My horse is 'seriously underweight'

You Wont Forget Me

You Wont Forget Me

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This could get lengthy so sorry in advance lol!
So lately i've noticed someone has been sneaking my horse hayledge (something he is not meant to be getting fed for several reasons!!) And due to this ive noticed he's been getting a bit fat again lately. Yesterday morning when i arrived at the yard i caught someone in the act told them and there is now a sign up on his door clealy stating he is not to be fed anything by anoyone without my permission!

When we were back up that night the woman who was feeding him turned round to my mum and said you know that horse is 'seriously under weight' i was fuming when i heard this as i know he most definitely is not under weight! She also told us because of his large joints he needs to have a lot more weight on him, i also dont agree with this! He has no topline because he is too skinny, no he has no topline as he is still a baby and still needs to build up a bit more muscle on his neck, somthing i am working on right now! And also he is not being fed enough because one haynet is not enough for a horse at night, bearing in mind he is out for 10-12 hours a day and then get aa stuffed haynet at night, and a feed everyday, seems enough to me!

My mum being my mum doesnt have a clue about horses so couldnt really say anything back to her but she later asked some others on the yard what they thought and her replies were either 'he's perfect' 'there is nothing wrong with him' but my mum would like to hear some of your opinions of my horses weight! Please be honest, thanks!
Photo's arent great but i will try and get some more tonight if need be:D

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Helloo -and hello mum !

I would personally say he is absolutely spot on !

He is gorgeous and this time of year you would not want him any bigger as the grass is coming through well.

Give your mum a condition scoring sheet or even better next time the vet is down for jabs get your mum to be there so the vet can briefly explain how to judge a horses weight.

Drives me mad that the "norm" is overweight horses - I struggle to keep the weight off my lad - it is hard but your chap is spot on - can just see outline of ribs, no gutter over back, no crest and what looks to be easily felt hip bone (but not protruding).

Keep those signs up !!!
 
Ok, your horse looks just right to me. However, he looks just right even though someone has been feeding him extra for who knows how long? This would suggest that he needs 'that extra' to maintain his current condition. If, however, this extra feeding has just happened very recently (only for a day or so) then he has obviously been getting all that he needs. Hope that makes sense?
 
Too many over weight horse are about which is why people think fit and healthy horses are 'underweight' x he looks lovely x Few people said my horse was underweight when he was hunting/team chasing fit, we have a yard full of happy hackers with over weight horse x Ignore the women and carry on as you are, hes gorgeous x :D
 
I don't think he looks underweight at all! Is he finishing his hay really quickly? Could that be why she has been giving him hay?
 
He is in fab condition, especially as he's growing ! more weight would put strain on his joints.....

I would be apoplectic with rage - YO needs to sort this asap. This is just NOT on.

Let us know what happens. sm xx
 
joeanne said:
Looks perfectly fine to me. Perhaps the lady feeding him thinks he ought to be "show condition" :rolleyes:
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This /\ It is infuriating, I think I would go bananas, well maybe not, I am not like that, but I would say my piece, how dare people feed your horse, it looks spot on. Some people have some very skewed ideas of horses condition these days, shame on them
 
Your horse looks in similar condition to mine, though yours is slightly better cover and whilst I don't think it's 'seriously underweight' I am trying to get more condition on him, and I'm certainly not a fan of fat horses but I want him to have enough weight to be able to get some neck and cover the poverty lines on his bum with muscle.
 
Is the womans own horse fat? Personally I would be tearing shreds off her, and telling her youngsters should be on the slim side, it gets my goat seeing fat youngsters, causes so many joint problems.
 
I dont think he's underweight but be sure be has come high quality protein In his diet to give him what he needs for muscle growth I use micronised linseed and Alfafa .
People are just getting more and more used to fat horses being and seeing that as normal.
 
Wagtail said:
Ok, your horse looks just right to me. However, he looks just right even though someone has been feeding him extra for who knows how long? This would suggest that he needs 'that extra' to maintain his current condition. If, however, this extra feeding has just happened very recently (only for a day or so) then he has obviously been getting all that he needs. Hope that makes sense?
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Yea i know what you are saying, it hasnt been a constant everyday thing has been happening every few days for a few weeks now(not sure exactly)! He is fed the same as what he has always been fed for this time of the year although he is slightly more covered this year, im assuming due to the fact he's been getting extra...
 
Show them some black and white photos of horses from the past, show horses well cared for ones.

Show condition is massively fatter than it used to be and is skewing this persons idea of how a horse should look.

Feeding someone elses horse without permission is about the rudest thing someone can do unless the horse is neglected/abandoned.

