An ideal topline can be described as well-muscled, displaying a full and rounded athletic appearance, lacking concave or sunken-in areas, providing ability for sustained self-carriage. This region of the horse is a good visual indicator of the whole body amino acid status.
How to recognise the topline. It can be hard to distinguish fat from muscle, but usually, if the horse has got a fatty crest on its neck, it will have fat pockets in other places, too, such as over their loins, shoulders and tail head. Condition scoring your horse can help you decide if they are carrying excess fat.
Using poles, cavaletti, and small jumps in your horse's work is a good way to build topline. They help your horse to use their body properly by encouraging increased hock and hind leg activity and a raised, lifted back.
Find out how to take the challenge now, and start seeing your horse build topline muscle within 3-6 weeks. Check out the incredible transformations equestrians have achieved with their horses building topline muscle, often in less than 3 weeks!
Many factors contribute to the horse's topline or lack of it, including conformation, age, exercise, disease (gastric ulcers and Cushing's disease, for example), and chronic back pain (kissing spine, poor saddle fit, vertebral subluxation, arthritis, etc.).
A horse with a weak topline will look hollow around his neck and withers, and sometimes sunken near his hips. A horse with a strong topline and ridden correctly will appear relaxed in his movement, will lift in the base of his neck and curve in his loin muscles to give an overall round shape from his poll to his tail.
Answer. Providing a balanced diet with high-quality protein and amino acids can help support topline development and reduce muscle wasting as horses age. Mature horses have relatively low dietary protein requirements; however, protein quality can be a limiting factor when feeding grass hay.
Have a lunging training plan first. While riding is the perfect way to build muscle, you can't always tell what muscle groups are being worked from in the saddle, and that's why Lunging training is beneficial because you can see your horse's topline as he/she moves, allowing you to view muscle-building overtime.
Working your horse over trotting poles (in-hand or ridden) is a fantastic exercise to build his topline. We recommend you try this exercise in hand first to make sure your horse is settled and then hop on board.
As true topline consists largely of muscle (as opposed to fat), the two essential ingredients are quality protein and appropriate work. Protein is made of up of building blocks called amino acids, some of which termed 'essential' because they can't be produced by the body and must be provided by the diet.
An ideal topline can be described as well-muscled, displaying a full and rounded athletic appearance, lacking concave or sunken-in areas, providing ability for sustained self-carriage. This region of the horse is a good visual indicator of the whole body amino acid status.
The most critical nutrient for improving a horse's topline is protein, and not just any protein will do. Rather, high-quality protein with the proper amino acids. Protein is made up of chains of amino acids that are the basic building blocks of muscles and other important tissues.
Lunging is a great way for horses to exercise and build muscle.
Bounces and/or Polework. If your horse jumps, bounces are a great way to build muscle without putting too much strain on their joints. Because the horse has to rock on to their back end and push off the ground to jump, it's particularly beneficial for strengthening the hindquarters.
Lumps and bumps, ranging from the diameter of a pea to that of a walnut, are relatively common in horses. Three common types of lumps are sarcoids, collagen granulomas, and melanomas. Sarcoids are growths that cause areas of skin to lose hair and assume a wart-like, dry, gray appearance.
A rig is an entire male horse with no signs of external testicles so appears to be a gelding; but one or two testicles are still present, producing testosterone. A rig behaves like a stallion and, potentially, may be fertile.
TOP TIP – If your horse needs to lose some weight, a brisk walk or steady trot will burn more fat than faster canter work.
Leaning forward
Most riders tip forward in the trot and canter, inclining the upper body forward and sliding their buttocks backward in the saddle to keep their balance. This immediately gives your horse a restraining aid, killing the impulsion and pushing his balance onto his shoulders.
Constantly being on a circle puts stress and strain on the horses' joints. It may cause excessive wear and tear on a young horses' joints, particularly if done too soon. Older horses may also not be good candidates for too much lunging as it may put added stress and irritate any existing arthritis.
What age should you start lunging a horse? You can begin to lunge your horse when he is mentally and physically ready to start light work. Every horse is an individual and it's important to ensure that the horse is sufficiently developed to commence any type of training.
As well as a loosener before riding, lunging is helpful in developing balance, rhythm, and to improve the horse's gaits. Ayden also gives advice on how to make sure the whip is used correctly. As Ayden points out, lunging improves communication, with horses learning to respond to voice commands.
Typically, a horse will begin to be considered a senior between the ages of 15-18. By age 20, a horse is definitely a senior, but that does not mean that they cannot be ridden or still enjoyed. Many horses in their teens and 20s today are continuing to live active lives.
Hill work is an excellent way to build topline under saddle. Riding up and down hills increases the activity of the muscles in the hindquarters, the back and the abdominal muscles. A slow trot or walk is going to be most beneficial in the early stages.