OBESE HORSE

[scarymare]

Sorry, but I disagree.

Let's be honest, it isn't just horses is it? Kids, dogs, people. All getting fatter and it seems to be accepted. It really annoys me.

Absolutely agree with this. Was looking round local pub last night and every single person I would class as overweight (including me and OH). Its a very difficult issue. Interestingly when one of my fatties went to stud this year they managed in 3 months something that neither myself (owned her 5 years) or her previous (professional owns riding school) owner (owned her 7 years) had been able to manage which was a score, I'd reckon of 2 at best. She was however also covered in lice and ringworm. Since back she has been on very restricted grazing, no hard feed just non sugar mineral lick and is now back at a 4. She stayed at a 4 all last winter when she was feeding her foal - unrugged in Aberdeenshire out 24/7. Foal not weened till 1 year old as winter so harsh. No hard feed just ad lib haylage. I'm not belittling the problem, just trying to make the point (badly obviously) that some are naturally fatter than others. I suspect if we look at the wilds in Dartmoor and New Forest we would find the same.

 

[TGM]

I suspect if we look at the wilds in Dartmoor and New Forest we would find the same.

What tends to happen in wild herds, though, is that whilst fat may accumulate during the summer, it will drop off again in the winter when food is scarce. However, often the way we keep domesticated horses and ponies mean that many remain overweight through the winter as well.

I accept that some horses and ponies are better doers than others (have two would-be porkers of my own) but that doesn't mean that we should ever be complacent about good doers piling on the weight.

 

[lcharles]

I agree, some do better than others. One of mine would be a pork-pie if i didnt ride him 5 times a week and my other would be a rack of ribs if i didn't feed her loads but you need to see this pony to realise it is super obese! x I will take a picture tonight!!

 

[scarymare]

What tends to happen in wild herds, though, is that whilst fat may accumulate during the summer, it will drop off again in the winter when food is scarce. However, often the way we keep domesticated horses and ponies mean that many remain overweight through the winter as well.

I accept that some horses and ponies are better doers than others (have two would-be porkers of my own) but that doesn't mean that we should ever be complacent about good doers piling on the weight.

Yes, I think that is a good point. Difficult not to feed adlib forage when all living out 24/7 in very harsh winters but it does mean they come out of the winter like bulls. I don't remember as a child going round the country seeing ad-lib anything being fed so maybe this is why we are in the mess we are in.

 

[CeeBee]

I attended a BHS welfare talk on Friday evening and we were shown a picture of how horrendously thin the now famous Carrot was, when found. And yes, he was shockingly thin. However, we were then shown a picture of a shockingly fat horse. We were told that this horse was in fact more at risk than the thin horse as it is easier to build up a thin horse than get weight of a fat horse (if that all makes sense).

 

[rhino]

I just know that when I look at my hatrack horse it just looks ghastly. My 2 perennial fatties don't. They are happy and the hatrack isn't.

Probably taking your words out of context but this is exactly why we have such a problem in this country. Fat doesn't equal happy. Giving your horse feed it doesn't need might make you happy but is just as bad as feeding your child chocolate bars constantly! (Please don't take this personally, I just found your use of 'happy' interesting)

People honestly don't know what horses should look like anymore The same as the people who call themselves 'a bit overweight' when they are clinically morbidly obese. How did we manage to lose sight of what healthy means?

PS for whoever said they 'only' fed ad lib haylage, it can be quite a calorific feed and you could perhaps consider using hay (soaked if necessary) or diluting with oat straw?

 

[TGM]

Yes, I think that is a good point. Difficult not to feed adlib forage when all living out 24/7 in very harsh winters but it does mean they come out of the winter like bulls. I don't remember as a child going round the country seeing ad-lib anything being fed so maybe this is why we are in the mess we are in.

Agree with this! Ad lib forage is great for poor doers but for fatties it can be too much, even if it does make us feel better when we see them munching away in the cold weather! I think it is actually harder when they are stabled for some reason, as they do need to have something to chew and keep them occupied then (so measures like soaking/double-netting/adding straw may be necessary), whereas when they are out they can nibble what is left of the grass whilst awaiting the next instalment of hay/haylage!

 

[JFTDWS]

As for those saying call WHW. Do you really think this is appropriate advice to give someone on a horse you have never seen. And for the poster that said the owner needed a sharp shock...REALLY!?!

That was me, I think, and I stand by it. We are commenting on the situation as the OP describes it. It may be the case that the horse is actually a perfect 3 and the OP is mad or blind, but given the veritable epidemic of obese animals in the UK, I doubt it. If the OP is mistaken, the worst case scenario is that WHW have a wasted visit. If the OP is correct and does nothing, the worst case scenario is a young horse crippled with laminitis, DJD and other weight-related conditions and condemned to a short and painful life. Which risk is greater to you?

IME, if the owner has not responded to previous attempts by the OP to suggest the horse is fat, they will not respond to futher attempts. It is reasonably normal, even if you're initially annoyed by the suggestion, to seek a second opinion from a qualified person (i.e. vet) to confirm whether or not your horse is the correct weight. Assuming that the OP's details are correct, this owner has arrogantly neglected this stage of self doubt. Therefore, yes the owner needs a sharp shock and a visit from WHW may help with that.

The OP has stated her concern to the owner, this is appropriate but now I still think the OP should mind her own business!

All that is necessary for evil to persist is for good men to do nothing.

Also, we haven't seen the horse in question. I own a VERY thick set cob that people have commented is fat before when his weight has in fact been fine. He is cresty from being gelded late and has 13 inches of bone...he ain't never going to look thin!

That's all very well, but since the OP shouldn't really post photos of other people's horses on a forum, all we can depend on is that her assessment of the horse's condition is accurate. The OP has had the opportunity to feel for conformational markers and assess the fat vs muscle vs conformation - which we cannot assess, even with photos. Anyone in a similar situation with your horse could do the same - he may never look thin, but his condition score would remain OK regardless.

That said, I was competing my highland on Saturday and had some very experienced highland owners tell me they had to double check if he was a highland or not "because he is so slim" - they were impressed with his condition score (3) and his "slim-ness" is evident despite his deep, wide rib cage and conformation.

Regarding a condition score of 1 vs 5 - I think you will find that a number of welfare organisations actually state that it is equally unacceptable to have a horse score 5 as it is to score 1. Indeed, I believe they actively want to know about cruelty cases at both ends of the scale - I'll hazard a bet that they wouldn't appreciate your attempts to triage the relative importance of different types of cruelty!

As for the poster who thinks looking at a fat horse feels less bad than looking at a thin one - that says a lot about society, more so than health or welfare - and indeed, some of us might disagree! I'd rather see a slim, slightly ribby animal than an overweight one myself.


Well would you look at that - virtually a whole microsite on WHW which focuses on overweight horses and how to condition score. Notice how in this leaflet they produce, the "amber lights for horses condition scoring at 1 and 4, and red lights for those at 0 and 5 - just look at the diagrams of how a 0 would look compared to a 5. Notice also how it states that the long term risk for seriously obese horses is greater than for underweight animals...

http://www.worldhorsewelfare.org/in..._advice?view=downloads.open&tag=rw3470&ajax=1

In fact, before calling them out, print out a copy of that and pin it to her stable. If she doesn't take the hint, give them a call.