Is sasha too thin.?

ROMANY 1959

ROMANY 1959

Well-Known Member
Joined
20 July 2009
Messages
2,179
Location
Flintshire
Visit site
I
d1d0d538f0c4819db780b75d2f479373.jpg
put this pic on the other day, and some one who I won't name, sent me a private message saying she thought sasha was too thin and looked neglected! She is a TB polo pony who does Polocrosse, is fed twice a day, with cool mix and Alfa oil, farriers formula , carrots and oil.. She can't have condition mix it sends her loopy.. She has ad lib hay, but is out at grass mon to fri.
Yes a few ribs can be seen, but she is a fit 15.3 TB in med work.. What do you think? She is the chestnut.
 
Last edited:
Not the best picture for sure. Makes her look a little on the lean side but to be fair she does look fit. If she were mine and I knew she was eating well, working well and happy in herself then I wouldn't be overly concerned. Perhaps with summer grass coming through she'll pad out a little anyway.
 
She looks lean, not thin.

As long as she has plenty of energy, her eyes are bright and clear, and her coat is in good condition (not dull or staring) then she is much better off than those ponies you have to dig into to find a rib!
 
That photo does make it look like she's lacking top line, but it could just be her withers and angle of photo! She certainly doesn't look depressed and if you know she is fine, don't worry about it!
 
From that pic (which may not be giving a fair picture) I would say she looks to have muscle atrophy around the saddle area.
 
I don't usually get involved in these because it's so hard to tell from a picture, but from the picture only I would say for a 'fit' horse she looks lacking in muscle to me. Fit does not always equal thin. She looks lacking in muscle over her spine, flank and shoulder. Maybe you are one of the rare people who underestimates her workload! She in no way looks neglected and I do agree that thinner is better than fatter. As I said, maybe it's the photo and don't go pumping feed into her because what people may say. You did ask for opinions though and that's what you'll get. You'll know her better than anyone.:)
 
Photo is not good to comment but i prefer horses lean(not hat rack thin) to being fat. Can you get a couple of better piccies. front,side and back views. but dont rush putting food in her. weight tape her and if worried ask your vet for thier opioion . i know mine would say lean over fat everytime :)
 
Yes she
51c6f9318e819f9eeeb22be17c9f6728.jpg
does lack top line, but it's coming along, she did nothing in the 4 months before we bought her 5 wk ago, now she has a glossy coat, and muscles are developing gradually , she was chipped last week and the vet, who saw her in her first few days with us, said she is looking better now. The majority of remarks are that she is fit and happy, and the catching is getting better too! She does two hours training Tuesdays, and hour schooling with YO thurs and is hacked and PX trained weekends . I won't be upping feed, that may make her too strong for my teenager in Polocrosse, just that the PM Sunday evening made me worry, but I am sure we are on the right track, she is not a greedy horse either, this is her last time she played polo last sept.. Then she was put out on grass and we bought her end of march.
 
Looks perfect in the latest photo! But, you should trust yourself/vet - all you will get here are opinions of photos which aren't ideal. She's lovely btw.
 
looking at the second picture i would say she is not too thin just lacks topline but to be honest most horses i see these days lack topline including my own! Shes lovely keep doing what you are doing it is obviously working
 
Oh just seen, the latest photo is last September? In my eyes it's the better one and she is fitter in that one - but it's been a hard winter and she is no way neglected so don't let that worry you, but I agree with ester she looks like she could do with a bit of snap.
 
Last edited:
In the first pic she looks like my big tb, who my vet said looked well-covered (he's also lacking in topline) and the second one looks like my little tb a few weeks ago, who the same vet said looked porky.

Personally I think she looks fairly fit, maybe a bit lacking in muscle but you're working on that. This time of year, I really wouldn't worry.
 
The two pics don't look like the same horse tbh. The first pic is a poor one to judge from I would prefer to see a bit more muscle on the bum and I would say she should get no thinner (def not neglected!) Looks a bit like my veteran did when he wouldn't hold weight too well but was healthy (Again crap photo to judge from)

2nd pic is IMO a perfect weight but if she is in poorer condition than that now then she needs bit more feed for the work she is in.
 
If she has only been in work for around 5 weeks then she is not yet likely to be even half fit after a winter turned out, let alone ready to be in hard work so in that case I think she needs to build up more muscle doing plenty of slow work, if rushed into hard work without the chance to develop the correct muscles she is going to be at risk of injury.
She looks fab in the second photo and has a good amount of muscle at the end of the season.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top