Chubby or not..

Michen

Michen

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Can you settle this for me please! Everything thinks i am mad and being paranoid but I am a bit concerned about his weight. Top photo was how he looked about six weeks ago ish bottom is today. He was out of work for 3.5 weeks after a farrier took too much toe off and crippled him (vets originally thought it had caused stress laminitis) but has been back in work 10 days and about to start trot work. Whilst he was on box rest (for 3.5 weeks) he was on soaked hay the entire time

He's on 12 hour soaked hay (ad lib) during the day and out on good grazing but muzzled over night. Feed is just chaff and minerals and salt but I've just bought him a new balancer to try.

I feel he has gained a fairly alarming amount of weight in a short space of time, and I am not particularly happy with his current weight. Everyone else thinks he's fine!!! I guess I am just feeling very cautious as he is doing a lot less work (whilst I build it back up), on good grass and has had a "trauma" to his feet so laminitis does concern me. Pre lameness, in top pic, he was very fit and competing regularly.

I would be interested to see what you guys think re current weight and also condition wise, where could he do with more muscle etc and what sort of things could I do to help build that? A bit limited as our school is a little deep for him so it needs to be things I can do while hacking. He already does plenty of hill work, I had read about walk to halt transitions being good whilst going up hill?

 
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I definitely prefer him in the first picture, however if he is just coming back into work after a few weeks off I would not be too concerned tbh.

I'd keep him on soaked hay until you can step up to faster work.

Anything going up a hill is beneficial :) I also like working down hills at trot and canter, grass only though.

Glad his feet have been sorted, not too much time off needed, thank goodness.
 
I would not be worried about him having a little extra on his tummy and that seems to be where it is, in the first photo he looks very fit, almost too lean for the level he is competing/ working at and you may struggle to maintain that level constantly, a bit like a fit racehorse he will do no harm to have let down a little and will tighten back up once you start the canter/ jumping work, a break, enforced or otherwise is often a good thing to allow you to build them back up.
I would like to see a photo from behind to see how defined the muscles are on his second thigh as that area is one I feel shows how well they are using their back end, he has a very well defined forearm in both photos but the hind is less easy to see.
 
Does this help? From today. I do agree he was on the lean side before, in fact I was worried about that too and posted about it as well lol (can never be happy eh!). I think it's just so much weight so quickly and being the type he is it concerns me that I will struggle to get it off now the grass has rocketed. I feel awful muzzling him as he hates it but I do not want to restrict his turnout hours. He feels lack lustre in his ridden work at the moment, bored and dragging himself up hills (I have to work hard to keep him forward) UNLESS they are on the way home.... Though his breathing recovery from steep hills is excellent so it doesn't feel like he's physically lost much fitness, more mentally. Just a bit backwards really. He is the sort of type to get bored very quickly though, he feels if it's not an outing or cantering it's not worth doing apparently!





be positive said:
I would not be worried about him having a little extra on his tummy and that seems to be where it is, in the first photo he looks very fit, almost too lean for the level he is competing/ working at and you may struggle to maintain that level constantly, a bit like a fit racehorse he will do no harm to have let down a little and will tighten back up once you start the canter/ jumping work, a break, enforced or otherwise is often a good thing to allow you to build them back up.
I would like to see a photo from behind to see how defined the muscles are on his second thigh as that area is one I feel shows how well they are using their back end, he has a very well defined forearm in both photos but the hind is less easy to see.
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This is definitely something we need to work on, I hate going downhill at anything other than a walk but we need to for XC so shall get on that. There's a few places I can do that now he's starting trot work and hopefully canter work in a week or so.

So am I! He was so unhappy on box rest it was awful. He bounced back though thank goodness...


LJR said:
I definitely prefer him in the first picture, however if he is just coming back into work after a few weeks off I would not be too concerned tbh.

I'd keep him on soaked hay until you can step up to faster work.

Anything going up a hill is beneficial :) I also like working down hills at trot and canter, grass only though.

