My skinny horse

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reindeerlover

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Hi all, as you all seem to be excellent at giving advice I thought I'd share my mare's story with you. She is a 6yo TB, approx 16h and I have had her in my possession for approximately one month. I paid for her about 10 days ago! Anyway, to cut a long story short, she was at a local dealer's yard who I know and the price was cheap so I went to take a look at her- saw her in the field in February, freezing, wet, bedraggled and skinny.

She'd weaned a foal fairly recently and was attached to a shetland who did NOT want her near. She had no rug and was covered in mud and scabs. I obviously decided I needed to take her home and arranged to take her the next day on a trial (to make sure she wasn't insane). She flinched from pats and had never had a rug on, she was virtually impossible to catch and had never tried a carrot, apple or mint. Did I say I would cut the story short??

Anyway- I have had her a month now and she has picked up brilliantly although we still have some way to go- I have posted pics of before and after! My main question is, when do you think I should start work? I have ridden her twice- once to check she wouldn't try to kill me when I first got her (seriously, it felt like a skeleton under my legs and only did 5 minutes walk and trot) and once 7 days ago to make sure she wouldn't kill me when she'd had some food! I was thinking maybe in the next week taking her out on a lead with my quiet boy at walk (he's on walk ex only at the mo) and then in a couple of weeks if the weight gain continues, trying some light ridden road work.

Feel free to be as harsh as you like- I can take it!! Now lets see if I can make the links work....

Before
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk186/farrierlover/Madison126210-1.jpg

After a month
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk186/farrierlover/Madison323310.jpg

Flanks before
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk186/farrierlover/Madison126210.jpg

After a month
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk186/farrierlover/Madison522310.jpg

Withers before
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk186/farrierlover/Madison126210-2.jpg

After a month
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk186/farrierlover/Madison323310-1.jpg

And this is one of her after 2 weeks- sunshine makes almost everything look better.... But at least her coat had improved!!
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk186/farrierlover/Madison28310.jpg
 
Not sure when you should start riding her- not had much experience with this sort of thing. Just wanted to say it looks like you're doing a good job :)
 
To be honest I dont thinks he was horrendisly skinny in the before fotos but lacking in topline bigtime. She is looking much better in after fotos and I would be thinking of bringing in to work slowly and getting gradually fit and building some muscle up slowly
 
From reading your post I was expecting something awful, in the photo she just looks like a mare that's had a foal!! She still has a bit of a foal belly (we can't all become super models the minute the babies out!!!) but lacking in topline, which you would expect from being out of work!

As far as exercise and feeding is concerned, just start slowly, maintain her feed and ad-lib hay or haylage, and build up the exercise slowly for longer periods and then move onto a bit more faster work.
 
Agree with what's been said. Not horrendously 'skinny' just needs bringing on slowly and some decent grass, rugs and ad lib forage and she'll be fine. She's lucky to have you.

Is it me or does her off fore look a little odd? (from the fetlock down)
 
Thanks folks! I suppose the pics don't show how bad she was, I was expecting a barrage..... Anyway, you're right her RF does look a bit odd in the pics but not in real life! It's really just the exercise I wanted advice on, her feeding regime is going well. I've just stepped it up actually as my other horses were getting a bit tubby on the ad-lib haylage, I'm putting her in a seperate area in the daytime with better grass and lots of haylage and she goes back in with the mob at night with more haylage- they are only allowed it overnight now.
 
Ah then, I'd take it slowly with exercise. Start in walk for 15 minutes to 20 minutes a day and build up slowly from there. Don't rush it and introduce trot for short periods after a couple of weeks.

I'd stick to short hacks a couple of times a week and lunge for say 10 minutes and school work for 10 minutes alternating between hacks.

As she builds muscle and strengthens up you can gradually increase the work and feed accordingly.
 
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