Is this horse too skinny :(

Spring Feather said:
Oh what the heck, I'll be the one to go against the grain :) My TBs when just out of racing carry more weight than this horse and are highly muscled up. Once they are let-down they are fed gradually for weightgain and become not so well muscled. I'd say this horse is a bit thin and could do with some more calories however it's by no means a rescue case. Rule of thumb, you should be able to feel the ribs easily but they should not be prominently visible. Seeing four or five ribs is okay, seeing the whole ribcage (IMO) as in this horse's case, is not.
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That's pretty much what everybody has said, so not going against the grain at all. :)
 
i was told by vet that after a winter better to be on the lean side going into spring with all that water thats been around that spring sunshine sure to bring on the grass then we have to restrict grazing
 
Moomin1 said:
That's pretty much what everybody has said, so not going against the grain at all. :)
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Sorry, I meant in response to all the posters who said the horse looked fine :) It doesn't look fine to me and if it were on my yard, yes I would definitely say something to the owner and suggest a different feed/exercise plan. Photos always show skinny horses in a far better light than in real life, so I would not be too hard on the criticising people who are seeing this horse in the flesh.
 
Spring Feather said:
Sorry, I meant in response to all the posters who said the horse looked fine :) It doesn't look fine to me and if it were on my yard, yes I would definitely say something to the owner and suggest a different feed/exercise plan. Photos always show skinny horses in a far better light than in real life, so I would not be too hard on the criticising people who are seeing this horse in the flesh.
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but this horse isn't in work which is why it's muscle tone is poor:confused: it needs to start an exercise plan rather than change one!
 
He does need more weight on but not a welfare case! have you tried feeding Allen and page calm and condition it is so good for TBs and does not heat them up:)
 
Spring Feather said:
Sorry, I meant in response to all the posters who said the horse looked fine :) It doesn't look fine to me and if it were on my yard, yes I would definitely say something to the owner and suggest a different feed/exercise plan. Photos always show skinny horses in a far better light than in real life, so I would not be too hard on the criticising people who are seeing this horse in the flesh.
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I agree that photos never quite show up the exact condition. However, there's never *that much difference between photo and real life. I would say, even if these photos are not quite representative of the horse's condition, then I still wouldn't remotely think there was any major worry at this stage.

I would just say that it is slightly lean, and requires muscular build up and some extra condition.:)
 
Ibblebibble said:
but this horse isn't in work which is why it's muscle tone is poor:confused: it needs to start an exercise plan rather than change one!
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I have plenty TBs who are not in work and do not have great muscle tone. None of them look like this horse. The horse needs feeding and if it were on my yard it would be fed a good feed plan before putting it into any exercise plan.

Bottom line, and it's fruitless us arguing because you think this horse looks fine. I don't.
 
I have a exracer who does look abit poor when not in work....but I dont think he has ever looked this poor, even after impaction colic he wasnt this lean. Yes some ribs are visible and are more obvious when he isnt in work as he dosent have much muscle but personally I think this horse is too lean.
However I also know how well mine can look after a few weeks of sun and decent grass so if your grazing is good in spring/summer I think you will see a big change in him combined with correct muscle building. Lots of slow work, hacks out etc will help with topline.
 
I am totally bemused by this thread. Why do some people seem so frightened by being able to see a few ribs?

Are we really so used to seeing everything so fat that a full thoroughbred with a bright eye and shiny coat which is quite naturally showing the lines of some ribs is a scary sight?

I'll bet my bottom dollar that this horse is a darned sight more healthy than any of the ones where their ribs can't be seen at all. And let's not even start thinking about the ones where the ribs can't even be felt.
 
Auslander said:
Presumably by some muppet whose horse is morbidly obese?
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:snort:

He's on the lean side yes. But he's an out of work TB. Even in full work, he ain't never gonna be a brick outhouse. He looks a lot better than mine did 3 months out of racing...

If you wanted him to build up a little condition prior to bringing him back into work, you could swap the hay for haylage and ensure he isn't under rugged in this vile weather :)

Other than that he's nicely put together, I look forward to seeing pics of him with his shiny summer coat and some more muscle. And please don't cut his lovely long tail :o

ETA How's he bred?
 
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This horse is thin there is no question about that the question was he a welfare case and the answer to that is no I would hate to see it any thinner.
It does need to gain weight and no I have no objection to seeing ribs but it has little covering over its spine which would worry me more.
So yes thin
No not a welfare case
Would I like mine to look like that No
would I feed it in a different way yes
But it isnt mine and it looks shiny and healthy so it isnt a welfare case

As to thoroughbred not being brick outhouses I have seen many that are and look magnificent for it
 
There are thoroughbreds and there are thoroughbreds, windandrain. Ours have been stonking great brick outhouses of NH TBs, for example, and you just can't compare one of them to a young flat racer just coming out of its first winter where it hasn't been intensively produced for racing.

