Is this little lad good enough to show ?

Apologies op for my comment, it was not intended to mean he is disgusting, but rather that its disgusting he has been allowed to get into that condition. However, if you are addressing it then that's good, and its not easy keeping weight off some horses, I know myself with my mare. I do think it is wrongly accepted by too many people that Shetlands and miniatures are overweight as shown by some on this thread though. :-(
 
Oh, and fwiw, much as I usually disagree with golden star on many issues, I do not see anything rude in their posts here.
 
Agree he needs to loose some weight, but you already know that!

I think he is super cute and you should definitely do some showing with him. I have no idea whether he will do well or not but who cares, it will be fun trying! Good luck :)
 
Moomin ....disgusting that I've let him get to that condition ?!

Let me tell you ....apart from starving the absolute life out of him, I've been doing my best under difficult circumstances . He has not had as much as a blade of grass in his mouth, soaked Haylage ( I can not source hay at all ! ) so to say that it's disgusting is very harsh . I would understand if I let him get overweight intentionally but that is certainly not the case !
I would classify that as being downright rude .
 
weight management is always a intake/exercise balance though, so if you can't feed them left they have to do more exercise ;)
 
I don't actually think he's really overweight but maybe that's as I am looking on my phone so pic is small. Shetlands are shaped differently than your standard horse and I think that can give the impression of them being tubby. His neck doesn't look cresty which is what I would expect to he seeing on a terribly overweight shettie
 
My initial thoughts were similar to Nudibranch, that he's a little straight in the back and his legs are quite fine - ponies with a bit more bone tend to do a bit better in classes. Superficial stuff like his mane being a bit longer and a bit more natural looking would help, as well as growing his tail out so it almost touches the floor - rough trimming it will help it look more natural too but I'm not sure it would be ready for this season. I have one or two with fine legs that look lovely but i wouldn't show them for this reason as i think its so important - on the other hand my ex stallion has almost as much bone as my arab! Weight is so difficult with Shetlands as they do well on fresh air so good luck with the lunging - walking out in hand is fun too. Just be careful about overdoing it - my best show pony as a foal developed splints after a lot of leading out in hand as a 3yo which brings me back to the 'bone' issue!

Manners will go a long way mind! I'll warn you, mini Shetland classes tend to be huge too...! The coloured classes are also open too... Best of luck x
 
You think that's a fat mini Shetland?! What about every other native breed I.e. Welsh cob, new forest that are parading round the show ring. They can't breathe, move well and have about a 4 inch dip in their bum!

I see absolutely nothing wrong weight wise with him col, know nothing about shetland conformation but would say he has quite a long straight back and straight hinds. I wouldn't even worry about his weight if you're doing more work with him at this stage. only worry if you're working him and he puts more on :p
 
He is cute, not massively overweight and you are doing everything you can which is great!
There is a shetland in with my horse at the moment and he is definately fatter than yours, I dread to think of the replies if I posted a pic of him up here :p
 
My eyes musn't be working... I didn't look at him and go "OH MY GOD" infact i dont even think he is chubby, could loose some but he isn't fat IMHO.


He is cute as a button, go to some local shows,have fun and let him see the world :)
 
tessybear said:
My eyes musn't be working... I didn't look at him and go "OH MY GOD" infact i dont even think he is chubby, could loose some but he isn't fat IMHO.


He is cute as a button, go to some local shows,have fun and let him see the world :)
Click to expand...

Same - fat police come out to play on Fridays!
 
Gosh CMT - this is exactly why I don't post many photos on here. So many armchair experts and critics. Your pony is cute. I have a tiny one - 10hh and I got told he's too lean :p so there you go you can't please all of the people all of the time :rolleyes:
 
Well yes far too many perfect ponies and horses out there ;)


And sheesh ....I do know about balancing feed and exercise ;)
Patronising tone doesn't really sit well with me :D

Anyhooos I'm bored of going over the same thing again .

I shall have to post photos of the perfect pony aka tommy tucker instead, then everyone can be happy ;)
 
Well if he's ended up overweight then you obv haven't applied your knowledge of balancing feed and exercise up to now. Glad you are doing now anyway, it can be easy to let these things slip with good doers.
I do love his gingerbread marking too! :-)
 
Colleen_Miss_Tom said:
Because some people just get a kick out of being rude . :)

'Being honest' is another excuse used for being rude .

Perhaps giving me more ideas/advice on how to get him to drop weight would be helpful but that's besides a few people's capabilities :) .
For what it's worth, I do think from looking at the photo more, it does make him look bigger than what he is but god forbid if I actually say this :)
Click to expand...


But you did ask for ideas/advice and implicated that although he is doing some work now he had not been previously.

I have a 'fatty' too and think many people think only of the dieting not the exercise side. We have a paddock-paradise system on our grazing to ensure they keep moving but I'm not sure whether that would be better or worse for your lad if he is not getting any grass currently.

I also have to ensure he does his fair quantity of fast work etc.
 
I think he's cute, not spectacular but hey he's a mini and thats not what local showing is about! I think he is only particularly tubby around the middle, so it would improve greatly with pole work and lunging and hills as already suggested to firm up the abdominals. I have just started lunging my welsh A (she's only 2 so I don't want to overdo it) and it doesn't take that long when you get into the swing of it. Maybe your little chap would enjoy a little jumping in hand when he's a bit fitter too :-)

You could try feeding various supplements like magnesium to help with the weight loss.

I use a razor comb to feather the mane, it works really well and you can get them for like 2 quid on ebay.
 
Moomin .....my knowledge has nothing to do with it, my health problems however do along with a young baby . It's really not that black and white .

Zigzag .....he is in his stable at present .....he gets walked inhand every day, he was out in a starvation paddock but its just recently been reseeded, we are in the process of fencing off the side that hasn't been reseeded where he will go out during the day with a Hannibal mask ;)
 
+2 for 'cute as a button'. yes to local showing .

sick of all this banging on about weight - he s not obese , and quite frankly a) it is much more cruel to starve a horse than to have them be slightly overweight
b) have noticed by photos on 1 0r 2 peoples signatures that they who yak loudest about horse s weight [ not on this thread so far, I have to say] should step on their own scales , and slim down their own thunder thighs
 
TandD said:
personally ive never seen a 'slim' shetland...... they are built pretty 'round', and i wouldnt say this shetland is fat....

here is a fat shetland.... http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/11/20/article-1229642-074D43F4000005DC-813_468x353.jpg

however i do think his stomach muscles need to be toned, he should then have less of a tummy on him and look more balanced in his overall apperence!
Click to expand...

That's a morbidly obese Shetland not a fat one .
My Shetland was slim he hunted and got dragged around from horses.
You see slim ones a driving trails as well as super slim welshies who look like perfect mini sport horses.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top