Horse weight debate

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Sunbeamstarshine

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Hi everyone, just looking for some advice!

I have a 14.1 cob who, when recently weight taped for worming, weighed in at 464 kilos. I believe this to be a good weight for his height but people on my yard have been saying that he is underweight! This has distressed me greatly as I believe he looks good, is happy and healthy, has a small bucket feed per day and lots of hay (had 2 feeds a day through winter) and having come to me overweight (about 535 kilos) I think he looks better for having lost some of his fat pads! He has no visible ribs or hip bones, if you press firmly you can feel his ribs slightly but he has a good covering over them. Would appreciate some thoughts on whether this is a good weight for his size/type.

Thanks!
 
That is an ok weight I would say - can you post a piccie ? My lad is weigh taping at 414 k atm, and is 14.3. He's on his summer regime inc muzzle.
 
Weigh tapes aren't accurate. I use mine just to see if he's gone up or down. He's 15hh maybe a smidge over and weigh tapes at 428 kg. He's a Connie x and is strip grazed all spring / summer.
 
My girl is overweight for time of year, has a too round belly mainly, neck fine, bum not guttered but belly way too round which I'm working on and she's around the 440 mark. She's a 15h welsh section d.

So at the weight you've said and the other items you mentioned on covering I would say you're fine and toward needing to lose not gain but then it's difficult without a pic
 
Yes he's a gypsy cob, 6, and built very wide shall we say ! Pic on my weird pony thread.

i take him to the vets to get him weighed every year when he has his jabs, then work out the difference on the weigh tape and go from there. When he had colic recently, the vet said he was "FAT", and he was at 430k on the weigh tape. So I have got him down now by using the muzzle and soaking his hay (he gets a large haynet at night and a smaller one in the morning). Plus lots of hacking.
 
People are always saying to me that mine looks fine and doesn't need to lose any more weight. i know that she looks masses better at 25kg less (on the weigh tape - and I know they're not accurate but i use it to gauge if she's gone up/ down) than where she is now.

A lot of people seem to think cobs and heavies are meant to look solid (i.e. fat) and seeing a lean cob seems to set off a weird reaction. Some of the best heavies i've seen were at a local fair last year, not an ounce of fat on them but all muscle - used as logging horses. I'd trust your instinct. and i would always prefer my cob on the lean rather than the overweight side.
 
I am just about happy with my lad - vet said you should be able to run the palms of your hands gently over the ribs and feel them. I have to push down a bit to feel my lad's, but he is fine. But muzzle is on for the rest of the season, poor lad.
 
Upload to photobucket.com then select the pic you want to post and click on the 'direct' link to the right in the box where it says share photos. Paste the code in your reply box here.
 
OP download the BHS guide to condition scoring - there is even a video and check his condition that way - tape is useful to monitor change but not a useful absolute.

If you can't feel his ribs easily and he came to you fat, I'l probably guess he was still a bit too fat - especially coming into spring - but impossible to say from weight tape

My new 16.1 ex racer tapes at 462 - looks racing fit in some lights and in need of a good meal in others depending on your view
 
Sunbeamstarshine said:
Hi everyone, just looking for some advice!

I have a 14.1 cob who, when recently weight taped for worming, weighed in at 464 kilos. I believe this to be a good weight for his height but people on my yard have been saying that he is underweight! This has distressed me greatly as I believe he looks good, is happy and healthy, has a small bucket feed per day and lots of hay (had 2 feeds a day through winter) and having come to me overweight (about 535 kilos) I think he looks better for having lost some of his fat pads! He has no visible ribs or hip bones, if you press firmly you can feel his ribs slightly but he has a good covering over them. Would appreciate some thoughts on whether this is a good weight for his size/type.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I agree with your vet. He is fat. At this time of the year, I wouldn't want to have to go searching for ribs! I wouldn't want them to be so prominent that I could see them (though it wouldn't worry me unduly if I could) but I would expect them to be easily felt without having to "press firmly". But then I'm a hard hearted brute and have Highlands.
 
Sadly, many people are so used to overweight horses that they can't understand you can have a slim cob type. He certainly doesn't sound underweight going from your description.
 
Tried to upload photo but it's only showing the link might be because Im doing it from my phone! Thank you for all your responses it's much appreciated! I've looked at the BHS condition scoring before and I think he scores between a 3 and 4!
 
