Condition score BH, and post your own if you fancy. Just for fun :)

[3Beasties]

I'd be interested to hear what score my 16 year old TB is -

This was last summer, lacking condition and muscle -

And this was a month or so back -

 

[Jesstickle]

Vallin - thank you, I would put Hippo at 3/3.5 when going by these images

I'd agree with that.

V, thanks for posting. What a great series of pictures

dh, he really was a fatty wasn't he? He looks so much better now!

 

[Jesstickle]

Jess, BH is beautiful! Looks spot on for a fit horse of his type!

I have a tricky one. Good do-er, out of work since November (therefore unclipped), been on box rest since February.

O no. What's he done?! I must have missed that. He looks great. Nitty was positively fat whilst she was on box rest so you're doing much, much better than me. Hope he's better soon

ETS:

3Bs I'd say now he's a happy 2.5-3, just like mine. He looks cracking Last summer I guess I'd have said a 1.5-2 from those pictures. He looks heaps better now ( I think I also remember why he looked poor so no reflection on you, I think he was feeling his feet back then wasn't he?). I do love him

 

[dafthoss]

Yeah he was huge I just wish I had acess to a weighbridge back then to put him on so I could work out how much weight he has lost. I also forgot to point out that he had no muscle in the fatty photo either.

 

[xRobyn]

O no. What's he done?! I must have missed that. He looks great. Nitty was positively fat whilst she was on box rest so you're doing much, much better than me. Hope he's better soon

Possible/probably SI injury. Bone scan/ultrasound/nerve blocks and xrays all pretty inconclusive Thank you, it's strange to not have ridden him for so long and had him about!

 

[Jesstickle]

Possible/probably SI injury. Bone scan/ultrasound/nerve blocks and xrays all pretty inconclusive Thank you, it's strange to not have ridden him for so long and had him about!

O no. How's he gone and done that then the monkey

 

[MissCandy]

Looking at the download posted I would guess my boy is a 3-3.5.

Comparing him to some of these photos and responses I'm now thinking maybe 4+ :-/

I have the vet tomorrow for vaccinations so I will ask him to score my boy. I might even post some pics and the vets verdict :-S

 

[sleepykitten]

At the risk of being shot down completely, this is my mare who has been on 6 months box rest and 18 months paddock rest with a suspensory ligament injury. She is way too fat and has a very dippy belly (used as broodmare in the past), I worry about her continously, she is strip grazed all summer, but always been a good doer.

One of my first times allowed to ride her again......

And last weekend

I know she is overweight, but I'm just so happy to be able to ride her again!

 

[coss]

2.5?

 

[xRobyn]

O no. How's he gone and done that then the monkey

Who knows?! He'd been stabled overnight (didn't notice any lameness prior to this but then I didn't notice it until I was on board and in trot) then worked in the morning when I noticed something wasn't right. Could have been in the field the previous day, stabled or ridden!

 

[Mince Pie]

OK here are my 2, bear in mind the TB is back in work after practically a year off so has no muscle tone at all!

Olly- cob, best I've had him coming out of winter

Also as Vallin has posted some pics at the '5' end of the scale for comparison, I can post some from the '1' end of the scale. This was the result of stress after a serious accident last spring, first pics were taken in the beginning of June with the rest of the pics taken at weekly intervals.

 

[wattamus]

Mine has been out of work since this time last year and has been on box rest since september, 3 operations later and hey presto a fluffmonster! It is really difficult to tell under that fluff but her shoulders are prominent (muscle wastage) and you can feel her ribs without much effort.

Still got a gorgeous bum though- but she always has!

Just to give you an idea, this was her two summers ago.

And this was her the summer before when she had been off for six weeks (lame) still out full time oooops!

 

[Ibblebibble]

some good variations and i have to say it's made me feel so much better about my lot!! mine are all about 2.5-3 and are the 'thinnest' on the farm, because i am surrounded by fatties i find myself questioning if mine are in fact right or too thin quite a lot have got some pics but supposed to be off to work now so will have to post them up later

 

[Jesstickle]

At the risk of being shot down completely, this is my mare who has been on 6 months box rest and 18 months paddock rest with a suspensory ligament injury. She is way too fat and has a very dippy belly (used as broodmare in the past), I worry about her continously, she is strip grazed all summer, but always been a good doer.

No-one is getting shot down. This is meant to be a constructive thread. You're managing it and she's back in work now which will make it much easier!

Ibblebibble, mine are some of the skinniest on the yard too. I don't stress though as this is one of the few instances that I know I am in the right and that the others are just too fat!

B_B_H, thanks. They're really useful and interesting pics. I'd never be organised enough to do weekly pictures, I'm impressed

 

[Jesstickle]

oo er. Why on earth have photobucket removed my pictures?! How odd, they were just off my horses side. Hardly outrageous! Very strange!

