# Grace.



## suze23 (Jun 3, 2011)

over 6 months ive had her now  seems like forever!! been to hell and back wth this horse

i still havent fully bonded with her as she was acompanion to my beautiful mare that i lost (i admit im still grieving as its been a long battle - even now its ongoing with insurance etC)....

so grace is lovely and we are slowly getting there...she is a challenge...food posessive (but getting so much better)! we have bathed her/4 feet picked out/walked.bridled/bitted etc - bombproofing exercises!! 

shes rising 3 



















i have been told she was/is too skinny?! i fail to see that myself so any comments on her weight would be apreciated!... shes on hi-fi no molasses and some spillers mix!


----------



## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

She is beautiful! I am so jealous 

She doesn't look skinny to me (my mare was a Cleveland Bay x Thoro and a good doer  ), so I'm used to a well covered look, but your girl looks fine in her photo. Can't see any boney corners 

Good luck with her and I am sure you will love her as much as your other mare, but it's really difficult when you lose one. I lost my mare to colic after 15 years and I was devastated. Still am actually, 11 years later and miss her smell


----------



## suze23 (Jun 3, 2011)

Thank you 

shes just suddenly sprouted up! .... happy really as i was half thinking of selling and getting something i can ride but i figured i should be grateful for what i have and enjoy her 

Its awful loosing them - mymare was only 6....i had to make the call - she had ulcers and kept colicing, wasnt fair on her. i dont feel guilty anymore, just very sad


----------



## VickiGS (Feb 13, 2013)

Awww well done! 
I love horses (unfortunately don't have one of my
own due to cost-but hopefully one day!!)

She does look thin compared to the horses I see weekly but then she is only 3... And she's beautiful! 

Keep up the good work- you will bond with her


----------



## suze23 (Jun 3, 2011)

thanks ^ shes rising 3 tho so being a little careful about excess weight and joints tbh. 

i will stick a bit more on her over summer with the grass that will come through 

yes they are expensive for sure


----------



## Blitz (Feb 12, 2009)

She looks like she has an enormous amount of filling out to do but definitely not thin, just very immature.
I bet she will look totally different in a couple of years.
Do not let her get any fatter though.


----------



## suze23 (Jun 3, 2011)

Blitz said:


> She looks like she has an enormous amount of filling out to do but definitely not thin, just very immature.
> I bet she will look totally different in a couple of years.
> Do not let her get any fatter though.


thanks 

i was told she was underweight and that kinda peed me off (not on here)!

she is lean....but easier to put weight on than fight it off a youngster...! 

i wont be breaking her in until late 2013 more likely 2014 (sadly)! but will be long reining her in summer onwards and do a load of groundwork with her in preparation as im hoping to do everything myself


----------



## Zayna (Apr 19, 2009)

She is very fine looking but then youngsters always do look a bit gangly lol. She will fill out nicely as she gets older


----------



## Baileys Blind (Jan 23, 2012)

If she's just had a growth spurt she will be on the lean side, she's definatley not underweight tho 

I have a young red n white gelding with the same headcollar as your lady  Looks lovely


----------



## suze23 (Jun 3, 2011)

thanks 

shes defiantely lean i fully admit that - shes on masses off food and as much hay as she can manage (she leaves some daily as apparantly i overface her  ) but its there if she wants it!

she adores her swedes too


----------



## RachJeremy (Sep 14, 2012)

She doesn't look skinny at all! I can't see her ribs and her coat looks healthy... She's young so she won't have much muscle yet. If anything she's in lovely condition


----------



## AlexArt (Apr 25, 2010)

She looks in perfect condition for a growing youngster, my friesian rising 2yr old is about the same weight if not a little lighter, as they pile on the pounds so quickly on spring grass that I then have to restrict grazing so try and get plenty off them over winter! I think people are so used to seeing horses in show condition - obese in other words - that when they see horses at the correct weight they think they look skinny!
You want them to carry as little weight as possible while they are growing to minimise the stress on joints, you should be able to feel ribs easily and see the last 2 at the end of winter - they should have a nice covering over their back and bum though! So I wouldn't stuff with hard feed as that is the worst thing you can do - mine get add lib haylage and a vitamin lick and that's it, and personally I don't rug as it restricts their range of movement as can stabling for any length of time and the rugs can mess up their metabolism, they just need shelter or a barn to go into - they are supposed to look gangly gawky furry fugly things until they hit 3 or 4 when they turn into swans!!! 

You're on the right track getting her bomb proofed now, although keep sessions very short ie. no more than 10 mins as they tend to have the attention span of a small fish and always end on a good note, and as long as you leave backing until 4 at the earliest then she'll be fine! They do often go through absolute shite bag teenager stages - my now rising 5yr old I could have happily made into a nice throw rug as a 2 and 3yr old, he then turned into a saint over night - I actually got the vet out as I thought he was ill!!!!


----------



## RachJeremy (Sep 14, 2012)

Haha, love the swede pic  My boy loves them too, but we gave up tying them up as he used to just pull them down.


----------



## suze23 (Jun 3, 2011)

thanks alex 

roll on spring she can go live out all day every day - shes in atm due to mud swamped fields and i dont fancy her doing a tendon as shes is a baby and does run! she goes out in the sand paddock atm  the mites (explaned below)! and mud fever makes me hate winter!

rug wise - i kept her rug as i was going to take her showing....but she had/has alopecia due to a rare mite (typical)! so ive kept her rugged but tbh she can proabbly be weaned off them which will make it easier to treat her skin too as she needs another bath soon (i hope monday as im off and she needs sedating!)


----------



## suze23 (Jun 3, 2011)

a couple more pics of grace....

this saddle was my old mares who was only 6 when i lost her last year  so im desparate for it to fit grace.... i KNOW she has a lot of growing to do but every coupld of months i stick it on her to see if it is any closer to standing a chance of fitting (plus its good for grace)!.... i think it will fit 

when shes old enough to break in im getting the saddler out to fit it to her properly (then out every few months as she changes...)



















shes becoming such a good girl  wouldnt think it was the same pony that floored me accross the field 6 months ago?    thought id broke my ribs 

were getting there


----------

