I have just had all the horses weighed!

[catembi]

I am off work this week so have been doing errands. I took the lorry to be weighed (2,480kg) and today had the horses weighed by someone who turned up with a mobile weighbridge in the back of their car which they bolt together!

It was v surprising - I was worried that the ponies were obese but the Shetland weighed 220 when the weight range for her height is 200-240. My Dartmoor weighed 299 when the weight range was 300-320 & both my TBs who both have PSSM type 2 were three quarters of the way UP the weight range. So the ponies that I thought were fatties aren't, and the TBs that I was worried were thinnies also aren't! And I have a bit more headroom on the lorry payload than I thought as I had imagined that Thor would be heavier.

Very interesting! He also showed me how to use my weigh tape. Thor weighs 569kg on the weigh bridge but 524kg on the weigh tape, so at least I can now monitor weight up and down.

Probably only fascinating to me!

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

Not at all, I find it fascinating to find out what horses weigh compared to how they look. Would you mind sharing pictures so we get a visual to compare to the kg?

I only had Jacob done once and he was 690kg, which explains why he made such a mess of my toe when he stood on it.. shod.

 

[catembi]

I will get some pictures in the morning but bear in mind that both TBs are riddled with PSSM type 2 so have muscle wastage. They are both managed to the best of my ability so please don’t call the RSPCA!

The late Catembi was 690kg! 17hh ISH.

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

I will get some pictures in the morning but bear in mind that both TBs are riddled with PSSM type 2 so have muscle wastage. They are both managed to the best of my ability so please don’t call the RSPCA!

The late Catembi was 690kg! 17hh ISH.

Fab, thanks! No judgement here, I would rather see a rib or a few than an apple bum!
Just checked with friend as I was unsure, her horse was 690kg, Jacob was actually 780kg! No wonder he cost me so much in food..

 

[Bernster]

Interesting! Really must try that next time I’m at camp if they have one.

 

[catembi]

Okay, so the dark bay is Thor, 17hh, 569kg. The brighter bay with white socks is Trev, 16.1, at 531kg. Thor is 10 and Trev is 18.

 

[catembi]

This is the person I used, if anyone is interested. He is fully mobile and goes all over.

 

[catembi]

Florence the Shetland, 9.2hh, 7 years old, at 220kg. Her ideal range is 200-240kg. And Tiffany the Dartmoor, 12hh, 7 years old, at 299. Her ideal range is 300-320kg.

 

[NightStock]

Very interesting, if I was to have guessed based on pictures and height, I would have guessed a bigger difference in weight between Thor and Trev.
I wonder if I can get enough people together so I can get mine done?... Thanks for sharing!

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

We had the mobile weighing chappie to my yard a month or two ago.

Well worth doing! And doesn't cost as much as you'd think either!

Proved that the weigh-tape is 40k OUT; horse actually weighed 40K more than what the weigh-tape has been saying.

We will be having them come again in the Autumn. Really recommend if you have horses where watching their weight is vital.

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

I'm not surprised that Thor & Trav are similar, Thor looks slimmer to me but is taller. I am surprised that Florence is in the ideal range - to me she looks porky (no offense intended Catembi) but no surprises with Tiff, who looks great. God I wish I was smaller, I am a sucker for a Dartie!!

 

[maya2008]

I condition score mine. Not so keen on ‘ideal weight ranges’ for mixed breeds like most of my herd, as you get a lot of variation in build. For example, I have a 10.3hh Shetland cross who is 220kg (on a weighbridge) when fit and in perfect condition (no ribs showing but can easily feel them, muscled and in full work), whereas you have been told a pony a hand smaller should be the same weight. Indeed, our Shetland cross is the same weight as another of ours who is a hand taller but less solid in build…and so on.

I am glad it gave you a good result though!

 

[catembi]

I'm not surprised that Thor & Trav are similar, Thor looks slimmer to me but is taller. I am surprised that Florence is in the ideal range - to me she looks porky (no offense intended Catembi) but no surprises with Tiff, who looks great. God I wish I was smaller, I am a sucker for a Dartie!!

Yes, I was worried about Florence being a porker, but apparently not...! When I sold her to her 'forever home' earlier in the year (sent back after 3 months...flaky people) she was kept on a tiny electric fenced strip with no stimulation. She came back thinner but she must have been so bored! I am afraid that I just chuck her out with the others...there is a woody bit to explore, hedges to browse etc & she gets chased by Tiffany sometimes so at least she's getting some exercise. Luckily our grass is poor.

