Is my pony terribly underweight?

C

cw191

Member
Joined
8 December 2010
Messages
13
Visit site
My rising 3 yo Welsh B has lost weight over the last month and my yard owner has asked me to leave due to receiving complaints about him. I knew he was getting Skinny and am giving him hard feed(Honeychop,build up cubes, mix and carrots) as well as being turned out in a well covered field (plenty of grass due to all this rain). He is also rugged at the moment to keep him warm in all the rain we're having. He is wormed up to date so i dont think thats the underlying problem. Please can people let me know what they think? and Best next course of action?
Thanks
Photo0067.jpg


Photo0066.jpg


Photo0065.jpg


Photo0064.jpg
 
Yes he is very poor. When was he last wormed? Have his teeth been done? I would be feeding him ad lib haylage.
 
Yes he is quite thin: I think part of the problem is your grazing - from the pics there isn't much grass in the field - can you move him somewhere where the grazing is better quality?
 
He was wormed at the end of march and i am having his teeth checked this week although he seems to be getting through his feed with no problem.
 
He is poor, and I am one that deliberately allows mine to lose a lot of weight over winter! If that is the field that he is in then I would not call it well covered, and it looks to have more weeds than grass, so agree with Wagtail that ad lib haylage would probably help. Your YO could have been more supportive and should be offering you advice rather than kicking you off, shame on her!
 
Definately underweight, have you spoken to a vet, I would be concerned that he wasn't putting weight on with that feed at this time of year?
 
Yes he is poor and yes he needs much better grazing, ad lib good hay and if he were mine I put some stud balancer like the red mills gro care balancer into his feed to make sure he is topped up with nutrients as at his age he is still developing and need more .

I used red mills for my mare and filly and they looked fab and it is much cheaper than the other stud balancers but that was my pref. But just to let you know I had good reasults.
 
He's stood at the bare end of the field where they wait to be fed etc so the rest is better but he will be moved asap(hopefully this week) to a new place i have found with tonnes more but i will get hold of some haylage for him in the meantime.
 
He is looking poor but not a reason to ask you to leave a yard. The field looks small and there is not much grass on it for a growing youngster, try giving him hay when he is out until the grass comes through, or possibly find somewhere more suitable for him.
A worm count would also be a good idea, as even if he is wormed if others are not done he will still be picking them up.
 
Yes he is in poor condition. A youngster should be on a stud balancer in my view to help with vitamins and minerals whilst still growing. Also always give ad lib hay when fields are that poor. Definitely check his teeth and I would now put him on conditioning cubes and sugar beet and don't forget the hay at all times. A blood test wouldn't go amiss just to ensure nothing else is causing it.
 
When you say he's wormed though, are you sure everything is covered? Unless you've had him since birth, you cannot be sure. I'd get him checked - worm checked and bloods for any liver problems/anemia etc. Stick him on a 5 day panacur guard, then I'd be inclined to use a pramox following that.

Ad-lib hay, at least 2 feeds build up mix a day. If he doesn't pick up, then there will be an underlying problem. Welshies should be easy keepers even on that [to me, that photo isn't showing a well covering of grass personally].

Keep a mineral rocky lick with him also.

I'd keep him rugged lightly to avoid any of the 'opinions' on him if you don't want the hassle.


ETA Though I will say, the horse behind also looks poor.
 
Last edited:
He is quite thin. Not very supportive of her asking you to leave, surely it would be better to give you a field with decent grass and help you sort him out. You say the grass is good but if that is his field it doesn't look too good. If that's the best grazing she has then perhaps you would be better moving.
 
Is this pony ridden at all? As I have a welsh D whos on the slim side (due to me making her so before the spring grass!) but she has muscle tone on her fronts and getting there on her bum, but I know we have a way to go. His bum looks very poor. I can ust about see my girls ribs, which some think isnt right for the welshies,...but, as said previously, I controlled her weight coming into spring. She gets hard feed as well as hay and a scoop of herb chaff mixed in with the hay as well as a handful (about 7) of the mini wheetabix (plain) and corrots - all scattered about the field for her to find.
 
i would put him on feeding specifically for growing baby horses he is quite thin. you could contact some of thw feed companies. a good one is dodson and horrell suregrow.

tbh if he has lost lot of weight very suddenly id also have the vet and dentist up. has anything hPpened recently to stress him?

and yeah yo should be more helpful!!
 
i notice the horse in with him is also ribby - is that being kicked out too?
Definitely worth trying hay in the field.
mine has access to hay but decides not to eat it even though i want him to put on weight :rolleyes:
 
He does look poor, get some ad lib hay or haylage out for him.

