Thanks
I can’t really remember how long it took to be honest… but I wish I took pictures and videos instead of waiting until he “looked better”. I have one picture of my horse looking unmuscled and wish I had more to look back on how far we’ve come. I can PM a “before and after” picture if you want to see a light at the end of the tunnel.
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More or a better source of protein maybe?
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His diet is fairly decent, but willing to hear suggestions.
Yes, brilliant! Thank you
Alfalfa added to his diet if he’s not getting any; something like Tri-Amino to make sure he’s getting enough essential amino acids.
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Thank you.
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What age and how long off the track? What level generally is he training?
ETA: I ask this because building muscle takes a long time. The top line I would be happy with on a 4 or 5 year old recently off the track isn’t the same as something older. The top line you have for a horse doing training/first is way different than a horse doing third, PSG, etc.
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In my experience, it takes about a year to rebuild a horse’s body. Equine muscles are MUCH larger & therefore, much slower that ours when it comes to change. Dressage & racing are very different & ask a horse to do very different things with his body. It also depends a lot on the individual horse & where they are in their lives. My last OTTB was a hefty turf-bred guy & had been letting down in pasture for a year when I got him, he was 6, so pretty much done growing. With focused work, I think I had some good muscle on him in about six months or so, but I’d have to double check photos to confirm.
The current OTTB was only 10 days out of the starting gate when I got him & is built very differently, much lighter & narrower & he’s never going to bulk out the same way the other one did. He was also very underweight upon arrival & still only 3, so a lot of his calories went into normal body development. We’ve had fits & starts due to some injuries (because he’s young & makes poor decisions, alas), but last year I was finally starting to get some decent topline starting on him after about 4 months of steady work, but it was just the beginnings of one.
If you’ve got a good diet & are confident the training is correct, I wouldn’t put too much stress on topline alone for a young, green horse. They’re building lots of body parts, along with rhythm, balance, hind-end strength, flexibility…there’s a lot going on.
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Thank you all. Very helpful.
Thanks for all the great photos and detailed descriptions. I am really looking forward to how my guy will turn out.
OP it takes time. I have no advice on building a top line since you didn’t say what he eats and what your barn is like. I will agree that TBs coming off the track take more time to develop that top line than a WB of the same age.
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It took a summer where I slowly trotted him almost a mile up a hill each day with a canter at the end before our dressage work. He looked so muscular and round at the end.
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Thank you! Is trotting better or walking better?
Hi there. Thanks for your questions. He is 6. Off the track for maybe a year and a half. We are working on the foundations. I am willing to move at his pace and have not thought about specific levels yet. He has had about 12 rides.
He eats 10 lbs of oat hay, 10 lbs of grass hay, and 5 lbs of alfalfa. The hay is very high quality. He also gets some basic Smartpak vitamin and mineral supplement and trace mineral supplements in the form of kelp. Some small amount of stable mix and LMF Showtime daily for the supplements.
i am considering a protein supplement due to the suggestions so far.
Thanks again. I will add this to the OP.
eta: also has access to fresh pasture
With that little time under saddle I wouldn’t expect too much in the way of muscling! It takes a looooong time to build those muscles up.
Yes, diet plays a role, but actual work/riding/strengthening is a huge part of the equation. At 6 he’ll fill out more quickly than say a three year old, because he should be done growing. A healthy, appropriate top line for 12 rides under saddle is much different than even a horse who has been ridden consistently for a year and is doing 1st level. You may or may not need the amino acid supplement.
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Thanks for posting. Yes he is making progress for sure. I was more just curious anecdotally what the journey looked like.
What would be a situation where he would need amino acids?
Depends on fitness, but whatever you do he needs to get his head down and work all those muscles along his back and butt. An active walk at first, building to a trot will work.
How about the Pessoa system?
Use a chambon for lungeing over a Pessoa - encourages down and open vs bonking them in the mouth every stride. But a long hill is far better - and easier on the legs vs endless circling.
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