mommastang wrote:
I see what you mean. In the first photo there is a slight rise from her back to her croup. In the second photo it is more flush from back to croup to hindquarters. It looks almost like a roachback. So, if a horse has a weak loin and you do work like teaching them to reach up under themselves in the trot that helps build a better loin?

That slight rise is actually the end of her spine, and accentuating the dip in her loin. What you should look for is the "dip" not the end of the spine (though in a strong loin, you won't see that).

You want the line from the back to the croup to have a slightly, upwardly round look ... like you can't tell where the back ends into the loin or where the loin ends into the croup. Take a look at the strong loins Appy posted.

And yes, the roan you posted has a weak loin. You were right about saying it looks roachy. I thought Buttercup might have a roach back, until I learned it was a weak loin.

There are many exercises to improve the loin. Transitions and forward movement seem to work the best. You want them driving from behind, not just pushing. (see topline thread for some other good examples)

BTW, I'm not a confo guru or anything so, if anyone sees me stating something wrong, please correct me.

No hoof, no horse.
http://chronicleofthehoof.blogspot.com