 

[Casey76]

I weight taped my boy last week and was horrified to find that he's gained 30kg since last September, so he is now on a diet

At the moment I score him at 3.5-4

You can feel his ribs with the flat of your hand, but you have to press pretty firmly, but he has no obvious fat pads, and is not cresty.

At the end of last summer he was closer to a three, just after his spavini diagnosis

But it has been a couple of eyars since he has been really fit

However when I first bought him, almost 7 years ago, he was a 5. You could see the fat wobbling when he walked

Once the clocks go forward, I'll have more time to hack after work (I normally don't finish until 6-6:30), so by August, he should be back to a more reasonable weight.

 

[0310Star]

I think this thread could be very useful to me and any advice would be much appreciated!!
Mare been out of work 3 months, Recently diagnosed with ringbone, sidebones and DJD meaning no lunge work to help me out
Just come back into work, Very good doer so been on a strict diet for about a month now! Soaked hay, double bagged, token feed etc etc Still not budging all that easily!! Have also found she is eating her straw bed, so moving onto shavings next weekend!
Has a bit of fat around the shoulders and a bit of a cresty neck but this has gone down a lot!! She has quite a drooped belly, think she was previously foaled and muscle just not been worked to rebuild!! Hopefully will come with a good amount of hacking work, this is the aim anyway

This was her about 3 weeks ago.... Please any advice/criticism welcome
I need to get some in better light to keep track!!

I need to get some in better light to keep track!!

 

[AmyMay]

This was her about 3 weeks ago.... Please any advice/criticism welcome
I need to get some in better light to keep track!!

I need to get some in better light to keep track!!

I don't think she's looking too bad.

If she's eating her bed - brilliant. It means you can move her on to shavings and feed her straw and less hay. That means she can eat for longer, without the calories or hunger.

Your best friend is ridden exercise as soon as your able.

 

[Theresa_F]

This is Stinky, taken last autumn. He had just been conditioned scored by the team at Spillers and also weighed. He is 14.3 and his weight is 560 k. He was given a score of 5 out of 10 but they put 6 on his ribs but did say this was also down to his build. This is the heaviest I have him as I do let him put on a bit over summer as he is out competing several times a month April to October and does drop it quickly.

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He does seem to weight a lot, but he is a thick set and heavy boned gypsy cob.

This is his rear end at 4, it is more apple shaped now but it is muscle and not fat - gypsy cobs should have an apple bum and strong thighs, but it must be muscle and the rest of them fit and not wobbly.

Our clydie is another big girl and vet said she is perfect at the moment for her breed, Nothing wobbles and again she is heavy boned with a lot of muscle and weighs in at 720 k at 16.3. This was taken last year and she has filled out since as clydes grow until 8 - 9.

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and to compare the two breeds

I am not saying my two are perfect, but many people think these breeds are fat when they are not - they are compact and thick set. Saying that, I do see some terrible examples out there, though the show ring does seem to be improving compared to what I saw a few years ago.

 

[0310Star]

I don't think she's looking too bad.

If she's eating her bed - brilliant. It means you can move her on to shavings and feed her straw and less hay. That means she can eat for longer, without the calories or hunger.

Your best friend is ridden exercise as soon as your able.

Thanks for your reply
I dont think she is too bad, just needs muscling and toning with a few kilos dropped off Problem I have is due to her ringbone she cant be worked as hard as she used to so I am hoping little and often will be the answer and will help! Vet first advised light hacking only for life but this isn't suiting her so we are trying to bring her back into full work and see how she copes (nothing too strenuous, just eveyr other day work!)

Also regarding feeding Straw, I know she is eating it now but I do worry about feeding it due to colic, being a TB.... I did think about maybe putting it in half and half with her hay! I am soaking for 12 hours and double bagging at the moment which does seem to be helping but at the moment she is leaving half of her haynet and eating her bed instead I am hoping that once she is on shavings that this will help with her weight as she wont be eating her bed as well as her hay
Little madam!!

 

[AmyMay]

I've never had a problem feeding straw - and I guess she's leaving the hay as the bed is easier to get at.

 

[NOISYGIRL]

As Cptrayes's thread on good shoeing was so informative, and because condition scoring seems to be somewhat topical at the moment, I thought it might be nice to have a thread of horses that are 'good' or in condition 3 for reference and just for interest. And so we can all get our eye in for the onset of spring and watch those lbs!

I am not setting BH up as the perfect 3. He isn't. He's probably more of a 2.5 but I am happy with him and someone has to go first

Feel free to be as brutal as you like. Here he is in all his (naked) glory....

