Bozley said:
At what age would you start using them? I would think you would start out at very small increments to build them up too.
My gelding has a very small chest and thin neck. Granted, he is only a yearling and he has a lot of growing to do. So I am just letting nature take its course right now and letting him run around and play with the other horses. Who know's by next spring he could be a totally different horse.
I am just curious for those horses that are full grown what people would do to build up this area. Driving or a bitting rig? Using the weights? I figure humans use weights to redefine their body. But we can speak and know our limits so it concerns me a bit when doing it to a horse. I would think you would have to be very careful as not to over do it.
I am really just curious about what people do that can change the look of your horse SAFELY.
Sue
Hi Sue, I think you have the right outlook here. Your horse is just a baby- of course he's skinny and awkward and narrow!
He may very well stay like that right up until his late three year old year if left alone; some of them do, just like young human males may not fill out until their late teens. Halter trainers specialize in putting those young bucks "in the gym" so to speak and building up their muscling early and if done CAREFULLY that's probably fine. My focus is on performance rather than halter and I tend to only have one horse at a time so I'm more concerned with the horse's long-term soundness than with early maturity. For me I would focus on feeding that baby plenty of good protein (LOTS of hay, as I've learned from Nootka) to help him build mass and fill out and basically let him be a baby with as much free play as he can stand.
Once he's mature (at least three years old) the best way I know to build muscle is to drive. Just hitching them up to the cart isn't enough- the horse needs to be taught to carry himself and it is that process which will build his topline, broaden his chest and strengthen his underline. Heck, you can completely change a horse's muscling just by long-lining with never a cart or roundpen in sight if you're doing it correctly! I'm not fond of bitting rigs because they hold the horse in place rather than making him develop the muscle to do it himself. Horses that are incorrectly trained will learn to lean on the check and develop bulging underlines with flat, hollow backs and a dip in front of the withers so beware of thinking that a headset makes good muscles. It's all about how they use the
rest of their bodies.
The head is an afterthought.
Regarding the use of weights, I also do not approve of using them to create action in a non-animated horse. If the horse doesn't have the action to begin with it isn't going to do more than create a false and unaesthetic sort of movement that is very unpleasant to watch. But using it to create muscling for a specific purpose, yes, I can possibly see that. If I were to start using them on Kody for instance it would be to help condition him for water hazards and other deep footing he has to go through at speed in combined driving. I have no creeks or aqua treadmills in my area that I can lead him through or drive him in to recreate the actual experience but without that conditioning he's at a disadvantage so I can see putting light ankle weights on him to simulate deep footing. I probably wouldn't use them when driving as I want his concentration on the dressage work I'm asking him to do and not on lifting his feet high. To me the time to use them would be during roundpenning or lunging, things that are pure conditioning. I'd warm the horse up thoroughly first and when he's nice and loose and engaged I'd give him a short cool-down break while I applied the boots then send him back out for two to five minutes or until the horse appeared to be winded or losing animation (indicating tiredness). Don't overdue it! It'll take the horse a week or two to become accustomed to the extra weight and then you can start slowly increasing the time he wears them. Let the horse be your guide as to what is enough.
Be careful also in just slapping them on a young horse. As you said, they can't tell us when they're getting sore or feeling the beginning of an injury and an unconditioned animal has not yet developed the bone density or muscle strength of an older athlete. I wouldn't worry about using them on Kody because he's had a couple of years of basic driving, a year spent building a foundation of conditioning work, then two years of LSD (long slow distance) work on pavement and interval training to build speed in the cart. He's TOUGH! A couple of years ago I would have worried about injury. Now I think he's more than ready for it and at a point where it would accomplish something that regular driving in firm footing simply can't.
For now, let your baby be a baby. When he's old enough start round-penning him and building his wind, then after he's had time to become conditioned you can consider adding weights for short periods of time and working from there. I figure I'll wear ankle weights for as long as he does- that should keep me from overdoing it!
Leia
