I Like Big Butts

Unfortunately Stinker does not have one, but I have been working really hard to give Stinker a big butt.  I feel like something is missing from my routine.  As a review, he has poor hind end conformation, EPM basically removed all muscle from his hind (that might be a smidge dramatic but that is what it felt like), and I am still figuring out how to ride him correctly.

This year is on top and last year is on the bottom

As you can see from the picture, I have made progress not only with his weight, but also with his muscling.  He looked like shit last year after he lost weight and muscle from the EPM.  I am concerned about how he has a dip in his butt.  I have read that this goes along with a weak stifle (which also goes along with what my vet has said).

I don't have an old butt shot to compare it too, but you can see how flat his bum is on the sides.  The right is worse than the left, which correlates with his right hind being weaker than his left hind.  I have been doing all the things I know to strengthen them, but I am not making the progress that I want.  I could just be being impatient (no surprise there...I want muscle NOW!)

Who doesn't want a horse that stands like a ballerina?

Right now, we walk on hills, play with poles, some backing exercises, leg yields on a circle, turns on the forehand.  That basically covers the majority of exercises that I have found.  I really wish that I could do trot on the hill, but he made that very apparent he isn't ready for it yet.  I am questioning if I could just do one or two and then stop, because he was ok with that.  But I am also terrified I will push too hard and have a huge set back.  The backing is slowly improving, but we have two problems with it.  One, he doesn't back straight (I can't use a whip to keep him straight because he loses his mind at sight of a whip), so I have to use a fence or something to keep him straight.  Also, he doesn't take the clear step necessary to really engage things.  He does more of the only if I have to shuffle.  I am really not sure how to get this crisp.

So are there any other exercises I am missing?  General thoughts?

April Conformation

We lost a little bit of ground this month.  Stinker had almost two weeks off because of his feet, but I am hoping that he will gain it all back this month.  Feel free to weigh in on his progress.  I am always curious about other people's opinions even if I don't agree with them.

Left side.  The neck is still giving me fits.

I am pretty sure the ground is sloped here, but I can't figure out a better place to take the picture.

His shoulders are so uneven, but I think his top line is improving.

Now for the comparison shots.  This month I am still going to compare back to January, but I think I will be dropping that and proceeding with just using February as my baseline.  I can't handle the scraggly mane and inconsistent location I did in January.

I think he looks way better in April (bottom), but January is a terrible picture to start.

He was trying to chew on his lead rope and looks a little drugged...

His neck looks better in February (top), but that was a lucky shot.

I seriously can not wait for him to shed out and be one color.

His back has more muscle, but he is still horribly uneven.

March Conformation Photos

I have mixed feelings about the way Stinker looks.  Does he look fantastic compared to EPM Stinker?  Yes.  But he isn't where I want him to be.  He is filling out and gaining muscle in the correct places, so I just need to be patient.

I really dislike how he looks from this angle.  He is very crooked and uneven.  I have been working on straightness, but you can easily tell how crooked he is and has been.  This is a problem he has from the beginning, but the EPM weakness has highlighted the problem.

In the pictures below, March is on top followed by February and finally January on the bottom.  I think that I got lucky with how his neck was being held in February.

Muscle Progress???

I think I have stared at these pictures too much, because I am starting to question what I see.  All of the pictures on top are from the beginning of January.  The ones on the bottom are the pictures taken February 9th.

I think I am seeing a change in his neck.  He is starting lose the bulging under neck and it looks like it is starting to fill in up higher.  There is still a dip in front of the withers that needs to be filled, but that won't happen until I get his hind end lined out.  I also think that his butt is starting to fill out and he might be building up his top line.  The top line is super subtle and might just exist in my dreams.

This side is pretty similar to the other side.  His neck wasn't a large on this side to start with and it is hard to see with the angle.  I am also not sure what is up with the bottom picture.  I really thought he was standing level, so I either took the picture crooked (quite likely) or he wasn't actually on level ground like I thought.

I am making myself crazy with this one, because he almost looks narrower.  I think that is a product of angle, lighting, and distance.  He still looks uneven, but I don't think I will be able to address that until I A) get him to accept my leg and B) address some of his crookedness before there will be any changes in that.  My goal is to not let it get worse, before I have the tools to fix it.

I was actually really pleased with the differences in the pictures.  I am really happy that I started doing this, so thank you blogger land for the idea (I stole it from Emma who had stolen it from someone else that I can't currently remember who.  Sorry.)

Conclusion of Stinker Drama

The vet came out and checked Stinker out.  He said that Stinker looked the best he had seen him (remember the vet really hadn't seen him pre EPM)...well I felt silly.  The vet did say Stinker is weak in his stifles and a little sore in his hocks.  I am going to keep working him and get him out on the hills more and hopefully get the hind built back up.  The vet will be back in a couple weeks and he will recheck his hocks.  Depending on how that goes Stinker may get his hocks injected.

In an effort to monitor his progress, I am going to start taking monthly confirmation pictures.  I am stealing this from Emma and I regret not starting it back when I first started bringing him back.  Oh well, you live and you learn.  I think he looks a little goofy when he is just standing, but I love his movement.