Obese or just a bit fat?

[HorseyTee]

My lovely boy.
Honestly, do you think he's just a little podgy or quite obese?
He looks way too fat to me, but my partner (who is horsey) thinks he looks ok, just a big boned cob.
I CAN feel his ribs with a slight press, he has a little bit of a gutter bum going on but not that bad. I don't know if i'm being paranoid that he's like a giant round ball of fat. These pics were taken over the last few weeks, with the one in the head collar being today.

 

[Antw23uk]

I think he looks ok from those pics anyway. I had a really fot cob as a kid and his bum never lost that apple shape, lol!

 

[SpringArising]

The pictures make it all but impossible to tell. But from the first picture, he looks about right but has no muscle whatsoever.

 

[Fransurrey]

The pictures make it all but impossible to tell. But from the first picture, he looks about right but has no muscle whatsoever.

What she said. You need a side on/bum on shot. If you can feel ribs, that's a good sign, though. He's nothing like a friend's horse, who is well and truly obese - she's blind to it, though, sadly.

 

[conniegirl]

photos can be very deceptive. I have 2 taken on the same day, one where he looks morbidly obese, another where he looks quite lean.

 

[dogatemysalad]

The angle of the photos and his shaggy winter coat makes it difficult to tell, but in the pictures, his weight looks ok but needs fittening up. He's quite stunning though.

 

[Twohorses]

Ditto the angles of the fotos make it difficult to give an honest thought

As the owner of an IR horse that I had to pull 150 U.S. Pounds from him, I understand your concern

The go to measuring scale for many of us is the Henneke Scale. It may help you make a fair assessment

https://tributeequinenutrition.com/sites/default/files/uploads/Henneke-Body-Scoring-System-Scale.pdf

 

[JJS]

He looks fine on the pictures. I do find that the hair tends to make them look a lot heavier though. My rising two year old is about half the size she was a fortnight ago, purely because her summer coat is coming through and you can actually see what’s going on underneath all of the fluff!

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Now is not a good time for a horse to be even slightly overweight, so you might want to address the weight issue, anyway. TBH your photos don't make it easy to tell what his condition is like but he doesn't look too bad in the last one.

 

[bonny]

I don’t think he looks fat at all, let alone obese

 

[HorseyTee]

Thanks for replies.

I had convinced myself he was massive!
Ye he is very unfit, he lives out 24/7 and is never worked apart from the very occasional hack.
I am starting to take him out in hand before starting to lightly hack and up his work. He has copd so i don't want to overdo it too soon.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Thanks for replies.

I had convinced myself he was massive!
Ye he is very unfit, he lives out 24/7 and is never worked apart from the very occasional hack.
I am starting to take him out in hand before starting to lightly hack and up his work. He has copd so i don't want to overdo it too soon.

That sounds like a plan.

 

[Carrottom]

Although it is difficult from the photos, it does look like he is gaining weight quite quickly if the first and last are only a few weeks apart. He doesn't look obese today, but I would definitely want to stop any further weight gain.

 

[HorseyTee]

Yes i definitely don't want him any bigger! He's 14.2 and about 480kg on the weight tape. I'd prefer him a bit leaner with more muscle but I just don't want him being a lami risk.
He's a typical look at grass and get fat sort. I'd love to set up a track system at some point but I doubt that will be in the near future.