RHS

LHS

A botty shot

and the reasons he isn't quite a 3

Ribs

and angular hips

Anyone have any thoughts. Please be nice, I am really not trying to start a fight

My 33 year old is looking a bit hippy at the mo, but as he wears a muzzle I'm loathed to do anything other than put some oil in his feed cos the spring grass will be through soon, I have made the hole a bit bigger until this happens as he's due a new muzzle anyway. I just can't risk it as he has lami good few years back but just in case. My vet likes them on the leaner side anyway so would say he is ok, had a chat to him the other day and he said it was ok to make the hole a little bigger.

I would say your horse looks great and wouldn't be too worried about the ribs with the spring coming

 

[Jesstickle]

baker190, I was expecting her to be much bigger from your description. She doesn't look too bad at all There isn't loads to come off, just a little bit. I've fed straw without any problems in the passed, usually split half and half with hay. Mostly because I hate trying to hang soaked nets though!

I'm sure a little bit of work will really help as well.

 

[JenHunt]

this is Ron, taken about 3 weeks ago. He's rising 18. He's IDx, and at this point had had 23 days hunting this season. He'd also just done an hours XC schooling with OH. He's out 12h a day, stabled at night (or was at the point the photo was taken), and is fed ad lib haylage, and a bucket of speedibeet and alfa oil, and a mug of balancer a day.

I'd say this is the best he's looked at this time of year in the time I've owned him, and that his CS is about 3. Nothing wobbles, but nothing sticks out. do you lot agree?

ETA - it's interesting to note that however thin he gets, his bottom is always apple shaped, and always has the dent running down the middle of it! and also that having changed his bedding the last 2 years he hasn't finished the winter with 'heaves' lines, despite never having coughed even before the change.

 

[vallin]

this is Ron, taken about 3 weeks ago. He's rising 18. He's IDx, and at this point had had 23 days hunting this season. He'd also just done an hours XC schooling with OH. He's out 12h a day, stabled at night (or was at the point the photo was taken), and is fed ad lib haylage, and a bucket of speedibeet and alfa oil, and a mug of balancer a day.

I'd say this is the best he's looked at this time of year in the time I've owned him, and that his CS is about 3. Nothing wobbles, but nothing sticks out. do you lot agree?

ETA - it's interesting to note that however thin he gets, his bottom is always apple shaped, and always has the dent running down the middle of it! and also that having changed his bedding the last 2 years he hasn't finished the winter with 'heaves' lines, despite never having coughed even before the change.

I'd say Ron is pretty perfect And by the look of that bum it's muscle not fact so probably just from how he carries himself

 

[Hells Bells]

Ron looks fab!! I think your scoring is about right- he looks really good and fit

Out of interest Jen, without wanting to hijack Jesstickle's very nice thread, how do you deal with the pigmentation around his eyes? We have a little pony on the yard with a similar marking just on one eye, and I've not seen it with many others to compare what's done. Can pm if its easier to stop going off on a tangent in this thread

 

[0310Star]

baker190, I was expecting her to be much bigger from your description. She doesn't look too bad at all There isn't loads to come off, just a little bit. I've fed straw without any problems in the passed, usually split half and half with hay. Mostly because I hate trying to hang soaked nets though!

I'm sure a little bit of work will really help as well.

Tonight I shall take a photo from the front and you will see what I mean That photo doesn't really show so I will defo need to take some more photo's! But the feedback has been lovely to read that she isn't as bad as I probably think she is

And Amymay, I am hoping this is the case! Finger crossed that once we are on shavings she will stick to the hay and the limited amount she is allowed instead of gutsing whatever else she can get her teeth around

 

[0310Star]

I have found a more recent photo, this was taken last Friday!

 

[Foaling Around]

How refreshing to see a constructive, polite and informative post. I just thought I'd add a few bits we'd also covered at uni in addition to what I think the WHW cover (they may be in more detail now tho!).

Firstly (sorry if starting basic) but whilst you can get an idea from photos, as has been eluded to in several posts looks can be deceiving and ideally you need to have a good feel! (Try feeling others horses to see what different shapes feel like too)

Secondly it is possible more beneficial to score in "areas" rather than an overall score. I.e. Crest, shoulders, ribs, and spine and bum. A few of these photos I'd say the horses were say 2 -2.5 in some areas and 3-3.5 (guess its like us being pear, apple shaped etc). I.e. some look good all over then maybe a bit cresty, or still be slightly apple bottomed

This is not meant to be condesending but thought it might help someone in light of the grass cutting thread

 

[jenki13]

I think my mare is a 4?
You can feel her ribs, definitely can't see them though! She has no obvious fat pads on her shoulders but has a bit of fat on her bum. Also possibly a bit cresty although she has always had quite a thick neck.

LHS:

RHS:

BOTTOM:

After being ridden she goes quite a bit more "tucked up so doesn't have quite so much of a belly" :