How thin is this horse?

tallyho! said:
It came across as you were very shouty and to top it off, sprinkled it with a half accusation of bullying which is really serious.

Loads of people point out grammar on this forum. It happens. Get over it. Ignore it. You are as bad as that person if you start shouting about it. :D
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who's shouting? it is bullying. Not a half accusation, a fact. Psychological bullying to be exact. And whether or not it it happens and is common place, doesn't make it right.
 
tallyho! said:
It came across as you were very shouty and to top it off, sprinkled it with a half accusation of bullying which is really serious.

Loads of people point out grammar on this forum. It happens. Get over it. Ignore it. You are as bad as that person if you start shouting about it. :D
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Trouble is TallyHo too many on here think its their place to correct others in one way or another, on their typing or spelling.

Personally I think its:

  1. Not their place too correct someones spelling.
  2. If they don't like the way someone types / spells ignore them
  3. Enjoy commenting/ bullying about someone else's downfall
  4. plain ignorant
  5. Just that type of person who does this (sad really)
  6. Finds it funny to diss someone over a disability

Allot of people have disabilities of one kind or another. One of my new liveries has MD she gets teased no end about using a large magnifier to read.

She is a lovely girl and was driven to depression because of bullies. :mad:
 
I get what you are saying leviathan. I fully understand and I agree there are some but I don't think this poster who corrected the OP was the worst at it. I know what it feels like to be bullied myself.

I don't think she deserved being called a bully for it. She apologised too. So, I think princessa should stop the witch hunt and calm down :)
 
When I first started readint this thread, I could have sworn it was someone asking advice on the weight / condition of their horse,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
But it appears that is not the case at all!!!
Once again a hijacking has occurred! And all over a mere spelling mistake!!
C'mon!! Seriously!! does it matter THAT much!!
 
LollyDolly said:
Ahh I see, how clever!

Sorry for sticking my nose in but I had to ask, and once again it wasn't mean to sound horrible! I was just genuinely interested! :D
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There are many types of Dyslexic problems, which individuals have to face.
No person is the same in how they express themselves, and how Dyslexia effects them.

Some its spelling
Some typing
Some reading
Some working things out (In their head and putting on paper)
Some speech

tallyho! said:
I get what you are saying leviathan. I fully understand and I agree there are some but I don't think this poster who corrected the OP was the worst at it. I know what it feels like to be bullied myself.

I don't think she deserved being called a bully for it. She apologised too. So, I think princessa should stop the witch hunt and calm down :)
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I think we all ought too as well:), I think there are too many KIA on here also GP on here.

Quiet funny really that in their small world they live in , they have to liven it up with correcting others.

Its like text messages how many people make typos in text messages??? I bet your friends and family don't reply and go on about it! so why should small minded strangers?? Enough said :)

Sorry OP But really bugs me when people go on about how someone types or spells
 
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sykokat said:
When I first started readint this thread, I could have sworn it was someone asking advice on the weight / condition of their horse,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
But it appears that is not the case at all!!!
Once again a hijacking has occurred! And all over a mere spelling mistake!!
C'mon!! Seriously!! does it matter THAT much!!
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Yeah you're right! I'm off... Ta ta :)
 
tallyho! said:
I get what you are saying leviathan. I fully understand and I agree there are some but I don't think this poster who corrected the OP was the worst at it. I know what it feels like to be bullied myself.

I don't think she deserved being called a bully for it. She apologised too. So, I think princessa should stop the witch hunt and calm down :)
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no witch hunt here. just sick of you defending the indefensible.. I haven't got a beef with anyone, just certain behaviours. Im as calm as a still sea : )
 
I'm a professional proofreader and don't see the need to debate the finer points of grammar, etc, on forums...anyway, back on topic, there is something that I wish to ask.

The OP stated that:
"He gets fed twice daily and each feed contains:
300g Dengie Alfa-A Oil Chaff
2kg Topspec CoolCondition Cubes
300g Topspec superconditioning Flakes
350g Topspec Comprehensive Feed Balancer
This diet is what Topspec recommended me."

