is she too skinny?

BroadfordQueen

BroadfordQueen

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and a more recent one but with tack on unfortunately, will take another confo pic tomorrow:
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we havent had much chance to get any weight on her as she cant go out much as our fields are knee deep in mud and there isn't much grass anyway, but she has been eating alot of hay. hoping the spring grass around the corner will help, but you can still slightly see her ribs with no tack on. I know she is a slim type being a pure TB, but need opinions on if she is too slim or just right, as some horsey friends of my mums have said she looks too skinny! thanks!
 
i think she looks fab!she is about the same as my boy who i have decided is never going to put more weight on whatever i try!!To be perfect i guess she could do with a tiny bit more on her but she is defo not skinny and a very pretty girlie!
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Looks O.K. for this time of year. Could do with a little more topline but that will come. Almost everyone is so obsessed with having and used to seeing fat horses these days, when they see one that is fat the thing it's an RSPCA case.

ETD - I would personnally rather see a horse as little on the lean side this time of year than overweight.
 
I won't be calling the RSPCA tonight! She is slim, but it is the end of winter so that is to be expected. If she has been coping with hunting then she is getting enough food to maintain her energy
 
i think when you develop her outline more she will look great, i agree with piebaldsparkle, better to keep her thinner, so she doesnt overindulge on spring grass when she is turned out, and risk laminitis
 
She look similar in condition to big lad........ I have accepted that his ribs will always be just visible.
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I'd make sure she has adlib hay, and wait for spring. That said though big lad has two feeds and loads of haylege all year round.
I think she is fine, people are obsessed with having their horses fat.
 
She's not that skinny at all, it's just the time of the year, Castle is like that at the moment too, but once summer comes she'll put more weight on
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I think she looks very good for this time of year, I feel she needs a little more weight however I would rather see a horse that is a little below weight than one that is over. Spring grass is coming & the weight will go on, then it will be a case of keeping the weight just right. Over all looks good.
 
In answer to your question - no she is not. She is very athletic and lean, she is the whippet/greyhound of the horse world - and not a bulldog. You get my drift. A cob is a cob - bred and designed for draft work a thoroughbred is designed to run flat out with the leanest of body weights to enable it to do this. I have a thoroughbred too, a mare 14.3hh, she is lean, a tad bigger than her but only just. Topline does not come easily if at all to this type of horse accept the gracefullness of her. People will always say she is thin, yes she is - that is her breed. Is a whippet thin YES will it ever be anything other NO - this is the way she is bred. Shes lovely.
 
She's a similar build to one of ours, who can look ribby when fit.
I think she is ok, but if you add some pink powders or top spec balancer to her food it may make a difference.
As you say the grass is coming slowly, and that will sort her out.
 
She looks exactly the same as my mare does every winter. By Feb/March time I start getting twitchy because I can see her ribs so easily but in 3-4 weeks when the grass is nice again she'll pick up in no time. Its perfectly normal for TB's to look like this at this time of year. I've tried all types of different food combinations but found particularly that she seems to do better on haylage rather than hay.
Like others have said - better to go into spring on the lean side rather than chubby!!
 
I think she looks a healthy weight, don't let people pressure you into getting her fat, especially if you are keen to show her. That's how my chap got laminitis in the first place.

You know yourself she looks fine stick to your guns!
 
I think your horse looks well, a small rib showing this time of year is usual and also in the case of a fit horse.

One of mine is in the same condition with her ribs showing a little, although she is fed the same is the others who are actually a little overweight. I am not worrying as the spring grass will add the little weight I would like to see on her.
 
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