Body scoring a weanling/yearling

widget said:
To be honest I've been quite happy giving him just balancer but comments said he was a bit light so Alfa a oil would add some protein. He has adlib hay but isn't hungry and only eats a slice per day ish as we still have grass
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Are these comments from people experienced with yearlings and their rates of growth because if not, it's quite likely that he's the perfect weight for his age and developement and they are just used to things that are either in show condition or too fat. Yes that's a generalisation but you really need to know yearlings and how they grow to be able to give a comment it's no use if it's only based on what they themselves like to see. An overweight yearling runs the risk of damage to the limbs and lungs let alone the normal dangers of overfeeding which is why a balancer is so useful for them, it's the protein, vitamins and minerals they need without the added weight.
 
Yes that's true I've got my world horse welfare field officer having a look at him (other ned on loan from them) he has youngsters and will give me an honest opinion
 
Maesfen said:
Are these comments from people experienced with yearlings and their rates of growth because if not, it's quite likely that he's the perfect weight for his age and developement and they are just used to things that are either in show condition or too fat. Yes that's a generalisation but you really need to know yearlings and how they grow to be able to give a comment it's no use if it's only based on what they themselves like to see. An overweight yearling runs the risk of damage to the limbs and lungs let alone the normal dangers of overfeeding which is why a balancer is so useful for them, it's the protein, vitamins and minerals they need without the added weight.
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This ^^ is exactly why I use balancers for all of my youngsters and I totally agree with Maesfen about not listening to people who are simply not used to seeing young horses, or seeing them solely in show condition (which is more often than not, too fat!).
 
widget said:
Yes that's true I've got my world horse welfare field officer having a look at him (other ned on loan from them) he has youngsters and will give me an honest opinion
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Don't turn your back, he will sneak another one in for you to patch back together !

Just a thought, if you are worried your yearling is dropping off it may be an idea to look back at your worming routine.

Before anyone thinks the second picture of my horse is grossly fat, he is a Shire cross maxi cob with massive depth.
 
Yes that's true he probably will! Levi only came as a companion for a few months (three years ago!)
I do regular worm counts and he was wormed on arrival anyway just to make sure. I don't this he's lost weight he's just a bit gawky from a growth spurt.
 
I have just been talking to the Bailey's nutritionist about my 9 month old Highland filly and she suggested their stud balancer with an alfalfa based chaff. She wasn't at all pushy and actually suggested a chaff that D&H do!
 
Here's some pics of my yak at about 7/8 months
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Feed wise he's on 300g of baileys stud balancer, 100g (approx - 1 mug) of micronized linseed and a bit of sugar beet a day. There is ad lib forage in the field as well. He does seem to have a bit of a belly on him but he is well wormed.

He just seems to be beginning to fill out a little and he goes and grows again!!!
 
I have been breeding and raising foals for 30 years always on the same diet alfalfa, linseed and a vitamin either top spec balancer or the equivalent soaked grass nuts in winter and ad lib grass in summer never had a joint issue, foals always grown correctly and levely never had a pot bellied foal and always gone on to win at dressage, show jumping, showing, working hunter, x country TREC and can hack for miles s not knackered at 3
I hate to see scraggy pot bellied foals there is absolutely no need for it
Sorry I am quite sad tonight I have just sat with an 11 year old girl while her pony was shot why because he was starved as a foal was suffering from severe worm damage received as a foal and because his gut was calcified beyond help. Non of it her fault she was given the pony as a yearling and he would have been three this time. How do you comfort a child when her adored pet can no longer function due to bad treatment as a baby
 
I probably need to point out that we feed very high quality hay to our horses; we grow an alfalfa x multiple grasses hay so all of my horses have alfalfa hay hence me not requiring alfalfa content in any feed I purchase. Balancers and mineral blocks are the only extras my youngsters get. All of my foals grow evenly, not bum high or wither high.

Windand rain; I've only ever had one pot bellied youngster. He went pot bellied at around the 4 or 5 month stage and remained so until he turned 2 years old. It was a strange thing to see because none of my others have ever been like that. I hid him away for a couple of years as he was the only yak I've ever bred! He'll be 3 in June (he was a late foal) and he's definitely the ugly duckling turned into swan. Nice looking boy now so not all of these little pot bellied creatures are down to incorrect feeding or lack of worming.
 
I suppose there are exceptions in everything I agree if you are feeding alfalfa hay you certainly dont need to feed alfalfa chaff but round here it is almost unheard of to feed hay with alfalfa in it
Sorry I was a bit upset about the way things turned out for this little chap it was totally unnecessary and has caused heartbreaking fear and loss in a kind hearted little girl the people who did this are despicable . So called horse breeder than accused the child of starving the pony The family he was gifted to are great and long term horse owners their other horses look wonderful this little man had never been a thriver though and it confused the hell out of them
 
Oh no, sorry I wasn't getting at you, just wanted to mention both points because I think they were worthy of mentioning for anyone who might be pooing a brick because their youngster is pot bellied even though it's been wormed properly, and also to comment on the alfalfa.

