Annoying feeding issue!

Ponycarrots

Ponycarrots

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I've had my 15.2 3/4 arab 1/4 saddlebred since mid October and he's pretty much my dream horse.
I have a slight problem with him though...he isn't quite as "chubby" as I'd like and while he eats his feed absolutely fine, I don't think he spends enough time grazing/eating forage.
I keep him out 24/7 and he's a lot happier that way; in his previous home he was in at night and he's certainly gained condition since then and has become less spooky to ride. He lives out with my dales pony who I admit isn't the best field companion and he wind sucks, cribs and walks up and down the side of the field if he sees a mare!
My arab luckily hasn't started copying the wind sucking/cribbing but he now has started to walk up and down the side of the field if he can see mares. Unfortunately in the next field it's full of a herd of Falabella mares who my boys have taken such a shine to it's unreal!
My boys live in the same paddock as if my arab is on his own he walks up and down because he misses the dales pony!
It's probably about 25% of the time that I come up to the field and see him eating his haylage :( 25% of the time he is staring at the mares or something spooky, and the other 50% he's just stood with the dales pony looking chilled.
He hasn't lost condition but when I first got him he was on happy hoof and sugar beet with ad lib haylage.
Since getting him (granted it was going into winter so probably needed the extra calories anyway) I added calm and condition and sunflower oil. He has been in harder work with me than in his previous home (they didn't jump, rarely hacked for long and just schooled a bit, with me he hacks out a lot for at least a couple of hours with a lot of trot and canter work, jumps once a week plus, schools twice a week plus and has hunted twice) and he has gained a bit of condition and I get comments about how much better and fitter he looks, but I'd love to see him with a bit more fat round his hindquarters and on his belly! His neck is a nice shape now and so are his shoulders but I just worry he's on the thin side. Maybe I'm being paranoid! But if anyone thinks he should be grazing more please give me some tips. :)
 
I'd rather see a slim horse with energy than a porker. Don't expect his breed to have the same shape as a dales.
 
First of all you need to actually work out whether he is really underweight? Can you see his ribs at all? You don't really want him "chubby". Do you know how to condition score? I suspect you will find that as the grass comes through more, and is more tempting and succulent, he will spend more time grazing.
 
TGM If say he's between a 4 and 5 judging by the condition scoring on the Bailey's website. I do know how to condition score but always doubt myself with everything and after owning a really poor doing ex racer I'm so paranoid about my horses being underweight :( (well not the dales!)
I can't properly post photos but here are some links to photos of him on photobucket






And thanks 9tails, I'm the same really but I don't want him too thin! I think I'm so used to seeing everyone else's horses (round here everyone tends to have cobs, welshies, native crosses and big warmbloods, so I feel he's thin compared to them but like you say, he will be.
 
he's not looking too bad in my eyes, very pretty markings. How old is he?

I would want more muscle/condition on him rather than just 'weight'. I would imagine as the grass comes through in the next couple of week *keeps fingers crossed* he will put on more. If he's standing staring at the ladies for 25% of the time he can't be too hungry if he'd rather do that than eat. Follow his lead regarding food.

My boys on calm and condition (1 dry scoop equivalent morning and evening) + 400g of equijewel 2x a day, +naf omega oil (I won't use any more once the bottle is finished as we're out of the winter now, but had been great at keeping that extra bit on). He's done really well on this combo and gained over the winter + ad lib haylage. He's in a similar amount of work to your lad.
 
He's a long way from underweight. Mine is slimmer though more muscular, but that comes from regular work.
 
Thanks so much for the replies everyone, it's made me feel loads better honestly!
I know he needs more muscling up. Hard to believe but he is 8 (9 in may!) and I don't know a lot about his history before his previous owner (who only had him from June to October) so I don't really know how much he's done but I get the impression it's not a lot as he's so green and spooky, and is only just learning to come into an outline etc. so there's a lot of work to be done yet!
Thankyou everyone again :)
 
I'd agree with the above - when he's filled out with some muscle he'll look fab!

With my last horse, when we got her she was overweight and once we trimmed her down it wasn't until muscle built up that she really looked *well*. It didn't take a hugely concerted effort, either - a fair amount of hacking, especially teotting up hills and stuff, and a bit of schooling on the flat, and she looked fab! It'll come :)
(And on what you say about him being 8/9 but still green - we have a pony at my yard who is very similar, he was abandoned on their land so they have no idea of his history but he acts younger than he is, learning to be a lovely riding school pony though, and he's not very 'filled out' yet due to lack of ridden work, it seems.)
 
I wouldn't want any more fat on that horse, especially at this time of year. More muscle tone is what you're looking for and that will come with correct exercise.
 
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