Fat Horse - Been told it's too THIN!?!? **Pics**

chickeninabun

chickeninabun

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My friend has said she thinks my horse has "dropped" a lot of weight and is worried she isn't getting enough grass.

She is 17yo, 14.3hh cob. Has dippy back and huge bum as part of her conformation. Has only been ridden a handful of times in the last six months (due to my time constraints, no fault of her own). Her field is very short but far from bare. She doesn't get fed anything and I worry about giving her excess calories, as she doesn't get chance to work any off at the moment. Maybe a balancer would help?? Topline builder??

Here are some pics from today, what does everyone think? Fat? Thin? Just lack of muscle?

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This is her last summer, after being in moderate/light work for several months...

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Your beautiful girl hasn't got a typical conformation and this might be confusing your friend. She does look like she has dropped over the Winter but I don't think she is in a bad state, and like you say she has obviously lost muscle and condition. I would like to see more on her but that's just me.

Without seeing her in the flesh and getting my proddy fingers on her ribs then I really can't say with certainty. She looks very sweet x
 
She looks deceiving. I'd say a lack of muscle mainly. She has a belly and her neck looks scrawny - but I think if you build it up with muscle, it'd look better.
I think the angle the first pic is taken at, shows her to a disadvantage and makes her look worse as well :) Taking the other pics into account, she looks fine other than muscle.

To build up the topline and muscle, in my opinion, work is the only way to do it :)
 
I find that horses generally look fatter in photos. Her dippy back does make her look poorer than she would with a less dippy back, though she certanly does have a bottom that J-Lo would be proud of. ;)

Can you see her ribs easily? Does she have hollows by her hips?

I think that she has lost muscle, but that is to be expected as she's out of work at the moment. You could give her a vits&mins supplement in a handful of chaff if you want and the grass is starting to grow now.
 
Thanks :D She's as sweet as pie!
I can feel ribs if i really dig my fingers in but not easily. No, I agree, the gypsy cob conformation is not something that is easily seen as correct to the untrained hairy-lovers eye!!:)
 
Faracat said:
I find that horses generally look fatter in photos. Her dippy back does make her look poorer than she would with a less dippy back, though she certanly does have a bottom that J-Lo would be proud of. ;)

Can you see her ribs easily? Does she have hollows by her hips?

I think that she has lost muscle, but that is to be expected as she's out of work at the moment. You could give her a vits&mins supplement in a handful of chaff if you want and the grass is starting to grow now.
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Yes she does look dreadful in that first photo. I had to put that one on from last summer just to prove she's not a ***** pony from the side of the road really!!:p:D
No I can't see her ribs and can only feel them when pressing hard. But yes she has hollows near her hips.
 
Definitely difficult to tell - with all the hair amongst other things - but she doesn't look poor to me. I imagine she lacks muscle, which coupled to her conformation makes her look worse, but is actually carrying a rather decent (possibly substantial!) amount of weight.
 
She doesn't look to be in poor condition to me but she does look to be short of muscle. She looks very similar to our retired 30 yr old ex-broodie gypsy cob. Are you sure that she is only 17? Has she been a broodmare?
If you bring her back into work slowly, she should develop muscles in all the right places. If you can only just feel her ribs but not see them (allowing for the hair) then she is fine, weightwise.
 
first of all what is the field full of? Grass? Fields need to be full of the correct meadow plants not just grass to keep a horse in good condition, what would help get her back into shape is exercise. Like the others have said she has weight in the wrong places.
 
Actually, I do think she looks very poor. The weight is all on her belly which can be deceiving. I'm afraid I think your friend is right.
 
I also think she could do with more weight on her, her hip bones look quite prominent. If the field is sparse then I'd still be putting hay out.
 
I'll be honest here - she certainly isn't fat, and is below ideal weight.
I also don't think she looks very healthy - and would suggest that you consider feeding her supplements, and perhaps oils to help improve her.
It's so easy to see a cob type with its feather, and larger rib cage and think it is carrying weight, when it's not.
S :D
 
Also she still has a very heavy winter coat so that will add some inches. And apple bottoms are deceiving. My mare has always had one, even when she was competition fit and looked like an in training racehorse.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
She doesn't look to be in poor condition to me but she does look to be short of muscle. She looks very similar to our retired 30 yr old ex-broodie gypsy cob. Are you sure that she is only 17? Has she been a broodmare?
If you bring her back into work slowly, she should develop muscles in all the right places. If you can only just feel her ribs but not see them (allowing for the hair) then she is fine, weightwise.
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Firstly, I think your girl looks alright, but I would like to see a little more on her, and she could do with more muscle, so the drop ties in with the lack of work she's been getting recently.

Secondly, you have to remember that all horses are totally different. I have a 27yr old warmblood who looks absolutely incredible (to the point where a new vet demanded to check his teeth the other day, not believing he was that old), and a 13yr old TB who has aged faster than the older boy, and therefore looks significantly more doddery. It just depends on your horse - my mare, also a TB, and also 13yrs, is fat as butter despite not being fed anything for about four years - it's just the way they are. They're as different as we are!
 
I think she needs to fatten up slightly.

For me it's her neck and the hollows by her hips that give away the telltale signs. My Doris always loses weight around her hips first so it's something I always look out for.
 
On the understanding that pics can be deceiving, I think coming into spring she looks fine.

If she isn't wormy and she is out at grass, then I would be happy to wait and see over the next month or so.

I'd rather she looked thinner coming into spring than morbidly obese :)

If she struggled to put muscle on, then I would consider adding a limiting amino acid like lysine to a small fibre feed (like umolassed hay chaff)
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/L-lysine-...r_Equipment&hash=item415ca8eaf1#ht_1467wt_905

I feed it to my old boy to help him keep muscle.
 
I don't think she is thin or underweight but I do think she perhaps needs some attention to her stance and perhaps some body work. As has been said I'd be looking at a review of her management including diet as well as hind gut support. I notice she is 'standing under' on one pic (front legs way back under her), if she does this a lot then look to hoof discomfort which again comes back to diet.
She looks a lovely girl. :)
 
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I too think she is slightly underweight, but coming out of winter that is not necessarily a bad thing. I do think she lacks muscle and has a pot belly, in her case the gutter on her bum is not a good indication of weight as it looks more conformational.

Would agree with others that her management needs changing, perhaps a supplement would help. I would also look at changing her worming programme.
 
She looks under muscled to me, not underweight. If this was going into winter then yes I would say she's a bit poor, but we are coming out of winter and the spring grass is growing now!!
 
A dropped back like that, along with the wavy coat, are classic symptoms of cushings. I'd be having her tested, if I were you. She certainly doesn't look in great condition.
 
It's difficult (for me anyway) to judge from a photo, to me she looks on the poor side of good. But coming into spring, that might not be a bad thing depending on how good a doer she is.

It could just be that she needs more topline/ muscling up though.
 
Toffee_monster said:
Definitely not fat but looks a bit pot bellied, has she been wormed recently ?
I would be doing a worm count and worming accordingly

She looks a lovely sort :)
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I have a cob and this was my first thing has she been wormed(you mention pot belly) but she looks ok to me but hard with the hair(I have same with mine).
Mine lost muscle quickly when we retired him and his shape completely changed. If we get some rain the grass is growing add a bit of water and I am sure she will get enough. Saying that mine is on sparse field and I am giving him a little bit of hay especially as nights are cold etc. Good luck she is odd shape as you say but she looks very nice horse.
 
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