I am looking at a potential new mare
for my husband.She is 9, has done
2 50’s and hasn’t been ridden extensively recently, but she has
been ridden regularly.She is a
nice moving horse and tends to be pretty forward.We haven’t ridden her yet though.
My husband is a heavyweight and it
looks like she has the potential to handle his weight, although we will work up
slowly.But she has a roach
back.It is not extreme –
she’s in good weight so it doesn’t look real obvious.
I tried to find more info on the web
and there wasn’t much – and what was found was conflicting.Is there any reason a horse with a roach
back should not be used for endurance or more particularly for a
heavyweight?We’ve been able
to work with horses with longer, weaker backs and keep them in good shape
– is there anything else we should do other than bring her along slowly
and try to keep her back in good strength throughout the year?Stace is a good rider and looks
“light” in the saddleand she has been ridden by heavyweights
before.
Are there any exercises that would
be good for her?I will probably
have my vet/chiro come check her out, but I wasn’t planning on
x-rays.Would a roach back cause
stress elsewhere (hocks for example) that would warrant a closer look?
This is really a nice looking mare
in all other aspects and I think she has a lot of potential.But we don’t want to do anything
that would definitely be too much for her.
