Obese horse in last weeks H&H??

See i also think it is partly to do with the angle of the pic; plus the fact that he is cantering makes him seem larger.

I still believe that yes, he is overweight, but he is not obese :)
 
If you go on Ultimate Images then choose Grass Roots from the drop down list (then Training HW Cobs class) you will see the rest of the photos of this horse, and the others. The other photos are much more flattering - I do sometimes wonder who chooses the photos for these reports as there are other much more flattering photos of this horse.
 
zoeshiloh said:
and what made it worse was that it won at a grass roots show?!?
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Just to clarify and in the interests of fairness - the horse named and pictured came 2nd according to the BSHA published results.

There are also some v nice photos here, including showing the above horse where he came 2nd in the HWs. I think the H&H published picture is just a poor moment in time.

http://richardpardon.co.uk/GrassRoots/Gallery/
 
The picture has been removed after being brought to our attention as it breached copyright (H&H and Ultimate Images).

HHO Admin
 
Spoilsports - bet it was enormous. I'm afraid tis the season of stuff'em as fat as you can again.

Really gets me going. All 'feeders' should have to nurse a laminitic through rotation and abscesses and then hold them as they are shot.

Might wake them up to smell the coffee.

* storms off *
 
Every horse in that class looked grossly over weight. Think of the pressure on there poor joints! Its disgusting and its about time that this practise stops! Im sorry, but the whole nation is obese including our animals.. what i see in those pictures is cruelty through kindness..

Their fat and their unhealthy.. that simple! Does it look good? does it buggery!

Lou x
 
Also.. are we talking about the bay with the fereeze mark Sexi? cause if we are then I am even more disgusted.. I am suprised it can walk!

Omg i just saw the roan! That looks like that 'bulked up' horse picture thats going around.. totally neglectful.. and NOTHING to do with being a HW Cob.. how can anyone JUSTIFY that?!
 
Um, actually, it was a dappled grey...

And no, it wasnt obese imo, angle of pic, fact it is a HW cob (so obviously will not have the condition of a hack/riding horse) yes it was overweight but not seriously so.

So nailed, dont be so harsh in your reply if you didnt see the pic. And get over it, HW cobs are BUILT to carry more weight - thats their "type".

That cob sexi is obese. but dappled grey wasnt. particulary bad pic.

Have you never had a pic which makes you look fatter than you are? I know I have.
 
i think there are some beautiful horses there, and a couple of the greys, and the dark skewbald could maybe loose a few punds but not that bad and gorgeous- look quite healthy and fit:) however the big bay with the freeze mark and the roan were disgustingly overweight!!!! i am an ametuer at this but even i can see that!!
 
Some of the greys are gorgeous. I don't think he's obese but couldn't give an honest opinion without having a feel of his fat!

Blimey, I best not show any of you photos of how chubby Phil is atm :rolleyes: :p
 
brighteyes said:
Spoilsports - bet it was enormous. I'm afraid tis the season of stuff'em as fat as you can again.

Really gets me going. All 'feeders' should have to nurse a laminitic through rotation and abscesses and then hold them as they are shot.

Might wake them up to smell the coffee.

* storms off *
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Let's have a bit of sensitivity please :(

Not every laminitic horse are caused solely from just 'feeders'. Tommy was our HW hunter, and yes, he got laminitis. However, it was not food induced or in anyway from being overweight. At 18.3hh, 1/4 shire and 3/4 TB....he was just well, huge! His was toxin induced and us [and vets, 5*'s to them for all them weeks and volunteered early morning daily checks to see him] are still none the wiser to find out what the exact underlying cause was with him. If it had been feed induced instead, then I could blame myself and at least have some reasoning for him going through them horrendous 5 weeks. But it wasn't and it was just one of them 'bad things happen to the good' incidents. He was an absolute darling of an horse who you wouldn't change one thing about who didn't deserve it.
So yes. I did nurse all 18.3 of him, with complete rotation in one foot and somewhat relative rotation in the other. And then held him as he was put down after 5 weeks on of heart wrenching work.

So yes. We do show horses and they do go up to top form but not obesity at all. There's a difference to having bulked up muscle to bulked up fat. Bulked up on solely fat looks completely wrong from a showing point for one. I dislike to say 'condition' as that implies they are just built by feeding up. They all go through the fittening process like any other horse first and hack out for 2-3 hours minimum about 3 times a week [including cantering, hillwork and gallops], till they do so without working up sweat or blowing excessively etc. Once in a fit state, we'll then add the feed gradually and build them up a bit more, but most of it is just adding onto muscle which is already there by swapping the hacking for lunging work, schooling etc.
Yet we do all of this and lose one to it that wasn't even feed induced. I think that's called sods law and rotten luck.

Sorry. Sore subject that's still raw. We shouldn't have lost him. I've rambled off topic and actually forgot what I originally came on here to post :/ Agree yet disagree and don't lump all showers in one catagory would be the nutshell version I think I guess?! :)
 
Looked at the link finally too..none of them look obese tbh for showing anyway, apart from the roan. That's prime example of how building them up just by fat looks completely wrong and out of place. Some need extra muscle on various parts to match up in proportion etc but I really don't see any of the others as really obese tbh.
They're all HW cobs and any less condition than what's shown would look our of place in the ring tbh. Come winter, they'll be stripped down roughed off and usually off out hunting no doubt.
 
