# Topline or lack off - Pics Please!



## chickeninabun (11 November 2008)

I am not very good at spotting a good/bad conformation and topline is what I struggle with most.
Does anyone have any pictures of a horse with topline and one without, or even better, a before and after without/with topline?


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## SunSmile (11 November 2008)

I have some, but i need to scan them in. Sorry not helpful i know! If you don't get any replies i will do it for you later.


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## chickeninabun (11 November 2008)

Ooo, yes please do if you have time later. Thanks x


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## Ezme (11 November 2008)

These arn't the best examples but its a start:
This is Jacob Marley a 3 year old Percheron, he has been broken all off 2 weeks at this point (nervous horse so broken to pair before single, weird i know) and therefore has no muscle as of yet. You can see his neck is  flat on top, as is his bum





Here he is a few months later, not a great comparison photo tbh but you can see he's just better developed all over.





Heres Mags, he's 20, and although he's a it too porkey he has surprisingly good confo and topline. Jacob is too heavy too but we're still working on his feed. 





Neither of these are extreames tho, we need a classic TB for lack of topline! lol


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## jumpthemoon (11 November 2008)

Good topline - note the muscles along the top of the neck and back






Poor topline - see how weak the neck and withers look?


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## chickeninabun (11 November 2008)

Thanks Ezme. I can see the difference in Jacob's neck. They are both gorgeous horses. They are from the place you work at aren't they? You lucky thing!


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## Ezme (11 November 2008)

Jumpthemoon- Thats more like it!


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## chickeninabun (11 November 2008)

Jumpthemoon, they are great examples. Even I can see the difference!  
	
	
		
		
	


	




 The withers and necks look completely different. 
Thanks, I think I may be well on my way to spotting a dodgy conformation when i see one!


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## GinaGem (11 November 2008)

Does this help.
Ru unbroken:






After approx a year:


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## Ezme (11 November 2008)

Chickeninabum- your more than welcome to CC my two if you want some practice but you do need to know the limitations of photos, there are a couple of "faults" that are illussions there!


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## chickeninabun (11 November 2008)

Isn't Ru gorgeous! You can really see the difference in his neck and his quarters look so much more powerful in the 2nd photo.
Fantastic, thanks!


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## chickeninabun (11 November 2008)

Ok ok! I'll have a go, Ezme, but please be kind. I am really rubbish! 
	
	
		
		
	


	




I will cc the bay horse (sorry forgotten his name already!).
1 - His neck looks a little short. Breed? Angle of head in photo?
2 - His foreleg appears to dip inwards beneath the knee. Illusion?
3 - A little low heeled.
4 - hoof to pastern is slightly angled rather than a straight line.
5 - Tail looks a little low set.






_Arrgghh! The picture has come out tiny and don't know how to resize, but the points are numbered, starting at the neck and working anti-clockwise!_ 

Apologises if these are a load of codswallop and completely wrong. 
	
	
		
		
	


	




 Please advise and also any correct names/terms for such types of conformation. Thanks


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## GinaGem (11 November 2008)

Thank you!


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## Bossanova (11 November 2008)

My horse has bad conformation and a poor topline but she's muscled and strong. She's 7 and done a few intermediates so obviously it doesnt affect her jumping performance (though it undoubtedtly affects her dressage)







The following examples have good confo and topline. They all actually should make very nice horses but none have a workable brain for top level competition!


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## suegreenaway (11 November 2008)

Ok these aren't great but I'll try. One in about april, she'd been very poorly:













Then this aug I think:







And this september (excuse our faces!!):







Sorry they're not great, and I don't have any of her standing properly or her without anyone on since.
Hope they help


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## Ezme (11 November 2008)

[ QUOTE ]
Ok ok! I'll have a go, Ezme, but please be kind. I am really rubbish! 
	
	
		
		
	


	




I will cc the bay horse (sorry forgotten his name already!).
1 - His neck looks a little short. Breed? Angle of head in photo?
2 - His foreleg appears to dip inwards beneath the knee. Illusion?
3 - A little low heeled.
4 - hoof to pastern is slightly angled rather than a straight line.
5 - Tail looks a little low set.






_Arrgghh! The picture has come out tiny and don't know how to resize, but the points are numbered, starting at the neck and working anti-clockwise!_ 

Apologises if these are a load of codswallop and completely wrong. 
	
	
		
		
	


	




 Please advise and also any correct names/terms for such types of conformation. Thanks  
	
	
		
		
	


	





[/ QUOTE ]

Right, well I'll have to explain he is shifting his weight in the photo so its all on the far forleg, he's on very uneven ground and his neck is bent slightly towards us but everything you said there is evident in the photo even if it isn't in real life.

