before and after

left: may 2011                                                             right: june 2013

 

billy was a weedy looking yearling that has blossomed into a hunk of a three year old.  he has become super athletic and has learned to use his body correctly.  it's been a joy to watch this unfold.

billy june 2011

 

billy september 2011

 

billy december 2011

 

watching a young horse learn to use his hind end efficiently, tucking his legs up under his body and lifting off with them.  thereby lifting his withers and actually changing the lay of the shoulder!  when things are in alignment magic can happen.

billy spring of 2012

 

luckily i have been snapping pictures of billy all along this journey so i could SEE the changes.  i knew that they would happen slowly and i might miss a few things along the way.  of course when i put the top two pictures side by side it's pretty amazing the dramatic changes that have occurred, but watching them happen over the last 3 years has been enlightening!

he has taught me so much about conformation and how the muscles and ligaments are put together to form the outline that we see.  it's been so interesting to really understand that the conformation is really just the bone structure but the "ewe" neck, straight shoulder and weak back are all things that are changeable.

it's clear that one should not judge a book by it's cover... or a horse by it's yearling picture...