hotternhel wrote:
mommastang wrote:
Lotys of extended trotting will help build her forearms. Backing and uphill work will help build her gaskins. I would take her to shows for the experience any way. Do whatever classes you are comfortable with. Halter, showmanship and rail. With her breeding she should be a nice pleasure prospect. I would love to see a video of her in action.


Backing does not create muscle. What it will do is ruin hocks and stifles. This is one of the first things you will learn from any top halter pro. It doesn't matter if the horse is skinny or fat, heavily muscled or lightly muscled; backing a young horse to try to build muscle will ruin hocks and stifles. Of course teaching a horse to back or backing for for a showmanship pattern is fine, but backing up heavily (as in a lap around the pen or more) is too much. You are asking for future hock injections!

Audissius, she looks like she will do fine in open competition. Especially here in Texas. If your area is anything like my area the yearling competition is small in the open circuit. As far as dicisplines she looks like she would do well in WP,trail, etc. Just remember, you cannot CREATE muscle where there is no muscle. You can only ENHANCE what the horse genetically has. She is not a heavily muscled horse and no amount of fitting will make her heavily muscled, it will only make what she has appear more defined. Make sense? Keep her well fed and fit up and you will do fine in the open competition. If you would have been at the open show we went to Saturday she would have won the yearling mares class.

If backing doesn't build muscle then why does every trainer I speak to tell me to back Lily to build more muscle in her butt and gaskins? Not trying to start a fight just to get that clear. And I know it does cause leg problems. Just wanting to know why they say it does help create more muscle.

Last Edited By: mommastang Apr 21 09 6:22 AM. Edited 1 times.