He does acctually have a very low set tail, not really a problem or fault for driving or his breeding but might not be such a great jumper. (he is acctually very tidy jumper but just not the biggest!) He acctually has a lovely neck and it isn't too short but it does look it in the photo. Oh and the fact he has the bottom of his mane hogged for a collar doesn't help it looking short!
For some reason the farrier really dumped his toe the last couple of trimmings so hoof pastern axis is wrong. I wouldn't say he had low heels.
He isn't over at the knee and has lovely legs with unusal marking but again it looks like it in the photo.
He is a bit of a funny chap, for a low end, bred on a farm he is a pretty good shape! When we've really anaylyised him before we could only really fault his bum, low tail and perhaps a bit long in loins and croup. He has a very nice shoulder with a nice bearing surface for a collar yet not so upright that he's a jarring ride. Oh and his nostrils are too small! lol. People often don't believe his age, he's so amazingly fit but always looks as fat as hell! That photo was taken in august when he was going out with babies in the morning then doing rides all afternoon. 

Jakey on the otherhand is full of faults in the photo and in real life! lol

Well done tho, not rubbish in the slightest!


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## chickeninabun (11 November 2008)

She is still very pretty tho! You can tell at her shoulder that she is well muscled.
The others are all beauts too, especially that little gray with the four light socks.


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## chickeninabun (11 November 2008)

WoW!  
	
	
		
		
	


	




 What a difference, Sue Sue! She looked as if she was very poorly in the tops pics but you have done wonders with her. Fantastic, thanks.


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## chickeninabun (11 November 2008)

Thanks Ezme. I feel loads better knowing that, although the pictures may well be deceiving, I was on the right track. Will keep practising and will be confo expert in no time!


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## Ezme (11 November 2008)

[ QUOTE ]
Thanks Ezme. I feel loads better knowing that, although the pictures may well be deceiving, I was on the right track. Will keep practising and will be confo expert in no time! 
	
	
		
		
	


	





[/ QUOTE ]

Your welcome. All confo spotting is is practice. A bit of knowlege is helpful but most stuff is common sence. I had a book called "conformation for the purpose" which was fab, talked about faults but they went on to say what you can get away with with different disciplines. I think it also highlighted that one photo can make the best horse the worst but another make a complete nag look a superstar! lol


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## CBAnglo (11 November 2008)

Look at the 5th pic in Piaffe's sig - really good topline.

Hope Piaffe doesnt mind me cross-referencing her horse!


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## chickeninabun (11 November 2008)

What a beautiful horse in Piaffe's siggy! I love a nice chestnut, shame I have a hairy, moody mud-monster of one!


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## Damnation (11 November 2008)

Here is my TB mare. I think she has good topline for an ex racer but obviously her neck still isn't great.






Here is Rocky. A very "curvy" cob with a good topline..






ETA: Feel free to have a go at CCing these two if you like


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## PopStrop (11 November 2008)

OK, this is the same horse (mini) with 10 weeks difference.

In the first pic, she is in poor condition. She had a bloated stomach, no muscle - see how there's no shape to her hind quarters - and she was roach backed, because of lack of muscle along her back. She has a fairly good shape to her neck and shoulder but is hugely built up under her neck, making her look ewe necked. She is also underweight. 
She had been stabled for 3 months with no turnout - hence lack of muscle - and fed from a manger up high - hence the built up neck. 







Second pic a week later, she was having an hour's turnout a day and being fed from the ground. She's put on a little bit of weight and her neck is already improved. She's also a lot less bloated.







Third pic, 10 weeks later....
She is a completely different shape! Now has a lovely topline and is in good condition.
She's 18 months old so not in any work. This is just conditioning. She's on 8 hours turnout a day and good grub, and has developed the top line from grazing &amp; eating from the floor in a natural position.


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## Honeypots (11 November 2008)

No Topline...






A month later...still a work in progress...


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## htobago (11 November 2008)

Wow - some lovely horses with great toplines on here, and some amazing transformations!

Correct feeding and work can really improve a topline, but obviously it's easier if you have a youngster who naturally has a good topline to start with. Here's a 2yo Arab colt with a good natural topline:


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## Coffee_Bean (11 November 2008)

Ok, well my mare is still very much a work in progress, as topline and a weak neck is something we struggle with, but hopefully this should help a bit.
Before: Poor neck and back, and underweight, also I'm hoping her hind muscles have improved too.






After, still very much a work in progress, but you can see more of a curvature to the top of her neck, and a more muscly back.


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## MizElz (11 November 2008)

I've always struggled with Ellie's topline; if she's out of hard work even for a couple of weeks, her neck just seems to fall away  
	
	
		
		
	


	





This was her looking really bad earlier this year - lack of grazing and not much riding meant she looked pretty poor  
	
	
		
		
	


	











But better here:






And much better here (pic taken on the skew - she honestly isnt that downhill 
	
	
		
		
	


	




 ):






BTW if anyone would like to CC her conformation, feel free to give it a go. I dont think I've ever asked before, but I'd be really interested to know what people think!


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