Is this not an awful lot to be feeding in each feed? Apologies, if I have this the wrong way around OP, but I do think that you should split his feed up into several smaller amounts, rather than two feeds of almost 3kg each. Perhaps three or four feeds if possible?

And yes, pictures would be welcomed:)All the best with your horse, by the way.
 
As said earlier you need the horse blood tested, you should also get a worm count done. If they all come back clear you then need to review your feed and management.

Im assumimg excellent grazing, adlib forage when needed and rugging according to the weather.
 
Sounds like too much in one feed. 2kg max I believe per feed.

I second the get a vet to check bloods etc.

As to feed, I have two that drop weight and are a pain to get it back on. To regain and to manage, I feed Saracen's Re-leve and their Equi Jewel. Gets weight on nice and steady without fizzing the horse up.
 
OP have you any photos of the horse for members to see??:)

Has he freezemark- microchip or any brand so you can search history?
Has he been wormed or been on worming program?
I would get a vet to do a health check on him.

My vet does a full Health Test for around £100 (well worth the money)

  1. I would certainly get him blood tested. (For many tests)
  2. Has he fluid on is stomach anywhere??(sign of protein loss)
  3. Sorry if you have / but have you checked his passport for his previous owner?
  4. I would also do a Worm count
  5. Google his History / Sire Dam if you can to find info on him.

You could even think about putting him on a detox program while you review his feeding and forage diet??
 
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Forgot to add: ad lib haylage/good grazing. Have to watch that you don't go too rich and risk colic. One of mine can't be in good grazing and come into good hay, or her innards go squirty.

Also try adding a balancer. We use Top Spec for the skinnier ones.
 
I would personally feed more alfa. I would also feed more forage in general if at all possible. I had problems keeping weight on my horses a few years ago, and it was partly a virus problem. It could also be an ulcer issue, especially if the horse hasn't been being looked after.
Pics would be helpful.
 
Hello OP, I'm really sorry for the reaction you have had to your thread, yes it is the summer holidays but I think most posters are old enough to know better :rolleyes: :D

My first thought was that most KWPNs (Dutch warmbloods) have a very high percentage of thoroughbred blood in them and they don't always look the same as some of the chunkier warmbloods. Also, if he is only 5, and at 17.3hh, he is a BIG boy and may well still have some natural maturing and filling up to do - many warmbloods don't look physically mature until they are about 7 or 8! Some of them seem to only go 'up' until 5 or 6, and then begin to manage to go 'out' :cool:

It would be really useful to see photos to see just how thin he is. Have you tried to do a condition score on him, so you can assess his overall weight and not just focus on one area? I find weightaping really useful as you can keep track of any weight gains/losses on a weekly basis; when you see them every day it is hard to tell sometimes.

The feed does sound a lot to me, if you are feeding such high levels of C&C you really don't need a balancer on top. Would it be possible to split the feeds, even between 3 feeds would be better than 2.

How is his behaviour in the field? Some horses just don't settle if they are in on their own, mine is one of them :rolleyes: What is the grass situation like? If there is not a great deal of grass then I would consider having haylage available at all times too. I would also make sure he is kept warm - my older horse has been rugged most of the year due to the weather.

Agree blood testing and a worm count (blood test for tapeworm) would be a good idea.
 
Read me

I had a horse who i brought from a dearler and he was very very thin we tried everything, full bale of hay in his stable at night all the hard feed you could think off and still nothing the vet said he had grss sickness, we told him we wanted a blood test.

Results come back and he had a Lava warm thats found in Deer in his spin that was taking evey bit of goodness taken out of him, he was 1 day away from being PTS, He as that bad thankfully he pulled through after a awful worming routen. Also get your vet to check for Liver Fluke that make's horse lose weight.

Blood test is the way forward i hope you get to the bottom of it!!

