Condition score me please.....

little_critter

little_critter

Well-Known Member
Joined
20 June 2009
Messages
7,279
Location
Somerset
Visit site
Looking at my mare today I think she's coming out of winter a bit too 'well'
I've uploaded some pics -I would say she is slightly on the fat side of good. She has some fat around her tail, you need firm pressure to feel her ribs and there is a bit of fat behind her shoulders.
She's a cobby sort so will never be a racing snake but I think she could do with getting a bit leaner.
Weigh taped her this morning at 435kg, she is 14.1hh.
Have just bought extra electric fence poles and tape ready for strip grazing.
Please let me know what you think of her condition.
weight25-2-12a.jpg

weight25-2-12.jpg
 
I think she looks fantastic!! But NO fatter :) as you say she is a little heavy but for coming out of the winter waht a coat and lovely stamp of pony! Watch the spring grass.:(
 
Thanks - she is brilliant (I'm a little biased!)
Last year I didn't take advantage of the 24/7 summer grazing and brought her in at night, she was out with a muzzle during the day. This year I'd like to let her out 24/7 hence the purchase of extra electric fencing so I can strip graze her (might need it sooner than I thought - the grass is coming through already)
She tends to put weight on behind the shoulder so the photo doesn't really show that bit very well but I will be keeping an eye on her.
We're just starting on some fittening work too so that should burn off some calories.
 
Last edited:
I agree that she looks good and I wouldn't say too fat at all. My grey boy always has an apple bottom but he has no crest and you can feel his ribs.

I would advise as others have done to keep her grazing restricted or monitored during the spring depending on how much you have.
 
I'm going to go against the grain and say I think she's carrying too much weight for this time of year... I certainly wouldn't be "happy" with it, if she were mine...

I thought you wanted someone to condition score you :p
 
I agree with JFTD - personally with this type of pony, I would prefer a little less weight at this time of year. The spring grass is just about here, ready to make little porkers of all those good doers ;)
 
TicTac said:
I agree that she looks good and I wouldn't say too fat at all. My grey boy always has an apple bottom but he has no crest and you can feel his ribs.

I would advise as others have done to keep her grazing restricted or monitored during the spring depending on how much you have.
Click to expand...

this! ^^
well done, she looks great! her coat is shiny, her skin looks good and she's about perfect weigh wise to me. As others have said, just watch she doesn't pile it on when the grass comes through!
 
Had the vet out today and asked her what she thought of my mare's condtition...and you were all right!
Initially she said she was ok, but then having poked her said she could do with losing some weight. When you stand back and look at her she looks ok but when you get your hands on her you find her wobbly bits!
Diet started at the beginning of the week anyway.
 
I think the horse looks great - and not coming out of winter looking too 'well' at all.

I certainly wouldn't be dieting her.
 
amymay said:
I think the horse looks great - and not coming out of winter looking too 'well' at all.

I certainly wouldn't be dieting her.
Click to expand...

Thanks Amymay - I can see where you're coming from, to look at she looks fine but her ribs are very well covered and she's getting pads of fat behind her shoulder. I think she's also starting to get a bit cresty.
You've got to get your hands on her and then you feel her podgy bits!
 
little_critter said:
Thanks Amymay - I can see where you're coming from, to look at she looks fine but her ribs are very well covered and she's getting pads of fat behind her shoulder. I think she's also starting to get a bit cresty.
You've got to get your hands on her and then you feel her podgy bits!
Click to expand...

How much work does she do?
 
Well, you're doing a nice bit of work with her.

If she were mine, I would be very happy with how she's looking.
 
little_critter said:
Had the vet out today and asked her what she thought of my mare's condtition...and you were all right!
Initially she said she was ok, but then having poked her said she could do with losing some weight. When you stand back and look at her she looks ok but when you get your hands on her you find her wobbly bits!
Diet started at the beginning of the week anyway.
Click to expand...

Vet's always think our horses are too fat.......;)
 
amymay said:
I think the horse looks great - and not coming out of winter looking too 'well' at all.

I certainly wouldn't be dieting her.
Click to expand...

Totally agree - I actually thought she looked a bit 'tucked up' in the first picture. No real nutrition in grass yet, it aint broke so don't 'fix' it.
 
amymay said:
I think the horse looks great - and not coming out of winter looking too 'well' at all.

I certainly wouldn't be dieting her.
Click to expand...

Neither would I, I would rather be working at getting her fitter with more muscle than flab tbh.
 
scarymare said:
Totally agree - I actually thought she looked a bit 'tucked up' in the first picture. No real nutrition in grass yet, it aint broke so don't 'fix' it.
Click to expand...