The pony behind him on the first pic doesn't look much better, is the YO asking the owner of the other pony to leave too?

Hopefully you will find somewhere with a more understanding YO, who can help you. He has a lovely little face btw (the pony!).
 
Agree. Sorry to say, that grazing in that paddock doesn't look great, especially for two, and it looks like a small paddock also - I would continue feeding him and give ad lib hay/haylage if you cant move him to better grazing.
 
has he had a growth spurt recently? I would be concerned at a native breed not holding their weight well at this time of year regardless of the grazing quality although I do agree that if that is the field it isn't great. I'd likely be getting the vet to check him over tbh.
 
Agree with Ester, even on poor grazing I'd expect a native to look better, I'd want some tests ran by a vet. What was his winter routine? And how long ago did he start losing weight?
 
He is not ridden or worked at all yet as only 2.5 so no muscle. The weight loss has been literally within a month but i dont know if its my fault for not rugging him earlier with all the rain so maybe shivered his weight off. He has not had any particular new stresses as just lives in the field(about an acre) with 1 other pony although occasionally my yo will put another pony in for a few days if she's short on space so maybe he was upset by the new companions - or of course the new ponies that have passed through may have spread worms?
Dentist is coming this week, i will also get a worm count done to check and maybe best to have blood tests just to rule out anything sinister.
He will be moved to 4acres of a friends next week(hopefully) thats ungrazed so long but until then i will get some hay/haylage and try and build him up. I will also call a feed company and see if they recommend a change.
He has a natural salt lick in the field all the time already.
He is also rugged at the moment, to keep warm but also to stop comments in the meantime
Thanks for everyones help
 
Last edited:
Is get his teeth checked, worm him with promax and get some good haylage in him. He needs forage more than the hard feed, the grass looks poor.
He hasn't got any problems with a horse bullying him....?
Is he wanting to eat.
He looks far too poor, esp for his type
Id be extremely concerned its happened over such a short time, his topline looks like its wasting....
If he doesn't look better in a few weeks, he defo needs a vet out....
 
The weather has been just awful this year. My mares, who live out all year round (usually!) and are only rugged in the depths of winter, have not been able to stand this constant rain with cold nights so have been in stabled at night for 2 months now. I left them out one night when the weather was meant to be better, it wasn't, and found them shivering the next morning, never again! It sounds like you haven't been giving him hay though if you have to go and get some? If that is the case you may find with constant access to hay he may pick up quickly, but do the hard feed too.
 
Oh bless him, he is definitely looks poor. Sounds like you are on the right track though.

Out of interest what did he look like a month ago? As I would be very worried if my lad lost that amount of weight in a month.
 
An acre is not sufficient for two ponies all winter, especially with others coming and going, he will probably pick up once he moves to a decent field.
 
Sorry just re-read and actaully took in the fact hes a rising 3 so probably wouldnt be backed yet! Yes, he is poor, but dont thin you should be kicked off your yard for it, not if you are trying to fix it and are aware etc added oils into food I find to be a good help to both weight gain and general condition, either cod liver or linseed.
 
Yes he does look poor but not as bad as my mare... See my thread, interestingly she has lost weight during a similar time frame! Hopefully the move to better grazing will help your youngster x
 
1 acre for potentially 3 ponies is never going to feed them. Its not good grazing at that.
Hopefully he will pick up when you move him onto better grazing, but he will need feeding and haylage in the meantime.
To lose a large amount of weight in a month would indicate an underlaying problem though, pain and illness being two possibilities.
I would want the vet to give him a damn good MOT, get bloods done, and a decent wormer into him.
3 ponies on 1 acre is not going to help with worms.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top