I don't think anyone has said that the horse looks perfect. The consensus has basically been than he looks light but generally healthy and definitely not a welfare case.
 
flump said:
Off work for a year,he is an exracer, going to start on him properly next week. Though he did do a few lunge sessions last September.

Been told he is a welfare case!
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Looks about right for what is is/has done.

make sure you increase food in line with the amount of work and he'll muscle up in all the right places.
 
Lean? Yes.
Thin? No.
Healthy looking? Yes.
Would I be concerned if that were my horse? No, absolutely not!
Would I feed a bit more? Yes, in line with exercise to build up muscles.
 
fburton said:
Lean? Yes.
Thin? No.
Healthy looking? Yes.
Would I be concerned if that were my horse? No, absolutely not!
Would I feed a bit more? Yes, in line with exercise to build up muscles.
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^^^^agree totally.
Spring is around the corner, come June I bet the same person will be telling you he's too fat lol.
 
Really interesting thread for me. As per usual I will go against the grain and say yes, for me too thin.

Looks like he's well cared for though, unlike my 4's and 5's you are not expecting him to live out in 70mph blizzards unrugged either so he won't be needing much anyhow.

I just wish sometimes that riders were as tough on their own condition scoring as they are on their horses :D:D.

In my pursuit of understanding of this weight issue I had a long chat with the vet who vetted my newbie (not my normal vet). Newbie probably had 5/6 ribs showing but vet said "hmmm, big rangey TB, if you put weight on, its just more for him to carry isn't it". Of course I ignored this totally, have covered the ribs but as a poster said, have been left with a behavioural issue which I must say is totally of my own making :confused:

So after all that waffle, fine for what he is, where he is and when it is!
 
She's ok but I wouldnt want her to be loosing any more. Some extra weight would be a good thing too. Try adding 1lb of soaked barley rings per day to her feed. feed ad-lib hay and make sure her worming is up to date and her teeth are ok.
 
Looks exactly like mine, also ex-racer will be 5 in May. Mine has also grown 2 inches over winter and is now a whopping 17h, I'd like more condition on him but just can't get any more food into him, not really worried though with spring just around the corner...
 
windand rain said:
This horse is thin there is no question about that the question was he a welfare case and the answer to that is no I would hate to see it any thinner.
It does need to gain weight and no I have no objection to seeing ribs but it has little covering over its spine which would worry me more.
So yes thin
No not a welfare case
Would I like mine to look like that No
would I feed it in a different way yes
But it isnt mine and it looks shiny and healthy so it isnt a welfare case

As to thoroughbred not being brick outhouses I have seen many that are and look magnificent for it
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Agree with this ^^ & Springfeather's posts. I think the trouble here might be this - it's important that the message in the answers are not blurred to be mistaken as this being an conditon you'd aim for - the horse DOES need more weight, but it's NOT a welfare case, given the time of year & his circumstances. But, IMHO, his weight is not okay, & not ideal - i would be aiming for a little more cover & assessing his feed accordingly as i would be worried if he lost any more weight. He looks fine from behind, but his spine is not covered well at all - for me, this is what i would be a little concerned about. At this point, at this time of year, however, i wouldn't be overly worried & sympathise with the OP who obviously cares greatly for her horse - TB's are not the easiest to keep condition on over Winter, sometimes no matter what you do. I'm sure the opinion's given by others here would be entirely different had the picture been taken, say, in July.

For the person who posted the link to the photos of the TB's in race training, i'd say it would more appropriate to compare him to the 7yo's but also to bear in mind that they are in work so will be muscled. Cosmicblue re your comment "have you ever tried to ride/handle a tb who reacts to barley?", well quite honestly, you could replace the word "barley" to many things... sugarbeet, bad handling, lack of turnout etc etc. All horses are different & the poster was just trying to make a helpful suggestion, probably based on their own experiences.
 
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I think he's a little on the lean side but nothing to be worried about, if he was mine I wouldn't be at all concerned.
Some spring grass & light work & he'll look perfect.
I wouldn't be feeding him barley though! I made this mistake once with a slightly under weight ex-racer I bought in the autumn.
I fed her up & ended up with a right little herbert! Totally of my own making & I really should have known better.
 
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