Apparently Elmo is not a “model corgi-horse citizen” as @BatCoach theorizes…
He has always been well-suited for a career on one of those pony rings. No hard work, kids sit on you and you walk a circle for a couple minutes at a time. Lots of standing, which he’s good at.
Truth be told, I am VERY excited at the prospect of riding a “trained” horse for the first time in 5 years. My green bean soul is weary and Elmo hasn’t been much fun in quite a while.
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I’ve been following this thread and was thinking of poor Bo today while cleaning up the piles of Hay That Became Poison Once It Touched the Ground. If my horses had the language skills of a toddler, I’d tell them to clean up their dinner because there are horses eating rocks in Wherever Bo Came From.
It’s amazing he survived that and how much better he looks already! What a good thing you’ve done.
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Bo looks so happy 
!
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Monday Monday Monday!
7 weeks and it’s time for another picture update. Bo continues to pack on the pounds, although it’s becoming less obvious week-to-week now that he doesn’t have bones sticking out. His topline still has a lot of filling in to do. When I lunged him on Saturday, he was feeling salty and offered to canter about 3 laps instead of just trotting like I asked for 
Hope y’all can see through the mud, he spent quite a bit of time applying all that this morning.
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He is really filling in wonderfully for you, good job.
Many ranch horses when feeling good act fresh when kind of longing, called “gipping” around here, or free on their own but are perfect gentlemen when under saddle, as long as no one gooses them.
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Man, he looks good! Apart from his mud mask. Shoot, by spring, no one is going to recognize him.
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The gap is almost closed. The top line will pop when you are able to properly work his muscles.
Commenting here that his face, to me, looks like it shows signs of skin infection or trauma with a perfect line of white hairs over the bridge where a strap would go. Old ringworm would not surprise me at all
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My guess would be scarring from trauma, likely from someone using a tie down or hackamore not properly padded. He is sensitive to his lower face being touched in that area.
@JBCool I agree, he will be a brand new man come spring time! I can hardly wait. He’s sort of halfway shedding now, just little bits of hair here and there.
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I didnt want to go to trauma straight away, but yes halter of bridle abuse
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Given what I have seen in the short time I’ve lived here - including plenty of horses living in junk-filled yards with a rope halter on 24/7 - it was pretty much my first thought. 
Although I won’t assume intentional abuse, it could’ve easily been one of those instances where you don’t realize a piece of tack is rubbing until too late.
Have to say, I consider neglect a form of abuse, too. Even neglect due to ignorance
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He looks wonderful!
I am continuing to love this story. I can’t wait til spring!
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Sigh… 
BO must be talking to my boys.
In particular the I May Be 22, But I Can Bread BOTH Sides in Mud! Pony 
Horse is right behind him… Really? Mud inside your ears?!?
Mini is the only one relatively clean.
OhEmGee, I hate mud season 
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In his case it’s definitely intentional, because his pasture is all plush grass except for the area by the gate/water. He could literally lay anywhere other than that 20’ square and not be in the mud (and it’s barely “mud” at that).
Thankfully, I don’t much care how muddy he is now, and by the time I’m putting him into work it should be dry enough that mud will be a distant memory! It’s bad enough trying to knock the mud clumps off Elmo. It’s too warm to blanket, so I just try to clean the areas where tack goes and call it good.
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It’ll never come off. I have a few swamp thing pictures of my mare.
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Isn’t it wonderful to know that his joints are in such good condition that he can comfortably roll to both sides and have a good wiggle in the dirt? It would be so sad if he hurt and he couldn’t get down or up on one side, you know? He’s just appreciating how good his body feels.
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I have closely watched him getting up and down, because he’s supposed to be “well over 20” you know… he has zero trouble going down or getting up, very nimble. If he is truly elderly, he’s in excellent health other than those teeth!
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Gotta love the stock horse breeds for packing on the pounds effortlessly overnight-- it seems 
Are you sure he is quite as old as the vet thought? Like you said maybe he is younger with bad teeth.
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