I don't know what say when I see pics like this.

Goodness me. I think lots of people expect shetties to be fat (the traditional Thelwell pony image) so they don't seem to mind when their ponies have bellies that brush along the grass! Someone at my RS owns a teeny Shetland and he was grossly fat when she bought him - the owners' response when she mentioned it was "don't worry, he's never had laminitis"! So THAT makes it okay...
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He is much more trim now, although still not quite there.

I often fight the urge to tell people off at shows when I see their fat horses... one I saw in the SJ at a local show this weekend was GROSS, and the amount of huffing and puffing as he hauled himself round the course was unbelievable! And yet if he'd had all his ribs sticking out, she probably wouldn't have been allowed to enter.
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Im obv being really dumb here...but Im 99.99999% sure that the in hand shetland who has a heave line, being lead by a lady in a shirt and tie with cropped blonde hair is NOT the same (obese) shetland in the leadrein class....
The in hand shettie looks to me to be a brood mare, so she will be dropped in the belly area, the ridden shettie however is dreadfully overweight and really shouldnt have been at the show!
 
There are 2 black shetties in hand, the one you say and the fat one that is also a ridden one, being led round by the girl who is riding it in the ridden.

I will double check the numbers for you.
 
Blimey, that is the fattest pony I have ever laid eyes on. Perhaps it has had a foal but it's shoulders are the worst of it for me and being a broodmare wouldn't explain those away.

As others have said though, for all we know the owners could be trying to move heaven and earth to shift the weight, the pony could have medical problems contributing to the weight etc etc... who knows the circumsatnaces. Poor little chap
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