do you think this horse is too thin...??

  • Thread starter Thread starter lilym
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I didnt see the other post - however to be IMO (and im not talking about above post and judging it by the showing world) it seems more acceptable and less frowned upon to have a fat horse, when someone that could have a skinny/lean horse would be frowned upon and in some cases be branded as a "rescue case".

Shils - i aspire to be as kind as you.
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Firstly, I am sure everyone aspires to be like me
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I think it is just as bad for a horse to be over as underweight, perhaps worse depending on the type of horse, but I agree the showing culture seems to favour fat horses, although it is slowly changing.
My friend, for example was recently told by a well known stud owner judging her class that her horse was overweight (which he was
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I don't understand why you are telling the OP something she already knows? Her post says the horse is fat, it explains what she is doing about it - and how.
So what is the point in everyone saying 'Oh, she's so fat, she'll get laminits' when the OP clearly knows the risks and is taking action. It is brave of her to post this pic as an example to people of a fat horse, needing a change in management.
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very well said-people don't jump on her for recognising the problem!!
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I really hope it does change. The sights i saw on monday was disgusting. I saw a suffolk punch - i know they are incredibly stocky horses anyway.. but this was on another level, it was 3 years old. Its whole belly wobbled along with pther fat deposits when it trotted up. There was absoluately no muscle definition. And this won its class?!

This is why i retired from the fickle world of showing.
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Hi there

How big is she.

I have a 15 hand show cob and he comes in at a whopping 600kgs and hes definately not fat.

At my first affiliated show the other week he looked anorexic in comparison?
 
Shilasdair - i agree. The OP has already said that the girl is fat, so she doesn't need so much stick! She has put the *stunning* mare on a diet. Instead of making her feel bad, I say support the OP and hope that the mare will be in shape soon. She's beautiful too! What is her breeding? Best of luck.
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Shils I agree - why are people jumping on the OP when she is clearly aware of the problem and the risks, and is taking the right steps to sort it out?

It seems a bit redundant to exclaim 'Oooh - too fat, gonna get laminitis', etc., when the OP has already acknowledged this! Bit like telling someone at a Weight Watchers meeting that they are overweight! I mean - D'uh!

And actually this cob is no fatter than many major show winners I have seen this year! That doesn't make it OK, of course, but at least this owner sees all that blubber as a problem, rather than a show-winning asset!

Why DO they show cobs so enormously fat?
 
not wanting to jump on bandwagon after all I had a fattie pony come to me recently but did the size her her crest not alert you to lammi problems? possible ones?

Hope you do well with the fat club, I shall watch with interest as I have similar ish shaped gelding!
 
Just have to say I have a pony (now 21) who has always been 'cresty' and he is not overly fat (he's welsh x tb or something like that so a normal, medium build). He's 14.2hh and in the 14 years we have had him he has never suffered from laminitis and he has good grazing - not overly lush but it is a good mix of grasses, thistles etc and 12 acres of it at that (although mostly they're on half the field at a time).

He always has a crest but we do check to see what 'wobble' it has BUT i think his is more down to hormones (we suspected he was a rig) than anything else. He has never worked in an outline but always has an 'arch' to his neck - maybe he was cut late who knows. Can mares develop similarly due to hormones?

To be honest that mare is fat but she doesn't look 'squeezed' into her skin like some top show horses in my opinion.
 
After reading the replies to Pelly's post and how horrified alot of people were seeing how someone can let their horse get in such a state, then reading the jokey replies re this horses condition I'm wondering is there any real difference to the horses health and welfare.

Where does the line fall then between the gasp horror comments and the jokey ones.

Not wanting to offend anyone, but is there anything "nice" to look at in either photo (this or Pellys)

Off I trot and hide.
 
Sorry but I think to let a horse get that overweight is terrible - look at the size of its neck for heavens sake!

Surely something could have been done to prevent that much weight gain??
 
Kind of agree with you on this. At what stage do people draw the line at too fat/thin. Thats why i started the other post Fat versus Thin.
I wanted to know what others deem as acceptable IMO a obese horse is just as bad as a skinny one. Both come with health issues and just generally look awful.
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Isn't it time someone said, don't you think she might get laminitis. Again.
It's a bummer, I'm struggling with my cob. He's got sore feet (he's being monitored, we don't think it's laminitis, we think it's sore feet, but because he is a bit portly, and it may be laminitis, we are taking the safe route and treating it as if it is.) He has to have two weeks off grass and on bute so we can nail some shoes on so he can do some work so he can lose some weight ..... but .... he will go insane if we keep him in, and even on poor to non existent grass he gets fat, so he has a muzzle on ... which he takes off, so we come up with yet more adjustments to keep it on, so he can be out for a bit, but he must not stuff his face so he comes in and despite a deep bed that is not helping his sore feet ...... he is getting very fat indeed (not quite as fat as the OP's but I feel her pain) and we are just counting the days, praying the farrier will OK the nailing on of shoes, and praying that will resolve his foot problem so he can do some work! Currently gentle walking exercise on grass and tracks only, with me mostly holding my breath ....!
I am also praying for a very cold winter and I shall trace clip him and turn him out rugless to see if he will lose a bit that way!So good luck to the OP, hope the diet works.
 
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Kind of agree with you on this. At what stage do people draw the line at too fat/thin. Thats why i started the other post Fat versus Thin.
I wanted to know what others deem as acceptable IMO a obese horse is just as bad as a skinny one. Both come with health issues and just generally look awful.
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Yes but both can be despite the best efforts of owner, and as a result of an existing health prob or situation.
What's worrying is when either is deemed to be 'good condition' - when we know there's a problem, then I can't see there is a 'better or worse' - you have a horse with a health problem, and you need to seek help to fix it.
I think some people seem to think it's easier to get weight off than put it on (so therefore having a fat horse is a bigger sin than having a thin horse) but that's not true, so it's an invalid distinction.
 
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i bet it's digi pulse is..um.."interesting"....

[/ QUOTE ] would you beilieve no, it's normal....first thing i checked when she came up.......yet a girl i know had a NF that was overweight and had ponding pulses and constant lammi, i do believe some are just that bit more prone....i had an anglo arab that was laminitic, yet never fat??!!
 
our vet was only saying that the other day - there's no justice. she had just been out to a very slightly overweight horrible laminitis case, and also just seen one which was revoltingly obese and no trace of laminitis.
 
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i bet it's digi pulse is..um.."interesting"....

[/ QUOTE ] would you beilieve no, it's normal....first thing i checked when she came up.......yet a girl i know had a NF that was overweight and had ponding pulses and constant lammi, i do believe some are just that bit more prone....i had an anglo arab that was laminitic, yet never fat??!!

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Thats very true - when my pony got it he was slim. It only took one idiot chucking grass cuttings over the fence for him to go down with Acute Laminitis overnight. This whole theory of "my horse isnt fat so they wont get it" is rubbish. Its such a wide range of triggers that can set it off.

BTW your mare is very pretty.
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