You poor thing, and poor little girl and family too. Horrid when something so unnecessary happens. Have a hug xx
 
Maesfen said:
Are these comments from people experienced with yearlings and their rates of growth because if not, it's quite likely that he's the perfect weight for his age and developement and they are just used to things that are either in show condition or too fat. Yes that's a generalisation but you really need to know yearlings and how they grow to be able to give a comment it's no use if it's only based on what they themselves like to see. An overweight yearling runs the risk of damage to the limbs and lungs let alone the normal dangers of overfeeding which is why a balancer is so useful for them, it's the protein, vitamins and minerals they need without the added weight.
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I personally have got experience, and I hate anything carrying too much weight, but yes, I'd like to see a smidgen more since he's just coming out of a growth spurt in the middle of winter and isn't keen on his hay. I see nothing wrong with op giving him a small amount of Alfa oil or linseed meal just to help his condition while his body settles from the spurt, then there's no problem with cutting back again until the next growth spurt. I have also said that this is based on the photos at hand which could be deceiving. Just because someone does not agree completely with you doesn't make them wrong, neither does it make you wrong. I think neither of us advocates too much weight in youngsters, but to me he is lacking a little bit behind, if that is still the case when looking at a side shot of him then I stand by my suggestion for a little bit more feed temporarily.
 
Spring Feather said:
This ^^ is exactly why I use balancers for all of my youngsters and I totally agree with Maesfen about not listening to people who are simply not used to seeing young horses, or seeing them solely in show condition (which is more often than not, too fat!).
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But that doesn't mean that exactly the same can't be achieved with fibre and a supplement, I absolutely can't abide mixes and such, not for any horse, but to me a supplement with a good fibre base does just equally well. Ben grew up on hay, 1 scoop fast fibre, equimins supplement, and half a handful of chaff (as he wouldn't eat slop without it), he always stayed slightly on the lean side which was ideal especially at the rate his body wanted to grow. I'm pretty sure if I'd had him on some stupid stud mix at the rccomended amount he'd have had possibly weight and joint issues.
 
Actually, and not in the least wishing to cast aspersions on the posters' pictured youngsters, they ALL look a little on the tubby side to me. I like to see a rib on growing horses; not thin, but growthy, as we used to call it. I would keep my 1 - 3 year olds lighter than the horses shown here.
 
This was Ben as a baby, I think he's rising two here:

(Fast fibre, supplement and a small handful of chaff)

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And just four (and a tiny bit tucked up at a huge show!)
Alfa oil, 2 cups of linseed, speedie beet, supplement... And work!

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Is he too fat for you Cortez? :p
 
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Spring Feather said:
I've only ever had one pot bellied youngster............... (he was a late foal) and he's definitely the ugly duckling turned into swan. Nice looking boy now so not all of these little pot bellied creatures are down to incorrect feeding or lack of worming.
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Agree, mine's an ugly duckling late one and was a bit on the potbellied hairy side, then went through a 'twiglet' stage like a little giraffe and now looks pretty healthy to me. Her full sister was the same and has totally blossomed so I'm not concerned and just looking forward to seeing what this summer does! The rest of the youngstock from the stud all look normal/stunning on the same regime so it is just a little quirk that this pairing is a bit late/slower developing.
 
Queenbee said:
But that doesn't mean that exactly the same can't be achieved with fibre and a supplement, I absolutely can't abide mixes and such, not for any horse, but to me a supplement with a good fibre base does just equally well. Ben grew up on hay, 1 scoop fast fibre, equimins supplement, and half a handful of chaff (as he wouldn't eat slop without it), he always stayed slightly on the lean side which was ideal especially at the rate his body wanted to grow. I'm pretty sure if I'd had him on some stupid stud mix at the rccomended amount he'd have had possibly weight and joint issues.
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I don't recall anyone recommending a stud mix, we were all talking about balancers. I don't know any of the named feeds so I looked up the analyses of them and to be honest there's no way I'd feed Fast Fibre to my youngsters, it's totally unsuitable for young growing horses as it's lacking in many components necessary for correct foal growth. The nutrition provided by Baileys Balancer is pretty much identical to the balancer I feed all of my youngsters. I think when you breed a fair amount of foals year in year out, over the years you really do get to see the difference certain feeds make. Just having a couple of foals in a lifetime isn't really a good indication of how good or bad a feed is.
 
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Cortez said:
Actually, and not in the least wishing to cast aspersions on the posters' pictured youngsters, they ALL look a little on the tubby side to me. I like to see a rib on growing horses; not thin, but growthy, as we used to call it. I would keep my 1 - 3 year olds lighter than the horses shown here.
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Crikey, I thought my little ginger was thin, you could easily feel ribs.

Cortez as you have far more experience than most of us (spring feather not you!) Could you post a pic of one of your youngsters to show what you believe is the perfect weight, that would enable all novices like me to get it right in the future.
 