Ask them whether they would like you to give their kids lots of crisps and sweets every day....

Horse looks fine, and just like with big dogs, big horses should be on the light side as youngsters to protect their joints. Keep doing what you are doing.
 
I agree with amymay. Looks ok to me having been given the extra. Though, not excusing this liveries actions, I would've been fuming. The last yard I was on was really rough and nobody knew the first thing about feeding their horses, think fat section d's on frickers conditioning mix. Someone kept feeding my box rested 2yo masses of carrots and I couldn't figure out why he was absolutely off his trolley. When I round out I went skywards. I didn't stop on that yard long. Hope you can get this woman told.
 
Is he out of hay when they are feeding him? I too agree about considering how long the extra feeding has been going on. I am constantly reviewing the quantities my lot get. Getting the balance of forage right so they aren't left with nothing and don't put weight on is hard work and taxing for my tiny brain. lol
 
You Wont Forget Me said:
Yea i know what you are saying, it hasnt been a constant everyday thing has been happening every few days for a few weeks now(not sure exactly)! He is fed the same as what he has always been fed for this time of the year although he is slightly more covered this year, im assuming due to the fact he's been getting extra...
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I really wouldn't want any less weight on him. If he were mine I would up his hay myself. No excuse, I know for the woman who has been feeding him, but it sounds as though he is pretty hungry, and leaving a horse without forage can lead to troubles and expense along the line that you really do not want to get into! Perhaps you could leave an extra net out for this woman to give him?
 
How old is he, you say he's a baby ... 4,5?

Do you have any pictures of him prior to him having extra from the other woman?
 
My initial reaction was how dare someone else do and say this..the horse clearly is in nice condition for his age and workload. Personally I would be fuming at this woman and she certainly has acted totally out of order (imo). However I would have to agree that the extras she has been giving him are clearly not harming him. Put a stop to her feeding your horse and provide extra forage yourself. You could then keep a closer eye on what he actually needs to keep in good (not fat) condition and alter accordingly. My TB has 3 large haylage nets every night...the haffie and welshie who are kept in a starvation paddock over night have the equivalent of 1 small haynet to share and the haffie still needs working quite hard every day to keep him in a fit condition. This just shows you the difference between 1 horse and another!
Your horse is certainly not starving but the extras he has been getting have probably helped him look as good as he does.
 
Agree with the others, if this is how he looks on 'extra' then he probably does need a bit more. Up his hay and possibly put it in a smaller holed net so he doesn't eat it up too fast and stand around looking pathetic! Lovely horse.
 
If he is turned out on decent grass then I wouldn't be worrying, he looks ok and will pile it on over the summer. Personally I would have just cut his hay back and let her continue feeding him her haylage, it is always good to cut your feeding costs and if someone else wants to pay for it then let them get on with it. He certainly isn't seriously underweight or even underweight for that matter, when he gets a bit of topline on he will be fine, nice boy!
 
Thanks for the feedback guys really appreciate it!
Once this extra hayledge is cut out, which it now should be, i will monitor him on what he is getting and if he is looking like he needs some more then obviously i will give him it but he does hold his weight well so i dont think he will lose condition on what he should be getting, we shall see though!
Just so fustrating when people interfere like this really annoys and upsets me to be honest!
 
Weight looks ideal and I wouldn't want any more on him.

I would however give him far more than one haynet a night! :eek: If he's out for only 10-12hrs, that's 12-14hrs he's standing in a stable. One haynet won't be nearly enough! He'll be spending 8hrs with nothing to eat (most horses finish a haynet in a couple of hours)

I'd cut out all hard feed and replace it with hay/haylege instead so he's constantly got something to nibble on.
 
Wagtail said:
I really wouldn't want any less weight on him. If he were mine I would up his hay myself. No excuse, I know for the woman who has been feeding him, but it sounds as though he is pretty hungry, and leaving a horse without forage can lead to troubles and expense along the line that you really do not want to get into! Perhaps you could leave an extra net out for this woman to give him?
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I wouldn't do this either. At the end of the day the woman who has been caught giving hay / hayledge to this horse is out of order and has no rights to be doing that. :mad:

No way would I be leaving a haynet out for this woman to be able to continue to give extra forage.

Most horses will continue to eat what is given to them so just because his haynet is empty doesn't mean it should be given more. If I used that philosphy my lot would be hippos :rolleyes:
 
IMO - I would want a little more weight on him yes, and agree that one haynet a night is not nearly enough for him, not excusing the lady's actions as I would not want her doing it either, but sometimes we feel sorry for horses that are not getting enough,( in her opinion), hay or haylage so people may think they re doing the right thing feeding them a little more.
 
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