Are my horse really to thin?

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Neburu

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So I just told my friend how much my horses weigh when they are fit, she was really surprised and said they should weigh more than that for the breeds that they are.

Pony is a 14.1hh partbred arab (he has 95.18% arab rest is TB and one line of a polo pony)

Horse is a 16hh partbred arab (20% arab, the rest is TB and British riding pony)

I told friend that Horse weighs around 450kg when in work and fit (for light work round fields and hacking a couple hours a day)

She said horse should be more like 500kg+ because she read somewhere that tb's should weigh around this.

She then said that Pony should weigh around 400- 450kg when hes fit. He usually weighs around 375kg when fit!

You can usually just about see there ribs in certain light and easily feel them running hands over them.

So as said are they underweight? Condition score is usually a 2 and half or just a 3 when they are fit. Surely I don't need more weight on them?!
 
We weigh all the horses at work every monday, all NH horses, so on the bigger side, and 450kg for them isn't so unusual it really is how they look. I would say the majority of horses I see are overweight, and people have got used to seeing them fatter rather than thinner, which makes them think they are too thin.
I was worried about mine a few years ago, several very pointed comments when we were on a yard, our vet felt ours looked right, and theirs were all fat.
 
The Horse (not up tp date because she has been out of work for nearly a year, again photo from when she was last fit)
296982_10150440575653206_1754921787_n_zps5267c979.jpg


The Pony (he is now semi retired, this was taken last time he was fit which was 2010/2011)
khani-2_zpsc6efcf52.png
 
Unless it's up to date pics really can't say but they look perfectly fine from the old ones.

If it was a mere conversation remarking about weights and not the 'actual' horse in person...then no, them weights aren't anything remarkable for over/under for the types given. :)
 
Have just been told a story of a horse being weighed with a weigh tape then on a weighbride thing and the horse coming up 100kg heavier on the weighbridge?!

Is that possible?
 
Neburu said:
Have just been told a story of a horse being weighed with a weigh tape then on a weighbride thing and the horse coming up 100kg heavier on the weighbridge?!

Is that possible?
Click to expand...

Yes. Average a feed rep said tapes are out by at least 80kg.
 
Weight tapes accuracy depends on conformation etc really. They are often massively out. However, my 14,1 highland weight tapes about 400kg most of the year so I imagine 375kg for a polo pony type is probably fine ;)

Condition scoring is more accurate than weight taping anyway to give you an idea of how well covered they are. Weight tapes are great for keeping track of subtle changes but no use for an "absolute" value.
 
Neburu said:
Have just been told a story of a horse being weighed with a weigh tape then on a weighbride thing and the horse coming up 100kg heavier on the weighbridge?!

Is that possible?
Click to expand...

Yes particularily cobs who can have massive shoulders and fat pads over them both my cobs where way heavy than the tape said.
My slight connie / tb was much lighter on the weight bridge verses the tape.
 
My connie weigh taped 380kg this morning and he isnt underweight so for a lighter type to weigh tape that much it seems perfectly reasonable. The weigh tape underestimates his weight some what, was about 90k out last winter when he went on a weigh bridge.

Neither of them look underweight in the pictures so I wouldnt worry as long as they are happy and healthy.
 
Both look fine in the pictures. Like others have said condition scoring is helpful especially with horses being all shapes and sizes.

Nice horses, esp. the bay!:)
 
I'd say in those pics, Horse is heavier than 450, Pony is probably around the 375 mark.

If you've access to a box and there's a public weighbridge nearby, or your vets may have one and you really want to know how far off the tape is, either take them for a run up to your vets', if you need a vaccination doing have that done too-save the call out fee, or take empty box to weighbridge, come back with horse, the difference is the approximate weight of horse (approx, as there will be variations in vehicle weight) vets weighbridges are the most accurate. You might have a racing/competition yard nearby with one who would let you borrow it?
 
Beausmate said:
I'd say in those pics, Horse is heavier than 450, Pony is probably around the 375 mark.

If you've access to a box and there's a public weighbridge nearby, or your vets may have one and you really want to know how far off the tape is, either take them for a run up to your vets', if you need a vaccination doing have that done too-save the call out fee, or take empty box to weighbridge, come back with horse, the difference is the approximate weight of horse (approx, as there will be variations in vehicle weight) vets weighbridges are the most accurate. You might have a racing/competition yard nearby with one who would let you borrow it?
Click to expand...

Oh I never thought of a local competition/racing yard will look into that. And yep horse looks heavier and weightape makes out shes really thin! Will have to look at a weighbride :)
 
They look fine!

My 14.2 crabbet arab comes up at around 415kg on my weigh tape. Condition score puts her around the 2.5 mark, even when 40mile endurance fit. We get so used to seeing fat show condition horses that we forget what a fit horse is supposed to look like. Go to an endurance ride or a point to point and see what a fit horse looks like!
 
Our weight tape was 80kgs out when we took mare to horsepital. We add on 80kgs to everything we use the weightape on.

They are never accurate... Like someone said, doesn't take into account uneven fat distribution.

Good for monitoring, but that's about it.
 
My horse on the weigh bridge was 449kg. She was about 15.1 at the front and 15.2 at the back in this photo. I don't think it's unfeasible that your horse is under 500kg personally.

bandageone.jpg



excuse massive bandage. I know what she weighed as they had to be accurate for the GA she'd just had. TBs. :mad:

Weight tapes are quite accurate on mine. I compared the vets number to my tape and I think it was only about 30kg out.
 
According to my weigh tape my 17.2 Dr horse is only 500kg. He is lean atm but he must weigh more than that!!
Go by eye for condition, if you can easily feel/just see ribs they are usually fine
 
Jesstickle said:
My horse on the weigh bridge was 449kg. She was about 15.1 at the front and 15.2 at the back in this photo. I don't think it's unfeasible that your horse is under 500kg personally.

bandageone.jpg



excuse massive bandage. I know what she weighed as they had to be accurate for the GA she'd just had. TBs. :mad:

Weight tapes are quite accurate on mine. I compared the vets number to my tape and I think it was only about 30kg out.
Click to expand...


Hope your horse is fully recovered now! Will have to see about a weighbridge.


Everyone else thank you for all the advice much appreciated :)
 
I take it weigh tapes are pretty unreliable then?

I used one on our new pony the other week, as i needed to worm her and she came up at 265kg, shes 13.2 Irish X. I thought that was quite light, but i gave her the dose at that weight. Im wondering if it was quite far out. Shes not skinny at all.
 
If you have a yard full of people topspec will bring a weighbridge and give out vouchers for their feeds but you have to have a number of horses to weigh think it was either 6 or 8
 
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