Had to laugh today....

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wattamus

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So the lady with her horse next door to my two said that she thought both my girls were underweight. Both go out all day on grass and have 6lb each of hay a night.
Now Ebony is out of work so obviously has no topline and you can see her spine on the rear end of her back. But she has a good covering and you can feel her ribs if you stroke her, but they are not visible. The good thing about Ebony is that she can drop weight as easily as she puts it on so controlling her weight is easy, personally I'd like to see her slightly lighter but looking at her atm I dont think shes at huge risk of lami. (toutches wood) not the best picture I know but only had my phone on me and the horses were having breakfast :p
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Now Bean (Josie) lives on air alone and I struggle o keep her weight off, you can again feel her ribs but you need to apply some pressure to feel them. If anything I'd like her to loose a bit more, but unless I'm mistaken I dont think she is obese she is a very deep barreled horse.

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anyhow what do you think? I'm not taking much from it really considering her horse is so obese that his "arse cheeks" actually touch between his back legs. If it wasn't against social convention i would post pictures! ahhhh well you have to laugh at some people, I genuinely believe that i know how to take care of my horses well, but dont mind taking reasonable, educated advice on board but pffft not from her. Anyhow pointless but needed to express.
 
Look fine to me! Local numpty has said similar in the past of mine in winter & spring. Then by mid/ late summer I am told how lucky I am that my horses aren't overweight & on strict diet & exercise routines under vets orders. Numptys!
 
Yet another person who thinks a horse in showing condition is how all horses should be.
Your horses both look fine to me. I would always rather see something slightly lighter than obese in any case!
 
I used top be on a yard with a woman who kept insisting that this chap was so underweight he was going to get ill!

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She now has 18, mostly "rescues" that all wobble when they walk & mostly have laminitis. Mostly these "rescues" were bought at the right weight & without laminitis.
 
Actually HE was a young teenager who had misjudged the speed into that particular fence (it was only his 2nd HT) & now, after more lessons & more experience, rides a lot better. I assume you have always ridden perfectly, even as a novice. The photo was about how some people can get about weight, not asking for a cc of riding technique. Any cc would be out of date anyway as this was 4 years ago.
 
And anybody who can hand on heart say they have never made an accidental mistake riding? If so I won't believe them.
 
He is a fresian x cob and the find of a lifetime. We nearly didn't buy him as he failed vetting with a cataract in 1 eye but he has been brilliant and has taken my son from 2'3 classes on his schoolmaster pony to 1m HTs & was on his PC SJ Team for Blenheim the year it was cancelled.
 
wattamus said:
So the lady with her horse next door to my two said that she thought both my girls were underweight. Both go out all day on grass and have 6lb each of hay a night.
Now Ebony is out of work so obviously has no topline and you can see her spine on the rear end of her back. But she has a good covering and you can feel her ribs if you stroke her, but they are not visible. The good thing about Ebony is that she can drop weight as easily as she puts it on so controlling her weight is easy, personally I'd like to see her slightly lighter but looking at her atm I dont think shes at huge risk of lami. (toutches wood) not the best picture I know but only had my phone on me and the horses were having breakfast :p
picture.php


Now Bean (Josie) lives on air alone and I struggle o keep her weight off, you can again feel her ribs but you need to apply some pressure to feel them. If anything I'd like her to loose a bit more, but unless I'm mistaken I dont think she is obese she is a very deep barreled horse.

picture.php


picture.php




anyhow what do you think? I'm not taking much from it really considering her horse is so obese that his "arse cheeks" actually touch between his back legs. If it wasn't against social convention i would post pictures! ahhhh well you have to laugh at some people, I genuinely believe that i know how to take care of my horses well, but dont mind taking reasonable, educated advice on board but pffft not from her. Anyhow pointless but needed to express.
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My cob lives on fresh air and is overweight, I would love him to look as well as yours so don't take any notice of the comments they are rediculous.
 
hairycob said:
He is a fresian x cob and the find of a lifetime. We nearly didn't buy him as he failed vetting with a cataract in 1 eye but he has been brilliant and has taken my son from 2'3 classes on his schoolmaster pony to 1m HTs & was on his PC SJ Team for Blenheim the year it was cancelled.
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He's lovely and he looks a really willing versatile sort :)

OP your horses look to me to be perfect weights. I get the same comments with the 10hh coloured falabella x in my siggy. You need to see the faint outline of his ribs for him to be a 'safe' weight. He has had laminitis several times throughout his life. It is very very difficult to maintain the correct weight and diet on such a small lightweight that does very little work. He's 22 yrs old now and I am happy and just ignore those who say he's too thin.
 
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Having 3-4 fattish ponies at the moment I can't comment, and the rest are probably ok. We have had nothing but rain for the last 6 months. Can't ride much as the ground is so wet all the time, and lots of grass till now (all gone now winter). But I just wish there was a bit of balance.

I just think that as long as your horses are basically well cared for, not at an extreme either way , people should but out. Sometimes you do need to say something, but not very often.
 
i think more and more people are just unaware of a healthy weight in both animals and humans these days, we're getting so used to seeing larger sizes that it's becoming the norm:(
slightly of topic but slightly on too, the sizing of clothes has changed over the last 15 years, i used to just fit in a 12 but if i really wanted to be comfortable i would get a 14:o that was before i had my kids, i am now slightly heavier and fit happily in a 12, a 14 hangs off me. we are steadily being tricked into thinking that bigger is normal and it's affecting how we see our animals and their weight.
 
They look fine to me.....both my 21year old Welsh and 13 year old WB went through the winter with just grass in the day and one slice for the Welsh, two slices for the WB of hay a night as they are both very good doers.....the Welsh is just about perfect but the WB needs a bit more to see the shimmer of rib.
 
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