Tucked up - really? I'm afraid I can't see that.
I can assure you she does have fat pads behind her shoulders and I'm concerned that her crest is getting hard. Ribs are hard to feel.
I will be focussing on the exercise side of weight loss more than the diet. When I say I'm dieting her it's more of a cut back on her breakfast from 1/4 stubbs scoop Fast Fibre and 1/4 stubbs scoop nuts to a double handfull of Fast Fibre and a handfull of nuts (and she even left some of this this morning - she's more interested in going out)
She has recently switched to haylage and I think this is starting to make her a little podgy, I'd rather nip it in the bud rather than try to tackle it when she is obviously fat.
 
little_critter said:
Had the vet out today

Initially she said she was ok, but then having poked her said she could do with losing some weight. When you stand back and look at her she looks ok but when you get your hands on her you find her wobbly bits!
Click to expand...

I'm so glad my doctor doesn't treat me like that! :eek:
 
JFTD said:
I'm going to go against the grain and say I think she's carrying too much weight for this time of year... I certainly wouldn't be "happy" with it, if she were mine...

I thought you wanted someone to condition score you :p
Click to expand...

I agree with JFTD, if she were mine, she would be on a diet.
 
little_critter said:
Tucked up - really? I'm afraid I can't see that.
I can assure you she does have fat pads behind her shoulders and I'm concerned that her crest is getting hard. Ribs are hard to feel.
I will be focussing on the exercise side of weight loss more than the diet. When I say I'm dieting her it's more of a cut back on her breakfast from 1/4 stubbs scoop Fast Fibre and 1/4 stubbs scoop nuts to a double handfull of Fast Fibre and a handfull of nuts (and she even left some of this this morning - she's more interested in going out)
She has recently switched to haylage and I think this is starting to make her a little podgy, I'd rather nip it in the bud rather than try to tackle it when she is obviously fat.
Click to expand...

Spot on I think we are getting a bit with horses as we are with people the bigger the population gets the less big everyone looks.
tackle it now before spring it means she and you will be able to enjoy the spring more .
It's easy not to notice them gaining wieght when You see them daily .
When I was first training we were taught you should be able to see one or perhaps too of the back ribs in the in working horse that would be considered to thin by many people now.
Horses are under less health risk carring a little too little wieght than too much horses are designed to come out of winter slimmer than they go into it the problem is that too often they come out of the winter the same wieght that they go into it and ever year they get a little bigger.
I have four horses they all keep their wieght easily it's a struggle to keep them a fit wieght.
I always look at the threads what to feed for wieght gain and think I wish I would love a skinny to feed up !
 
Goldenstar said:
When I was first training we were taught you should be able to see one or perhaps too of the back ribs in the in working horse that would be considered to thin by many people now.
Click to expand...

I still like a couple of ribs to be visible (just) when my horses are fit. I think I am fairly unusual in thinking this though. Most of the people on my yard think my horses are too lean where I would call them just right. The only people that don't are the two that have point to pointers. They think mine look quite fat! I guess what you look at most of the time really affects the way you see things. If that makes sense!
 
jesstickle said:
I still like a couple of ribs to be visible (just) when my horses are fit. I think I am fairly unusual in thinking this though. Most of the people on my yard think my horses are too lean where I would call them just right. The only people that don't are the two that have point to pointers. They think mine look quite fat! I guess what you look at most of the time really affects the way you see things. If that makes sense!
Click to expand...

I aggree we are all used to seeing fatter horses as normal it does us and them no good to be overweight.
I am running a constant campaign against my horses wieght ( I blame my groom she has them so confident and relaxed they blossom LOL)
I am I sadly I confess much better at dieting horses than myself , quickly puts away the biscuits.
 
Agree with jt & gs - I had to explain to my farrier that, despite his horrified looks, J is not skinny - he's put on weight since my vet declared him fine in January. He lacks topline as he's not in very regular work in winter, but he's still a good 2.5 by condition score.

I've also been told Fergs isn't a highland because he's too skinny :D People seem to have no idea what a fit horse looks like :cool:

And fwiw, I'd like F slightly leaner still, and J will be no fatter come summer - just with more muscle...
 
She looks very much like mine, I've no recent pics but she is 14.2hh, same shape/build and does similar work although the weekend hacking is more 2hrs a day so she probably is a bit fitter.

I started mine on soaked hay (soaked for 12hrs) last week and she's dropped 10kgs already so happy with that. Not muzzling yet as field very bare but will muzzle as soon as it is long enough (usually end of March).

I have found though that the 24/7 t/out never works for us :( so stabling by day from May with muzle at night again. Boo!

As soon as clocks change we will ride 6 days a week and do more hacking.

Molly's not too bad for fat pads now but she had put on a little when we had the recent snow as had 2 weeks off due to frozen ground. I've cut feed back to just her Lo-Cal balancer and a few handfuls chaff once a day plus the well soaked hay overnight. Haylage piles pounds on for us so never use it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top