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Missy B asked in PetsHorses · 6 years ago

Horses: specific horse shoulder muscle widening for halter class? Please read...?

My medicine hat paint is not halter stock, but he'll hold his own in a halter class and we'll usually pin.

This year I am chasing a high point award at a certain series and halter class points do count. So I'd like to get out of the 4th- 6th range and pin just a little better.

Conformation wise, again, he's correct enough to pin everywhere we go.

His coloring, though, makes his shoulders look more narrow than they really are. He's white and has a dark patch in the center of his chest (a "shield" it's called). But it kind of makes his shoulders, which are not extra-wide-halter-stock to begin with, seem more narrow than they are. Because it makes this optical illusion of a narrow chest. Like his chest is the dark spot and his barrel is white. But it's not, his white shoulders go all the way out to almost his rib width. He is fairly correct, just the coloring makes it hard.

So, what kind of exercises can I do with an average-width chest stock horse? Or grooming hints?

We do lots of lateral work every day each way, and we do lots poles on the ground and such.

Any thoughts...

1 Answer

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  • 6 years ago
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    A savvy judge is going to see through that optical illusion.

    Have you ever seen an AQHA or Congress halter class? Some of those horses are so effing beefed up, they cannot even move properly under saddle. You do not want that, especially if you are going for high-point all-around. Just try and stack him up a little tighter ( less distance between front feet and back feet) and squared up at a width that enhances his build rather than attracting attention to his coloring.

    Cosmetically, not really anything you can do. You cant paint over it lol. If you want to build muscle in his chest and shoulders, I reccomend lots of trotting. That would be it. You do not want to overbeef him up, and have his muscle be too much for his bone structure. If yoi are showing open circuit and not breed-specific, your horse will be judged on the conformational standards of his particular breed.

    Source(s): Trainer owner breeder
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