How do you know if you train your horse correctly?

There are some areas on the horse where it is very clear to see if the training is in order. 

The area behind the shoulders

One of the places is the area just behind the shoulders. What you typically will see with the riding horses are depressions/holes, actually right where the front pillows of the saddle rest. For many, it has become quite normal that horses have these holes just behind their shoulders.

The other thing we often see is the barrel-shaped horses without wither and without any grooves anywhere. This is most often seen on young horses, overweight horses or the heavier breeds and some ponies. Typically, these horses are not worked very much.

It is, for example, that if the horse is working correctly, the wither will grow up between the shoulders so that the horse starts to look higher in front. This does not mean, however, that the wither is beginning to be narrow. The wither should appear strong and wide.

Noller is one of the horses that develops slowly. Think it's due to his confirmation and temperament. Where he has developed the most is the area behind the shoulders. There he used to have holes.

The muscles change

Throughout the last year, I have noticed some changes in the muscles of our horses, as I have not seen before. At least not as clear as now.

Lucky Lady

Our horses are not perfect, but I will try to show what I'm looking for. We took some pictures of Lucky Lady the other day, so I use her as a model. Lucky Lady is a relatively big horse she is about 178 cm. She has a long back, short neck and she is a little straight in her hind legs. She does not have much hock action. It is not easy for her to step deep under herself. Still, it is possible to develop her muscles so that she will look more correct and work better.

Normally we always see saddles from the side. I think it might be fun to see several different models, from the front. By seeing the saddle from the front, you get an idea of how the horse should be built in order to fit a given saddle. There is nothing wrong with any of these saddles. They should just be able to fit the horse they should lie on.

When you look at the pictures, you can see that they vary between two shapes, a reverse V and a reverse U. If you click on the pictures, you can see the brand.