Haven't seen the linked pics so can't comment on those but have seen the one of the grey in HH. Not in for an argument. I do find it rather odd that 2 hugely experienced judges, who both are highly respected for producing young horses for a range of disciplines, one of those to international level, picked out this horse to win, yet some on this thread whose experience I would suggest is nowhere near at thier level say the horse is obese?:confused:

Ho hum.......
 
I agree with binky01 - "they are not fat for showing" - but in the real world they are overweight, this is considered normal in the showing world to hide all those conformational defects - is it wrong - yes!! They maybe heavy weight cobs but that does not mean they should be bulging with fat, could any of these horses do a days hunting at those weights - no.
 
Alexart said:
I agree with binky01 - "they are not fat for showing" - but in the real world they are overweight, this is considered normal in the showing world to hide all those conformational defects - is it wrong - yes!! They maybe heavy weight cobs but that does not mean they should be bulging with fat, could any of these horses do a days hunting at those weights - no.
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^^Exactly.

I was shocked at the Dublin Show last year by the sheer size of the horses - not one of them could have hunted in the condition they were in at that time. It is just not good enough. That wasn't a photo telling a bad story - they were chubbers!

Obese for showing - maybe not, but that does not stop their health from being at risk!
 
There is a lw cob at our yard and it is seriously overweight lyk i mean gutter back huge fat neck jst basically fat EVERYWERE problem is its never out of its stable ... ive been at the yard 2.5yrs and its been rode about 8 times during this time ... Y do people slag people for having an underweight hard to kkep horse but never say anything to the people with these seriously unhealthy horses!
 
I'm sure if you look back in showing classes to say 5 years ago or so, you'll find ring condition IS decreasing.

It's not going to be a overnight thing. And as regards to the hunting, well, they're not so saying if they were out hunting with that weight, etc, is sort of irrelavent. Showing's not exactly pressing hard work on the horse and most are stripped off completely at the end of the season so they can go hunting.

Showing and obesity will always be a hot subject with no winning or losing arguement sadly. Everyone will have their opinion on it and is welcome to say their opinion...but at the end of the day, things are what they are and not a huge amount of anything will cause it to change.

I happen to agree both ways to some extent. I have no issue with horses bulked up on muscle, as that's what I strive to achieve with mine. Horses bulked up on fat however, yes, I do have an issue with. Our cobby can seem some what large, but he's just built like a sherman tank and a walking wall of muscle, not fat. If it was obese fat, there's no way he'd get round his fast 3 hour hacks on thursdays and fridays! lol. [Not the cobby in my sig, for the record :) ]
 
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do you know, i said a while ago that now adays the judges like the horses to be fat in the show ring, we have a beautifal section D at work which is the perfect weight but the judges wont place her high as she isnt carry enough weight and compared to the top three she is skin and bones, but a few people on here disagreed with me but its certainley seems to be the case in the south west.
 
Compared to the "sexi" cob (loving that freezemark lol) I didn't think the dapple grey looked too bad.
I'd also like to point out that when I showed my mare in hand last year I was placed 4th out of 4, the judge said she really liked my mare but that she was too fat
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However I don't show competitively so can't comment on the 'real' show world but at least some judges are looking at weight as well as comfirmation.
 
I still think he is overweight

but OMG at that poor roan. They should have refused to judge it in that condition maybe that would help.

I also dont really get the bulking up with muscle argument binky I'm afraid. Not to the point of what many show horses look like anyway.
 
I do not believe FOR ONE MINUTE you can muscle up a horse to that degree - the amount of exercise required would flatten any human trying to get the horse there and the horse would be exhausted. Evernters are fit and muscled, and they look the total opposite of what is (laughably) referred to as show-fit. I'm sorry, but it's FAT, FAT, FAT!
 
Oh, and I'm still very sore 18 months on from losing a wonderful pony whose previous life as a glorified pig for the showring left me picking up the pieces caused by insulin resistance.
 
I think the grey in question is v overweight. If a client asked me for an evaluation of their horse's condition and their horse looked like that, then yes I would say its obese. Obviously for those in the showing circuit, he would be just about perfect.
However, given the condition of those other horses in the class, he almost looks ok. Two of the other greys and in particular that bay with the freezemark are hrrendously obese - how can their owners not see that? or care? Its about time judges got tough and started eliminating horses based on their BCS. Most of the horses in that class would have a BCS of about 5. That cannot be good. That grey may actually be a 4-4.5 based on looking at multiple pictures of him - obviously would need to have him stood up to have a feel though.
 
hmm, see I have never got how physiologically strapping builds up muscles really. eases them yes, builds them up nope dont get it might do some googling on that one.

brighteyes am thinking like you and all the cobs I know who dont show but are out competing always look lean and fit even though you would think they would build up loads of muscle if thats what it is.
 
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