How are yours looking going into spring?

[JJS]

There have been so many threads lately about how people's fields are looking, issues with overweight horses, and so on that I thought it would be interesting to see how everyone's equines are actually weighing in right now.

I'm quite proud of my gang, as Tudor and Mary are both looking nice and slimline, and even little Flower is a good weight underneath all of that fluff. After Tudor's laminitis episode last year, I was absolutely draconian this winter, so the younger three have all been out 24/7 unrugged and minus hard feed. I'm happy to see that it seems to have paid off, and all of them are looking just right coming into spring.

Six is the only one who's struggled, despite being mollycoddled to the nth degree. It's just been a very long winter for such an old horse, but we now have him on a diet he seems happy with, and he's gradually putting the pounds back on. He's also very bright in himself and full of energy, so although he's not looking his best, it's nothing that time and spring grass won't put right.

I'm not sure that the girls are quite as chuffed as me though! They were definitely in cahoots when I arrived today...

... and they made sure they turned on their best 'feed me' faces too (they actually have a bale of lovely new hay tucked away to their left)!

So, how are everybody else's looking - slim and svelte, or ready to go straight into a grazing muzzle?

 

[atlantis]

Too big. Not massively obese but all the standing in over winter due to waterlogged fields eating (albeit soaked) hay means my mare is bigger than I would like. I'm so tired fitting in work, business, horses, I'll dogs, family etc that I'm moving to part livery. So full in the week means more time to ride, and a sharer for Lottie so I can afford the move and she gets ridden more. Hoping it helps. Only 1 week left of 5 am starts (and midnight bedtimes) and counting!!

 

[chaps89]

Fat There has been many tears this week as she is now in a coral which is totally bare and having well soaked hay and still she gets fatter (had this routine for about a month or so now?) I absolutely hate spring/summer/autumn for this reason. She had little hay over winter and was out 24/7 naked for 95% of the time but weighed 19kg more on March than she did in August last year, although the vet did say she believed a lot of it was muscle tone. I'd dread to think what the scales would say now though

 

[Surbie]

He is fat. Big unfit belly, very few ribs I can find, big apple bum and some crest. I really wish he were svelter, but he is reducing in size. 576kg on the tape today, compared to 596kg 7 weeks ago at the other yard.

I am bringing him back into work slowly after 9 months off any work. He was unrugged over winter but on very limited turnout as a box rest compromise, which is what has piled the pounds on. So far so good and I'm hoping autumn will see him looking miles better.

He lives to eat, and I'm hoping that gradually increasing workload will streamline him rather than restricting grazing. He is generally low down in any herd (now out with some older horses) and is moved on quite a lot.

 

[nikicb]

The old boys around a month ago - the roan is 25 and still in work although his sharer has her A levels looming so not riding so often at the moment. The little grey is 26 and was diagnosed with cushings 2 years ago. I'm really pleased with him as he had lost top line and now has it back again. Excuse the awful clip - he had impaction colic last November and we nearly lost him, the clip was courtesy of the lovely vet nurse who was terribly embarrassed but I said it really didn't matter at the time.

This was Cam two weeks ago. He was verging on what I would regard as obese on grass livery so I brought him home in January. I full clipped him and left him unrugged as I didn't want to reduce his forage any more and risk ulcers. Pretty pleased with how he has shrunk considering he is not in work.

And last, but not least, Cassie today - the only one in what I would call full work. She's packed on the muscle recently and looking quite sporty I think:

 

[Mule]

Tried to upload photos but I seem to have forgotten how.
Mine are all OK. Two are retired and one is just starting to come back into work after a few months off. They mostly stay the same weight year round.

I'd rather the horse that's in work to be thinner, but I share with a family member who shows affection towards them with food:eek4: so it's a bit of a struggle.
He's not overweight but I prefer him to be leaner as he's fitter when he is. He's on steroids at the moment so weight wise I have to watch him like a hawk.

When I start exercising him more he will get leaner but I have to watch out that the family member in question doesn't increase his food intake too much :rolleyes3:

 

[Dave's Mam]

A bit too "well" for my liking. This is a week before Bootcamp started.

 

[Supertrooper]

The same as others really, considering the winter we’ve had I thought he’d of dropped more but to be fair he is going down on weigh tape and has no fat pads or crest.

He’s super well in himself but keeping a very very close eye on him

 

[Amye]

Urgh too well! We did really well over winter - got 40kgs off him (he's a good doer!) and had plans to up the work when the weather got better to make sure he kept it off, but now he's lame with something (suspected tendon) so he's been in for almost 3 weeks and has definitely put on weight as he's just not moving. I've tried limiting it and his hay is in haynets but I like them to have food all the time.

Depending on what the scan shows (if he needs longer box rest), I'm going to look at getting him some oat straw or something to munch on and limit his hay so it doesn't get any worse!

 

[Bernster]

I forget how to post pics, and only have ridden ones. He always looks a bit well, not terrible but not lean. I do have to watch his weight although he’s generally pretty consistent at this kind of weight. Muzzle will go on pretty soon. He always makes out that he’s half starved!

Cassie and Cam look really good!

 

[little_critter]

TB (who for a TB is a good doer) is looking lovely. She's just had a 4 month holiday (sicknote) and has been confined to her box for most of that time on ad lib hay. But her coat and muscle tone look surprisingly good.
Native is just about at her 'correct' weight. To be honest I'd rather she was a little lighter (literally only 10kg lighter) to give me a little buffer when we move onto the spring grass.