Before & after pictures - rescue ponies

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nikkianddave

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Here's pictures of my baby before and after
I bought him in July 2017, and this is in October 2017 - massive difference in just a few months.
He was skin and bone, covered in lice and mites, mane and tail matted and rubbed out :(


2e5s1n4.jpg



Anyone else got any more? xx
 
Healthier weight being able to see his spine and every single rib? he's a piebald heavy weight cob with a massive amount of bone. vet said he is still underweight now
 
Nikki and Dave. I have similar little cob to you . Came to my friend really underweight and neglected. She's now about same as yours. Nothing wrong with her. She just one championship at local show. If I could post piccies I would . Unfortunately I can't. Well done
 
SpringArising said:
Mentioning the fact that he actually looks a healthier weight in the top pictures than the bottom, I imagine.
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But surely it would be possible to tactfully point out that you think he looks a bit overweight, while also acknowledging that he is clearly much more bright and cheerful looking in the second two pictures? He is a cob after all, and it's the end of the summer? Constructive criticism is almost always a good thing to give but if you only pick on the faults without seeing any positives, that's when people are hurt and just stop posting and sharing. I thought this was a lovely idea for a thread and feel a bit sad to think it might well now be derailed into a discussion on whether this particular pony is overweight. (Sorry that sounds so horrifically preachy! I just seem to have seen a lot of threads recently that started with excellent intentions and ended with people clearly feeling hurt and a bit picked on).

OP, he looks very happy to me - and I'm going to guess that you have a plan for his weight along with the rest of him! How old is he - will he be a ridden pony? And where did he come from? (if that's something that you can tell us without causing a diplomatic crisis)
 
Horse & Hound really is the most bitchy yard on earth isn't it...and often ignorant too. >:( I can quite clearly see in the second picture posted the young cob has a protruding spine and very, very visible ribs, and a very worried eye, whoever thinks this is an acceptable picture of a healthy young cob needs their eyes testing or needs to up their knowledge on young cobs!

the 3rd and 4th picture I see is of a healthy young traditional cob, shiny and healthy coat and an alert and relaxed eye. I would not want to see anymore weight on him but neither would I class him as anywhere near obese or a dangerous weight for his health considering his type. .

Well done OP you are doing a great job with him - the only thing I would dispute is that you have 'rescued' him. IMO you bought and paid for a young cob in poor condition. that does not constitute rescuing in the true sense of the word but all good that he has found a good home with you and his life has obviously improved since you purchased him.
 
Ok, OP, maybe I could have been more tactful but especially for a 2yo he really is too fat now in the lower pics. He has also put on the weight in just 4 months, which is pretty rapid.

It can be difficult when you see them everyday to see the weight pile on. I have had two rescue foster pony youngsters from the RSPCA. Both were naturally good doers albeit desperately thin when first taken in, so once they had reached a healthy weight they had to be monitored carefully in case they went the other way and got too fat.
 
Widgeon said:
But surely it would be possible to tactfully point out that you think he looks a bit overweight, while also acknowledging that he is clearly much more bright and cheerful looking in the second two pictures? He is a cob after all, and it's the end of the summer? Constructive criticism is almost always a good thing to give but if you only pick on the faults without seeing any positives, that's when people are hurt and just stop posting and sharing. I thought this was a lovely idea for a thread and feel a bit sad to think it might well now be derailed into a discussion on whether this particular pony is overweight. (Sorry that sounds so horrifically preachy! I just seem to have seen a lot of threads recently that started with excellent intentions and ended with people clearly feeling hurt and a bit picked on).

OP, he looks very happy to me - and I'm going to guess that you have a plan for his weight along with the rest of him! How old is he - will he be a ridden pony? And where did he come from? (if that's something that you can tell us without causing a diplomatic crisis)
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Hi!

he was a gypsy cob rescued from a quarry, the people who rescued him paid for his passport and to be gelded and I took him for a mere £200 contribution to that soon afterwards, so for those who are querying whether he is a rescue, he really is!

he is 2 years old, he's gone from 13.1 from when the vet first assessed him in July to just over 13.3hh on the 6th October when he last saw him, and still has weight to gain. He recommended the fast fibre diet, it's done him the world of good and he is impeccably behaved for a 2 year old.

He ill be a ridden pony, vet estimates he will turn 3 in spring next year, in winter next year we will be starting to lunge and long-rein, tack up and then he will be sent away after summer next year to be professionally broken and schooled by John Leigh in the north west

plans for this year are just being a pony, next year we are going to do some in-hand shows

thanks for your kind words, I am going to stop posting on here all together, just seem to get rinsed every time I do. I am proud of my baby and how far we have come. He is very dependant on me and doesn't like anyone else messing with him, but we are bringing him around slowly, he's accepting being caught by different people and being groomed by different people too, we are getting there! but he still wont take a carrot or an apple of anyone but me haha
 
Hard to see pics well, does appear ribby but still has rounded quarters in the top two pics... yeah probably was a bit scabby too but that doesn't equal emaciated imo. It shouldn't look as rotund as it does in the b&w image and as a youngster you are doing him no favours, I would definitely use the winter to your advantage and slim him down naturally.