Thank you inthesticks he is a very hairy beast through the winter! I'm quite pleased with how he looks currently it puzzled and upset me why people thought he was underweight! Just need to work on building more muscle as we've both slacked off over winter!
 
He's 15 and yes he's always been that hairy, nothing to do with cushings or anything like that �� in fact he's usually hairier but due to a milder winter his coat didn't come through as thick and long as usual! He's got the hairiest backside of any horse I've ever known ��
 
He is lovely. It is very hard to tell if he's a porker due to his fab hairiness, but the main thing is that you are keeping an eye on him now, and have worked out his weight now. The aim is to keep him steady, or go a bit lower. If he's got to 15 with no issues, good for you !!!!

My lad shares a paddock with two golden oldies, and it is me that frets about weight and stuff.
 
I'm very much a fretter too! I'm really conscious of his diet etc and try hard to keep him at a good weight so he doesn't balloon again! In the 4 years I've had him I've never once considered him to be underweight, quite the opposite! I worry most about laminitis so I don't want him carrying too much baggage!
 
Shy had a lami scare over two years ago, and i was horrified, as i was muzzling him at the time. BUT I have since worked out that it was thrush that was the issue, causing him to be lame.

My advice, fwiw, is to weigh tape him at the same time of day every week, and keep a record. Use a muzzle/soaked hay or whatever, but do not let his weight rise, as he seems healthy atm. The other liveries think I am a harsh mum, but that's not my concern.

The other thing is - if you are doing the above, CHILL OUT !!! And love your horse, cos it's a lovely cob you have there. x
 
Im watching this thread with interest as im at my wits end with mine. Shes a 15.1, Shire x Cob, built like a brick s*** house and currently weights 563 on the weight tape. She used to weight alot more and its taken me a year or so to get her to this. Shes on restricted grazing,( in a small pen in her field) has literally a small hand full of feed (which is all fibre based and nothing else) to get her suppliments in her, is worked every single day either ridden, lunged and i take her out 2/3 times a week and do hill work but she still looks huge. Her belly has dropped downwards.it doesnt stick out at the sides at all its just gone south. You can feel her ribs if you poke and prod around. she has always had a gully down her back even in pics of her as a foal the gully is there but its now starting to fill out over her bum.

I cant keep her in due to COPD so shes better off being out but i just dont know what else i can do. I just feel Im fighting a loosing battle all the time

Any advice anyone could give me would be much appreciated.

Sorry to hijack your thread OP
 
To put pic on thread, copy the img code, last one n right of pic and only keep the bit that starts and ends
image_zpsb556088e.jpg


Hard to say under all that fluff, but my mate's cob recently weigh taped at 490, 14.3 hw cob. Mine weightapes at 560, he's 15.1 and also a hw cob. Smaller one in background, mine in foreground.
20140417_130303_zpsurtgyf2s.jpg


Both measure 10 inches of bone.
 
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Thanks for that cinnamon toast ��

I have found this guide to horses weight which, if accurate, puts my boy at the higher end of what his weight for his size should be. I do think that people expect to see cobs looking chunky but mines more of a middle weight who at 15 could start to present joint problems if carrying excess weight which is so typical of cob/heavy horse breeds. As I say he has a fibre based bucket feed with vits and veg every day and plenty of hay.

http://www.bluecross.org.uk/80161-80956/how-to-check-the-weight-of-your-horse.html
 
Dry Rot said:
I agree with your vet. He is fat. At this time of the year, I wouldn't want to have to go searching for ribs! I wouldn't want them to be so prominent that I could see them (though it wouldn't worry me unduly if I could) but I would expect them to be easily felt without having to "press firmly". But then I'm a hard hearted brute and have Highlands.
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This, he definitely isn't underweight and a bit more off wouldn't harm.


Finn I think it depends on how big her paddock is - especially now the grass is growing so although it looks bare it probably isn't she is just eating it! Also if it is a small paddock she probably isn't moving much in the day which is why a track system tends to work so well with these types, any chance of you doing that instead? Ditto exactly how much work she is doing and how fast but suspect you may be limited by the COPD? I would also make sure I didn't keep her too warm, I keep mine on the cooler side and he had a late full clip at the beginning of march to help a little with weight control.

She sounds like the sort of case you can only do your best for as she has other issues you need to manage aswell.
 
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