Glad his feet have been sorted, not too much time off needed, thank goodness.
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The lack lustre feeling may be because he is actually getting very little quality in his food, soaking hay and muzzed grazing could mean he needs a bit more in his bucket, the balancer may be just what he needs to up the energy without putting on weight, it may be due to attitude and once he starts doing fun things again he brightens up, otherwise possibly the diet needs a tweak.
 
Wouldn't be worried in the slightest. He's lost the herring gutted look and is in good form to start a fun summer of work. Work is increasing so he's not going to get any fatter than he is at this moment is he!
 
Yep sounds about right. My mistake really, I let his forage plus run out for a week or so as well before buying the balancer (Equilibria 500.. Will be interesting to try).



be positive said:
The lack lustre feeling may be because he is actually getting very little quality in his food, soaking hay and muzzed grazing could mean he needs a bit more in his bucket, the balancer may be just what he needs to up the energy without putting on weight, it may be due to attitude and once he starts doing fun things again he brightens up, otherwise possibly the diet needs a tweak.
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FfionWinnie said:
Wouldn't be worried in the slightest. He's lost the herring gutted look and is in good form to start a fun summer of work. Work is increasing so he's not going to get any fatter than he is at this moment is he!
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Agree with this. He looks a little too lean and verging on tucked up in the first pic. He looks better in the second IMO.
 
Agree with the above..bit too lean in first pic, looking much better in second..keep up the work but don't let him lose weight to become as he was, just keep an eye on him.
 
SpringArising said:
Agree with this. He looks a little too lean and verging on tucked up in the first pic. He looks better in the second IMO.
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Yep he was, I posted about it as it worried me at the time but it's the only pic I have to compare the amount of weight he's added so quickly, if that makes sense! The hunting made him look a bit tucked up but the spring grass sorted that quickly.
 
Ok my eyes are clearly deceiving me. I think I had got used to him being lean so now he looks big when he clearly isn't judging by the general consensus. I will stop calling him a fatty ;)
 
I think he looks much better now and definitely underweight and herring gutted in the first pic.
 
Hehe I despair. When I posted with the first pic worried he was underweight everyone told me he was perfect!!!! ahh well, seems like either way he's fine.

cobgoblin said:
I think he looks much better now and definitely underweight and herring gutted in the first pic.
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I think he looks better in the second photo, especially as he's coming back into work.

It might just be the light but he does seem to have lost a lot of muscle either side of his withers. More than I'd expect given the time off.
Has he had his saddle checked since coming back in to work?
 
Nope, it was checked before as I was concerned as it started slipping back unless I used a breastplate. Saddler couldn't find a reason for it and it seemed to fit well, plus physio showed no soreness. Recommended a different girth etc but then the lameness happened. Saddle now doesn't slip so in theory should fit better! Maybe just the light, I'll have a look tomorrow


catroo said:
I think he looks better in the second photo, especially as he's coming back into work.

It might just be the light but he does seem to have lost a lot of muscle either side of his withers. More than I'd expect given the time off.
Has he had his saddle checked since coming back in to work?
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Nothing constructive to add as I also think he looks better in 2nd photo, he is a seriously handsome boy though :)
 
Like many others, I think he looks fine in 2nd pic and verging on too lean in first.

Can't really add much, other than his face in the third photo you posted of his bum made me laugh! He's lovely though Michen :)
 
Much prefer him in the second pic. In the first one, his middle section looks to belong to a different horse to the front and hind end.
He looks weak behind the saddle in the first pic as well as being whippet lean.
 
Agree with most of the above

2nd pic he looks just how i'd expect a horse who's out of work at this time in the year, so i wouldn't be concerned, he'll trim up a bit as he comes into work.

1st pic he looks a bit too lean of the level/ amount of work he is doing, something between the two would be ideal for the level you are working and competing at i'd say!
 
I much prefer the second picture. However, I would want to check his saddle because it looks like he may be getting some muscle wasting behind his withers and either side of his spine that isn't there in the top picture. It maybe a trick of the light though.
 
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