How are your horses looking coming out of winter?

He actually looks amazing for once! Can easily feel ribs and fit as a flea! No idea how I’m going to maintain this with all what’s going on though.
Share is running a bit light so could do with the grass.
 
LouisCat said:
Perhaps it's easier to have one that's a skinny minny rather than a fatty, although not for my bank balance!!!!
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Depends on the time of year, great in summer when you can leave out as long as you like in knee high grass, but not in winter when you are trying to persuade them to eat just one more mouthful while they gaze out the window soulfully.
 
Awful. Two youngsters have absolutely ballooned, and their excess fluff makes them look even larger; another is heavier than I'd like really but not awful, and able to be in work at least; old lad is a hat-rack although appears to still be loving life.

They will stay on their winter paddock for the next few months at this rate, as the grass track (summer turnout) is still lush despite me spending hours out there with the mower and that's only going to get worse now spring is here. I can't cut it fast enough/often enough to get on top of it! I thought about putting the oldest one on it for 30 mins or so each day to give him a treat/extra calories, but I think its richness would make him ill.

I did wonder whether the fuel costs saved in the working from home would enable me to buy temporary stables and the good news is that it will, if I work from home for the next 58 months.
 
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The fatties haven't lost as much as I would like over winter, considering they've had no extra feeding and we haven't fed hay this year either. Going to get the weigh tape out tomorrow so I can do a proper check. Neither have had rugs on either, first time ever with Thena and I've had her over 20 years now.
Rog is looking really good, (touch wood!) considering the no hay. Seem to have cracked it feeding wise with him. Also made sure he's been warm helps, and I do think they stay a bit warmer grazing rather than standing round eating hay. It's saved all the moaning and churning things up, and they gave been on the bigger field. Getting sheep on it over the summer has been a god send!
 
equi said:
Because a fit healthy animal actually isn’t that well covered. There is ribs due to malnourishment and the rest of the body is usually poor too and there is fit with a hint of rib but the body looks well muscled and lean

It takes a lot of work (and correct feeding) to get a horse to that level of fitness - most animals I see that are showing ribs are underweight or in need of worming ?
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Tihama said:
It takes lot of work (and correct feeding) to get a horse to that level of fitness - most animals I see that are showing ribs are underweight or in need of worming
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Oh, that's different to the reply you put earlier which was that your comment was tongue in cheek ?
I don't think it takes a huge amount of work to get a horse into a lean and fit condition, mine have always had their ribs slightly visible except when they've been overweight. Much rather have them moderately lean than moderately fleshy.
My retired horse looks good at the moment, but the other one is looking huge, they went out on the summer field a couple of weeks ago and I was planning to restart Nelson (haven't ridden since last July for many reasons); then Corona virus hit and I thought it was the wrong time. I've tried to restrict their grass but he has put on a lot of weight so I am going to have to get him back in work.
 
One a bit thin, but she will pick up. The other is 20kg more than her ideal weight and getting fatter as she is not being ridden now and I am concerned about her with the grass coming through, as she had laminitis a few years ago ?. I can manage it all the time I can keep her off the grass and control her hay intake for 14 hours or so A day, but dread getting the flu as then I would have to turn her out 24/7 for a week or whatever. I am setting up a track system this weekend as some insurance!
 
Having put the weigh tape on the hairy pair this morning I'm really pretty pleased. I think we'd have ribs showing if they weren't so well covered in hair!
 
The welsh cob X looks about right which I'm pleased about as it was her first winter being rugged and I worried she'd hold on to too much weight, but she hasn't at all.

Difficult to tell with the mini shetland as she's an ex broodie so will always have a fairly droopy belly I think. I think I'll be able to tell better when she's lost more of the yeti coat.
 
JennBags said:
Oh, that's different to the reply you put earlier which was that your comment was tongue in cheek ?
I don't think it takes a huge amount of work to get a horse into a lean and fit condition, mine have always had their ribs slightly visible except when they've been overweight. Much rather have them moderately lean than moderately fleshy.
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It depends on type. Mine would have to be worked half to death and pretty much starved to get a rib to show. Shes what most people would call moderately fleshy and I'm celebrating her being so slim sadly. I would love a moderately lean horse!
 
Mine was perfect. Been in increasing work since Xmas, was upping the duration as well as suppleness and strength. Best flat work ever, small jump exercises, hiring an arena/lesson twice a week.

She was well covered but had the athletic look rather than couch potato.

Just starting to introduce grass. Had a week of in hand grazing 1/2 hour a day, increased and now she s on 1 1/2 hours in a field, twice daily. She is on arena turnout in winter and I have to manage the changeover carefully as she is a glutton!!!
 
SEL said:
Me too! My gelding drops off nicely over winter and it's so much easier to chuck him extra hay and a bit more feed than deal with the fat mare.
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One has a nice bit of rib which I would much rather see this time of year, i am going to have to work the other one more his well covered but no fat pads thankfully

It's weird that the fatter one has grown a full coat after being clipped and the thinner one still looks freshly clipped his only just started to get a bit of coat through.
 
Bit skinnier than I'd like, but she wasn't as fat as I would have liked going into winter and it's been a hard winter too - they've lived out. But we've just turned them out into a rather lush looking spring/summer field and I imagine she will look better within days, hoping she doesn't go too far the other way!
 
My Irish bog pony is enormously fat. I’m wondering if middle aged metabolism change is a thing with horses?! He definitely was coming out of winter leaner as a 7 and 8 year old... he’s rising 11 now and definitely tubbier ?
 
Leo Walker said:
It depends on type. Mine would have to be worked half to death and pretty much starved to get a rib to show. Shes what most people would call moderately fleshy and I'm celebrating her being so slim sadly. I would love a moderately lean horse!
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My cob girls are the same - I’d go as far as to say that they’d have to be poor to have a rib on show.

Even at her slimmest, post-weaning Flower, when Mary looked fantastic, she still didn’t have a rib in sight!

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I’d argue that the same is true of Flower. I’m happy with both of their weights in these photos, and neither had a fat pad, crest, or rain gutter, but I couldn’t feel, let alone see, a rib!

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Managing my Thorougbred mare was much easier! ?
 
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