Heavy breeds still need time to mature you can't just pump them full of feed and say it's their build. My sec D took til 8 to properly chunk out.

ETA: I say this not to attack but noticed on your other post that your turnout will be stopping soon. I don't think it's fair on a young horse in no work to live in. Personally I would want to find somewhere he can live out for the winter, loose some weight naturally and keep mobile. Excess weight and lack of movement will only cause you problems in the long term.
 
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Merlod said:
Hard to see pics well, does appear ribby but still has rounded quarters in the top two pics... yeah probably was a bit scabby too but that doesn't equal emaciated imo. It shouldn't look as rotund as it does in the b&w image and as a youngster you are doing him no favours, I would definitely use the winter to your advantage and slim him down naturally.

Heavy breeds still need time to mature you can't just pump them full of feed and say it's their build. My sec D took til 8 to properly chunk out.
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Mr Vet Man seems to think he still has weight to put on, minimum of 30kg to be where he should be right now, we are monitoring his weight every 3 months as well as a couple of other problems he seems to have, but all in all the improvement the vet has seen in only 3 months has been outstanding (in his own words) I don't know about you, but I don't really think I want to argue with the vet...
 
nikkianddave said:
he's a piebald heavy weight cob with a massive amount of bone. vet said he is still underweight now
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nikkianddave said:
he's gone from 13.1 from when the vet first assessed him in July to just over 13.3hh on the 6th October when he last saw him, and still has weight to gain
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How can you look at the bottom two pictures and think he needs to gain any more weight? I'm honestly baffled.
 
SpringArising said:
How can you look at the bottom two pictures and think he needs to gain any more weight? I'm honestly baffled.
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I thought the same, but from behind his bottom is still very square, I think his position on the black and white photo doesn't do me any favours. But I am very proud with how far we have come, and how well he has done.
He also has a very petite head, something the girls and guys round here are raving about and think he will make a fantastic native show pony when he is big enough.
Vet is estimating him to finish at around 15hh
 
Mr Vet Man needs to go back to vet school - unless something has been lost in translation, so to speak. I think you might be well advised to seek a second opinion. I certainly know vets who will not comment on overweight horses belonging to their clients, sadly.
 
JFTD said:
Mr Vet Man needs to go back to vet school - unless something has been lost in translation, so to speak. I think you might be well advised to seek a second opinion. I certainly know vets who will not comment on overweight horses belonging to their clients, sadly.
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Hmm I wish I agreed with everything that everyone wrote on here but sadly I don't.
The same vet put my neighbours horse on a different diet to lose weight, as a TB it had a huge gut and was overweight. We tie in yard visits, surely everyone on the yard cant be wrong about our vet? we all love him to bits.
 
Maybe you need to stop relying on your vet, if he is only 2 then he is too fat, turn him away somewhere for the winter and stop with the hard feed or you are probably going to have problems in the future.
 
How can I delete my post? I'm sick of getting notifications now of useless comments. I posted because I'm very proud of my horse, he came from a bad place and he is now in a very good one. What happened to if you haven't got anything nice to say, don't say it at all? Absolute nonsense and just rudeness.
 
nikkianddave said:
How can I delete my post? I'm sick of getting notifications now of useless comments. I posted because I'm very proud of my horse, he came from a bad place and he is now in a very good one. What happened to if you haven't got anything nice to say, don't say it at all? Absolute nonsense and just rudeness.
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Because if we all lived by that motto nothing would ever change and no one would ever speak out.

You're entitled to love your boy but that's not an excuse to let him get fat. You're setting him up for health issues later in life - that doesn't constitute as a 'very good' home.
 
Perhaps you could post some proper shots of him stood up? I'm sure you are love him and are looking forward to many lovely ridden years but please be aware what plethora of issues there are to being overweight - I purchase "rescued" a poor little shetland, was fat as a pig for years and one day his diet caught up with him and he had his first bought of lami - owner wanted out when vet told her he couldn't be cured. I have had him 5 years now but he has metabolic and joint issues from when he was obese, even now he is trim the damage is already done. He has to be part stabled to keep off the grass all year but he gets stiff standing in too long and I doubt he will have any life if I stop the metformin.
 
I think he looks great now....and very relaxed and happy. I wouldn't want any more weight on him at the moment.

I can see his vertebrae and ribs in the first pics....so he was underweight.
 
Merlod said:
Perhaps you could post some proper shots of him stood up? I'm sure you are love him and are looking forward to many lovely ridden years but please be aware what plethora of issues there are to being overweight - I purchase "rescued" a poor little shetland, was fat as a pig for years and one day his diet caught up with him and he had his first bought of lami - owner wanted out when vet told her he couldn't be cured. I have had him 5 years now but he has metabolic and joint issues from when he was obese, even now he is trim the damage is already done. He has to be part stabled to keep off the grass all year but he gets stiff standing in too long and I doubt he will have any life if I stop the metformin.
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Thanks for your reply, I do really appreciate your concern and I am sorry to hear about your Shetland but he definitely is not overweight. I shouldn't have to post pictures of him stood up properly to prove this, this isn't what my post was about. It was about how far he has come and how much better he looks now he is being looked after properly. he was rescued, from a quarry with 40 other cobs
 
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