Ps Sorry about my Grammer and spelling lol
 
I had my thin 17hh WB 5 year old on recommended amounts from Top Spec for 6 months he improved but not enough in my eyes, changed him over to 2kg (as recommended by them) of Pure Feeds , pure condition and he blossomed in no time abc in 3 months he looked super , a great weight and shiny shiny coat now just working on muscle. I defo give pure feeds a go - also reduced my feed bill by £25 a month. I was piling 3 feeds a day into him, often over facing him, now he just gets one Stubbs scoop twice a day, finished every last drop and licks his bowl clean
 
It would help us all if you could post a photo so we can see what you are struggling with. With my experience of under nourished horses that have generally not been fed properly but are not ill is that fibre, fibre, fibre is the way to go.

He's a big chap so don't underestimate how much feed he will need to help him pick up I would always start with good quality hay or haylage and a high fibre nut with a bit of chaff to add supplements to or a good feed balancer. You need to be carefull about giving too much conditioning feed as it can often send them loopy.

Good luck and let us know how he's doing.
 
R.A.H said:
I really like dobson's and horrell's barley rings, always found they work really well
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I agree with R.A.H on this one barley rings i have found to be a godsend at putting and keeping weight on underweight horses. We had a tb that was skin and bone when we got her and within a few months she was looking a million times better. So pleased to see this thread went back to the original question cannot stand petty squabbles on forums.
 
Sorry for spelling mistake and yes I contacted Topspec to ask if this was too much at once but thy recommended this diet in the first place. I have had a worm egg count done and it has been sent off and I will arrange to have a blood testing done. The dealers name is Paul Clark and he was advertised as a 16.2hh, 10year old Warmblood but it turns out he is a 17.3hh going on 18hh, 5year old, and I don't know his breed but he does look warmblood like. He is on hay which my farmer supplies but I want to put him on haylage of some description. I also had him vetted and strangely he passed. He was most likely drugged when I brought him as he turned into a complete handful and was just way to calm at first. His poos are normal, but then will sometimes do a sloppy one.
Here is some photos of him now:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/81775310@N02/7689780768/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/81775310@N02/7689776892/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/81775310@N02/7689776826/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/81775310@N02/7689771782/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/81775310@N02/7689767928/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/81775310@N02/7689763550/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/81775310@N02/7689762748/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/81775310@N02/7689762052/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/81775310@N02/7689761704/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/81775310@N02/7689760390/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/81775310@N02/7689759496/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/81775310@N02/7689754850/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/81775310@N02/7689752824/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/81775310@N02/7689753900/in/photostream/
 
From your photos op your horse looks like my old boy who was a big lanky skinny tb. He always looked a wee bit on the skinny side but what he really needed was muscle. Since your horse is only in light work maybe this is what is missing when you look at him? My old boy was also a stress head and burned a lot of calories that way.
From those photos I wouldn't worry too much x
 
He looks in absolutely perfect condition!! I have a friend who has a 6 year old warmblood who is not far off 18hh and imagined from the description for this horse to look very similar. However my friends horse rarely even looks covered (gets plenty of feed just growing too much for it to have any weight gain), and this horse looks absolutely fine!!!
 
Looks great to me, coming from someone who let their horse get too fat - do NOT be conned into thinking that he's skinny, he's not, I can't see any ribs.

I LIKE to see ribs on my horse ;)
 
I'd say he was spot on weight wise. Certainly needs to muscle up more but that will come with more work. I wouldnt want to see any less on him either tho, but i like him he's my kind of horse :)
 
Another vote for him being fine. Horses do have natural build variation from slender to tubster and he just looks like a sleek slender lad. I wouldn't have batted an eye at his condition if it was just the pics.
 
IMO, the horse is in fine condition :) TBs will always naturally be a little bit bonier than other breeds e.g a Connemara like mine (although now that I think about, mine could definitely afford to be just a little bit bonier ;) ) I wouldn't worry, he looks good to me :) People are just used to seeing very very fat horses and thinking that the norm, when actually, we should be able to see and certainly feel a little bit of rib etc.
Wouldn't worry OP, I wouldn't want him dropping off any more weight, so come winter time I'd try and offer alternative forage alongside the grass as the grass will go down in nutritional value, but I wouldn't want him gaining much more either, maybe just a bit of muscle though (though many horses do need more muscle - mine included). He's a gorgeous lad, I must say! :D
 
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