Horses losing condition in the winter

Horses losing condition during the winter is usually down to poor management

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bakedbean said:
Ah :o i must be a bully as i called the OP bonkers a couple of pages back.
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As opposed of course to calling me rude and histrionic...

Seriously though...my post was certainly not meant to be unpleasant in any way and I'd really challenge anyone to find anything in it that was rude. It was factual, but was ridiculed by the OP. However, I will say again: it was not meant to be rude and IF the OP genuinely thought that it was somehow having a go at her, then I will apologise for that. I would personally appreciate it if she'd take back her assertions that I'm rude or histrionic, but I won't hold my breath on that.

I don't have any issues with her choosing to keep her own horses in the same condition all year round. That's entirely up to the individual. What I think everyone has taken offense at is the assertion that anyone who doesn't must be managing their horses poorly. THAT has been said over and over again and every fact, every scientific discussion after that has been to prove that this is incorrect.

Personally, I couldn't care less if someone wants to keep their horses blue with pink spots. But if they tell everyone else that if they don't, they are damaging their horses, THEN it becomes a problem. I would imagine that THAT is the "nerve" that has been touched.
 
Thanks for the comments about the feeds for my horse... I'm ignoring the bickering... I forgot to mention if u stop feeding him slobbermash all( literally) his fur/ hair falls out( he's been seen by a equine dermatologist) and been presented as a case at the international conference of equine dermatology because of this and the only advice they could come up with is don't stop giving him slobbermash! So he gets 3 feeds all year round and barely maintains weight in the summer... I'd love to put extra weight on him over the summer but this just doesn't happen(it's a b^*^#}y good job he doesn't hot up on 4 buckets of corn a day cos he's a very big boy. Oh and his barley is micronised. I do worry about him tying up tho with all that corn and no work... Oh and he wears two of the highest tog rugs there are available when he's cold and is stabled quite a lot as he just mopes in the gate in bad weather asking to come in... Oh and I add liniseed to his non slobbermash feeds... Can't think of any way to get more calories in to him really... This is not thru lack of vet /nutritionist/ or willingness to buy feed- he gets thru 2 sacks of corn a week ( my other two don't get that between them in 3 months!)
 
Wagtail said:
I think it's this one http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?p=9761479#post9761479 :D
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That is actually pretty funny. :D

How did i miss this thread? I'm going to have to read it all now.
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bakedbean said:
Oh Skewby :(:(:(
and i thought we were getting on so well on FB.
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Gosh I naively thought you were banned!! There's only one person you can be...an yes we were/are, we're clearly having a difference of opinion on this thread though. We're big and ugly enough for that, aren't we?
 
Well, thanks a flippin' lot....

I WAS meant to be working, but this damn thread has taken OVER AN HOUR!!! and now it's nearly bedtime....

BAD people....SHAME!!

Mind you, I've had 2 cups of tea, a bag of crisps and a packet of ginger creams to help me through it.... :D

...and as for the original question...what the hell was it??
 
bakedbean said:
one of us is, certainly!! ;);)
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I'll take that as a compliment :D I am still laughing at being named on a thread I'd never even seen, by a poster claiming I'd rear my "ugly head"! Tho if I remember rightly, on doing a tad bit research, I found it to be by a BUM who took offence at my "alligater40(sic) she feckin wrecks this forum" thread :p
 
Bug2007 said:
Generally there is no reason as to why a horse should loose condition in the winter, you adjust feeding etc.... to reflect the conditions.

But I do believe in keeping the horses natural way of living asa close as possible and that is to include allowing them to drop some weight in the winter....NOTE drop weight not condition they ARE two different things!!!!