One thing that hasnt been mentioned is that most of your weanlings/yearlings have been weaned too young. I know the 'usual' is 6/7 months, we left our babies[ warmbloods mainly] on mum till 9 months old. No supplements ,balancers etc , just milk, haylage ,grass. I know many of you wont have a choice about the weaning regime of your babes, but I m suggesting ,if you have the choice to keep babe and mum together, do so. Easier and cheaper for you, much better for foalie. [ And our mares didnt run off in winter - theres no reason why they should if they lookd after properly - in our case adlib haylage and grass during day] Last yr bought an early weaned foal, and yes we ve had problems - he was skinny and wormy, and yes we had to buy balancers etc -what a faff!
 
wowsers! didn't check in for a day or two and theres loads of posts! to be fair he looks a lot like the little bay foal in real life so im not overly worried. Im going to keep him on the balancer after discussion with baileys lady as its got all the vitamins etc he needs in and im going to add some alfa a to give him a bit of a boost for a month or two and cut back to just the balancer when the spring grass comes through. Brought him in for a dry out today and hes was as good as gold to lead in despite the other horses playing up, let me tie him up, pick out and wash his feet all without any fuss (sorry proud owner moment as he was unhandled a few months ago!) took his rug off and he looks fine, if a little yak like! whilst he may need a feed boost im fairly sure he isn't going to drop dead from lack of food anytime soon.

Thanks guys for all your advice and il post pics in a month or so again when hopefully my yak will turn into a swan- or a nice welsh partbred would do!!!
 
It's always dangerous to try and judge from photos, but Asha yours looks grand - not too fat, would also be fine with less; as long as the top is covered. The main thing is for people to realise that young, growing horses should be lean (NOT thin and most definitely not fat). All of my foalie pictures are pre-digital, but I'll have a rake through and see if I've got one to scan.

I always weaned mine at 5 or 6 months, some people like to leave them on for longer, some will wean at 4 - 5 months but as long as the foals are properly fed and wormed I don't think it makes an enormous amount of difference. The key words are "properly" fed, not stuffed up like TB weanlings for the sales. Good grass is key, with an eye to mineral balance. Any large stud will have their fodder analysed but for the small breeder an overall supplement is probably the best way to cover all bases.
 
Cortez said:
Actually, and not in the least wishing to cast aspersions on the posters' pictured youngsters, they ALL look a little on the tubby side to me. I like to see a rib on growing horses; not thin, but growthy, as we used to call it. I would keep my 1 - 3 year olds lighter than the horses shown here.
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Asha said:
Crikey, I thought my little ginger was thin, you could easily feel ribs.

Cortez as you have far more experience than most of us (spring feather not you!) Could you post a pic of one of your youngsters to show what you believe is the perfect weight, that would enable all novices like me to get it right in the future.
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I think Milo's yak fur is hiding a lot - you can quite clearly feel ribs without trying!!! I most certainly wouldn't want him skinnier, wouldn't want him fat as lighter is better for babies.
 
Asha said:
Crikey, I thought my little ginger was thin, you could easily feel ribs.
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I think your little one looks fine tbh.

(spring feather not you!) Could you post a pic of one of your youngsters to show what you believe is the perfect weight, that would enable all novices like me to get it right in the future.
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Lol, not Cortez, but I could upload a couple of piccies to give you an idea of what mine look like at certain stages. Like most other breeders who have commented on this thread, I also like my youngsters to grow smoothly and evenly with nice topline but showing a bit of rib. Photobucket is messing about at the moment so I can't upload them right now but will try later on this evening and post back.
 
Really interesting thread. I have a 8 and a half month old filly, she's TB x Sports Horse and a fairly chunky little monster. She is out unrugged 24/7 with adlib hay/haylage and gets a small bucket feed each day of dried grass and soaked alfalfa cobs with Suregrow. Compared to some of the pics on this thread she looks like a cruelty case, I'm surprised no one has called the RSPCA! :) I have been very strict in keeping her unrugged as she went into winter a little too plump for my liking and we've maintained a weight that allows us to feel ribs but not see them. She is bright, naughty, fluffy and filthy, and I'm really happy with her, even if she doesnt look show ready.
 
Spring Feather said:
I think your little one looks fine tbh.


Lol, not Cortez, but I could upload a couple of piccies to give you an idea of what mine look like at certain stages. Like most other breeders who have commented on this thread, I also like my youngsters to grow smoothly and evenly with nice topline but showing a bit of rib. Photobucket is messing about at the moment so I can't upload them right now but will try later on this evening and post back.
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That would be great. I remember seeing some photos's of your older ones, and they looked absolutely stunning. Would be great to see your weanlings / yearlings. This is when HHO is amazing. Sound advice from the pro's !
 
Here's one of mine, he's fairly typical of what I breed. He's an Oldenburg and they are quite heavy set warmbloods. If I have time I will try to find some Hanoverian youngsters of mine, but to be honest, their growth rates are very similar to the lad below. Hope it helps anyway.

At 3 months old

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At 12 months old

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At 18 months old

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Those pictures are great If mine were not heavy built with table top backs even as foals I would like them to look like that. My Hanovarian grew like that he was absolutely stunning It is the level way in which he has grown that makes him very special
When we bred tbs many years ago they always grew evenly and never had poverty marks down their rumps
 
same filly as the foal picture at 14months
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even although I show mine I dont like to see them too fat the judge on this occasion agreed and she won this class at the next show we went to she was put down the line for needing more weight on her
 
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