2010)

Endiku, I am going to have to disagree with you on that. Backing up puts the hind end into use, and collecting and lowering his head while backing up activates the neck/back muscles, and this will build muscle. Feeding on the ground stretches his topline, and ask a well informed vet/nutritionist or some other horse professional, and they will say certain feeds help build topline. Amino acids is the building blocks of muscle. I am not sure how beet pulp helps, but I know many people that say they have noticed a huge difference in their horses with feeding beet pulp.


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## StellaIW (Feb 5, 2012)

caseymyhorserocks said:


> Endiku, I am going to have to disagree with you on that. Backing up puts the hind end into use, and collecting and lowering his head while backing up activates the neck/back muscles, and this will build muscle. Feeding on the ground stretches his topline, and ask a well informed vet/nutritionist or some other horse professional, and they will say certain feeds help build topline. Amino acids is the building blocks of muscle. I am not sure how beet pulp helps, but I know many people that say they have noticed a huge difference in their horses with feeding beet pulp.


I'm pretty sure that good dressage work and hill work and a diet with lots of protein will be more effective than backing up and feeding the horse on the ground though.


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## Endiku (Dec 6, 2010)

It does help...or would if you did it often- but because it can only been done for short amounts of time, it really only helps the horse learn to use himself properly (not a bad thing! very helpful but not for topline building in itself).

As for the amino acids, I do agree to an extent with that- but would rather get the muscle through work than through feed personally, especially with a horse that has a long back ^^


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## myQHpaul (Jun 25, 2009)

Thank you so much for your comments. I really appreciate it  Once the weather starts cooperating, I plan on getting him out on trails which will include a lot of hill work. Your suggestions are completely noted.


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