As if wild they would lose weight in the winter and then put it back on in the summer. You will rarely see a fat wild pony. Or for that matter one with laminatis.
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Havent read all the posts so apologise if this has already been said. Totally agree with this. Horses naturally lose weight in the winter. This is normal and what all creatures have endured over million of years. Im not talking about being thin or ribby just losing that summer grass belly. I am a usual reader of the posts on here and everyday someone is going on about how today soooooo many horses get lami etc and it must be down to what we feed them as didnt happen 50 years ago. Where the truth is probably down to horses being well fed and well rugged all year round. Pony gains to much weight through summer, then winter comes and there still being well fed and 3 rugs on so dont loose any weight, then next spring comes and more grass= fatter pony etc etc. Im not saying we shouldnt be feeding our ponies or not rugging them but i think the increase in laminitis we have seen over the years has a lot factors involved, and this is one o them!

Again, sorry if anyone else has said this!
 
bakedbean said:
Ahhh...but who is/was aligator40?
Was it confirmed she/he was a previously banned user? no i dont think it was.
As i remember, through lurking, that member (A40), was banned, not through breaking T&C's, but other members using a previously banned members RL name in association with a previously banned member, whilst replying on here, therefore leading Admin to assume said member was a previously banned member and then banning that member.

Clear? ;)
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Does that mean that A40 was JM07?
 
bakedbean said:
Ahhh...but who is/was aligator40?
Was it confirmed she/he was a previously banned user? no i dont think it was.
As i remember, through lurking, that member (A40), was banned, not through breaking T&C's, but other members using a previously banned members RL name in association with a previously banned member, whilst replying on here, therefore leading Admin to assume said member was a previously banned member and then banning that member.

Clear? ;)
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*snorts*

broke_but_happy said:
Does that mean that A40 was JM07?
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no no of course not that a40 was giles. wasnt it:D
 
I agree with what you have pointed out here Trot on Dressage. Fact is, a horse has rarely lost its' life through being a bit underweight wheras there are many these days for whom a few extra pounds really is life threatening.

Likewise, I think we have become slightly conditioned to expect and desire rounded horses. Just like humans no two horses are the same, and what is "normal" for one is clearly "abnormal" for another. I honestly think that to generalise about any element of horsecare, rather than judging each as an individual, and judging them on a daily basis, is a dangerous route to follow in any case.
 
showqa said:
I agree with what you have pointed out here Trot on Dressage. Fact is, a horse has rarely lost its' life through being a bit underweight wheras there are many these days for whom a few extra pounds really is life threatening.

Likewise, I think we have become slightly conditioned to expect and desire rounded horses. Just like humans no two horses are the same, and what is "normal" for one is clearly "abnormal" for another. I honestly think that to generalise about any element of horsecare, rather than judging each as an individual, and judging them on a daily basis, is a dangerous route to follow in any case.
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Im glad someone else thinks the same!
 
Oh dear, I must be an awful horse owner.
My experience is that winters are hard. My pony isn't a particularly good doer at the best of times (despite being a section D!) so come winter when there's no grass in the field, the weight starts plummeting. However stabling isn't ideal due to his COPD and hip injury. I have found that our current yard's regime of alternative turnout, whilst whined about by other liveries, is the best for balancing his needs. He gets adlib haylage one day and he gets to stretch with fresh air the next, both days with high energy feeds. He refuses to be clipped which is a nightmare as he works a fair amount throughout winter so he's rugged to prevent the growth of an uncomfortable mammoth coat and it also prevents him from shivering off any fat to keep warm (but please don't think he overheats, he never comes in with sweat under his rugs and if he ever did he would have the next weight down on him!!) Last winter was quite successful, yes he was skinnier than in the summer and yes it's damned hard work keeping him in condition but I've never seen him without a shine to his coat.

Our mare thankfully just has to be fed a bit more and she's more than happy to chill in a stable if need be (such as when it's her turn to be in the muck heap field!!)
 
I Agree With YouCompletly, There Is No Reason, I Have A 23 Yeah Old Arab Mare, And Shes Is A Beautiful Unblivable Condition!
I Dont Think She Has Ever Been Wintered In, Well, Atleast No In My Books (: Im Thinking That Next Summer I Do Need To Stable Her, Only Due To Her Age, And Since We Live In Northern Ireland, Not The Very Best Of Winters (: But Then Again, She Still Will Be In An Amazing Condiontion, Theres No Reason Why She Shouldnt Be! (:
Clo
 
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