I did actually back Tiffany, started teaching her dressage, taught her to jump, was getting out n about to clinics & I have got some fab photos of her at a dr clinic going really well. Then she went spooky & one day I put my leg on to trot & she halted... Got her tested & she has PSSM, n/p4, which is a v bad variant. So now she's retired :-( A real waste as she's a cracking pony & very bright.

 

[Fjord]

I've used the same person! I found it really useful to actually have my mare's proper weight, as the weigh tape is so different. Definitely recommend him.

 

[ihatework]

I’m a bit more of the opinion that weight is useful to track for a particular horse - but I don’t like using it as a benchmark against a hypothetical ideal.

I think you really do have to look at the horse in front of you and condition score.

I think the ponies look on the rounder side of healthy.
Thor leaner side of healthy
Trev I’d be keeping an eye on

 

[catembi]

I have had Trev since 5 or 6, almost straight off the track. He has always been hard to get weight on. We have been through ulcers, ks surgery and he has PSSM variants n/p3 and n/px. P3 can affect the digestive tract so he is supplemented for that as well as PSSM. PSSM also causes muscle wastage, which is why he and Thor have no top line. They both get fed lots, plus 24/7 access to hay, worm counted and teeth done. I am doing my best, but the deck is stacked against me ?

 

[Greylegs]

I hear you. We had a weighing lady come to our yard recently too. My old, retired highland, who I thought had lost weight, was only 4 kg lighter than he was at his vet visit a year ago, when he was fit and in regular work, and not out of range for his type/build. My new girl - a big, chunky ID cross - was surprisingly heavy at 660kg, but, again, spot on for her size/type. Always a good thing to do if you can. I never really trust weight tapes, but they are helpful guides to gain/loss. Both horses taped lighter than their actual weight by around 25-30 kg.

 

[Nasicus]

It's pretty eye opening isn't it! I was totally overestimating how much mine weighed until I started getting the weighbridge lady out!

 

[Reacher]

My 15hh welsh x Arab mix (he is a lighter build than a welsh but sturdier than an Arab) is 430kg according to the tape . I’m sure that’s an underestimate.

 

[catembi]

Yes, me too!

 

[PurBee]

Interesting - i usually dose wormer at 50kg more than weight tape says - i read somewhere ages ago theyre usually a bit off on the light side.

Your gang are cute! PSSM sounds a challenge to manage, your horses are lucky to have you ?

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

We weigh the racehorses every week and whilst it's not so much of a guide as to how fit they are etc. It does give you their average racing weight once running so you know if they are up or down without noticing much to the eye so you can adjust work/feed correctly. Big Bad Boris used to race off of around 520kg. He would come in from his holidays at over 600kg. So we knew he was nearer to an ok racing weight when he got down the pounds. He would run then stay at yard 1 for 2 weeks after as a bit of respite after a run. He would still be ridden and do his work every day but the work at yard 1 was obviously a lot easier for him than the hard gallop of yard 2. He would return to yard 2 20-25kg heavier than he had left it 5 days before he raced. On average a racehorse will lose around 15-20kg in weight on a race day. This will mostly be due to lose of water. They sweat a lot when they run. They also miss a hard feed and round of hay when they run. But they regain this lost water weight within 3 days so they are back to within a few kg of their normal weight.

Weight tapes are great for keeping an eye on a horse but they are useless for giving you an exact weight.

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

Our vet did an experiment with all the horses that attended his practice over a month period. He weighs each horse prior to it being put into the stables and he also uses a weight tape & chalks up the weights. He recorded massive differences between what the weights of the horses when weighed on the scales & the weight tape results. Basically weight tapes are massively wrong. Just thought you may be interested.

 

[catembi]

Yes, that’s why I got the chap to demonstrate how to use the weight tape on a just weighed horse. I have never been convinced by the weight tape reading and wanted to be shown how to do it by someone who knew what they were doing! To make sure that it wasn’t just user error ?

 

[cauda equina]

I think weight tapes are most useful in showing subtle changes in weight, rather than absolute values

 

[marmalade88]

I think weight tapes are most useful in showing subtle changes in weight, rather than absolute values

I think with most people having camera phones now you’re better off taking pictures once a month to compare.

for reference I’ve got 16.3 TB who’s 610kg when not in full work, just on good turn out and happy hacking So the size of both those boys with PSSM doesn’t surprise me. Also part of the reason I’ll never get. 3.5T lorry because there’s not enough payload for two plus people and tack. Great you have more room in the lorry now…. can you fit another Shetland on? ?

 

[ycbm]

Just to add that weigh tapes don't work at all on a very thin horse with hollows either side of the spine. Until the hollows are filled and the tape stops bridging over a gap, the tape won't register much increase in weight, when in fact there's plenty going on.
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