OMG... the fattest pony I have ever seen

Yes he is fat- obscenely actually. But no, that weight is not favoured by the 'old' welsh judges. If that went into a show ring it WOULD be marked down. I really don't know why people presume that show condition just means a huge ball of fat??
 
Definatly not the worst ive seen and is actually stupidly fat for showing a welshie. Most showing welshies are in excellent condition
 
ElliePippa said:
Yes he is fat- obscenely actually. But no, that weight is not favoured by the 'old' welsh judges. If that went into a show ring it WOULD be marked down. I really don't know why people presume that show condition just means a huge ball of fat??
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Because it is easy to say it and it seems to garner favour. Like saying all race horses are mistreated and are just cash cows. It doesn't matter how often people who are involved say that it isn't the case, they are just ignored!
 
It is a colt, so has a tiny excuse for being a bit cresty ....

When I bought my 2yo welsh A last October he was very fat. He was kept in at night, out day with a tiny bit of hay and one handful (and I mean handful) of lami light conditioning cubes a day, decent grazing (no hay) - no rug at all through all of that bad weather night and day last winter and lost hardly anything!

They are truly the hardiest creatures on gods earth and will live off fresh air with coats like a wooly mammoth!

I took him to a show on 1 May this year (posh welsh show) and was put waaaay down the line and told off by the judge for having a fat pony! So, I tried the muzzle route - no way! He is officially the reincarnation of houdini! So I moved yards (old yard would not allow me to create a starvation paddock) and he lived on a bare patch of nothing all summer and eventually lost all the weight! It took around 3 months of having to endure the torture of THE most pathetic "P L E A S E F E E D M E" looks!

I expect that pony has age on his side at the moment - his reasonably high metabolism, being so young, will keep the lami at bay for a while but basically starving the little blighters is the only way!
 
jesstickle said:
Because it is easy to say it and it seems to garner favour. Like saying all race horses are mistreated and are just cash cows. It doesn't matter how often people who are involved say that it isn't the case, they are just ignored!
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Not entirely, I think we would all agree that there are a lot of people out there that produce good showing horses and put in the very hard graft to do so, that their horses are well muscled and that they do a proper job. But you can also say that you do see the horses that are 'fed up' to this equivalent size, we have all seen the 'showing mix' feed it to a mule and you will have your very own 'show horse' there are those eejits that will and do cut corners, and unfortunately, these people are not ostracised from the showing ring, which in my opinion they should be. There are horses/ponies that are way fatter than they should be and they do still come home with the rosettes. Some of this is to do with the preference of judges, the majority do like to see horses more well covered than some of us would believe healthy. For other judges it is sheer inexperience, they sadly do not know what they are looking at, but pick what they think looks right :( and end up picking 'fat' not 'fit'.

I remember taking my wonderful girl into an in hand 'grass kept' class, she was fit, glowing, and you could just see the slight shadow of her ribs, when I asked why she came last in a class off fluffy fat and sometimes scurfy ponies, the woman said she would have liked to see more weight on her! :eek: :mad: I called her a moron and said that the health of a horse was far more important to me than a sodding rosette. I had only gone in there to get her used to the ring, but I was flipping fuming. She was very well muscled, just what I would deem to be pretty dam near perfect in 'size' as far as I am concerned if you can see a whisper of a rib, you are just right.


Sorry, another one of my 'off on one' rants!
 
That pony is far too fat. It has a loaded shoulder and will not be able to move freely so in a section A class - where big movement is prized it would not do well. Showing is not a 'fattest horse' competition as many people on here seem to think.

However, though THIS pony is overweight a section a Stallion of even moderate condition will have a crest, so don't look too far into the 'crestiness'.

I for one (and I don't think I'm alone) am a bit bored of the 'show condition=obese' argument, it doesn't and judges are putting fat ponies down the line. There are people on here who I have seen saying 'my horse was down the line because it was not fat enough' they then put a pic on and the horse has the conformation of a yak!! I wouldn't normally be so blunt but this 'showing people are all ignorant and bulk their horses/ponies up to try to win a rosette' is really p***** me off!!!!

(oh BTW, just to clarify, the 'yak' comment is not aimed at anybody who has posted on this thread :))
 
Its a young entire male which does not help the big crest, but its in a new home now so hopefully what will help it is castration (too many mediocre stallions in all sections of WSB) and being broken to ride. Keeping Welsh ponies myself I know that they can get fat on fresh air , however what more and more people fail to recognise is that 6 days a week of decent work plus controlled diet WILL get it fit reduce the fat and put muscle on in the right place.
I have had ponies for forty years and we had a riding school 30 years ago. Laminitis just wasnt a problem!
Controlled diet and WORK would sort out a lot of these ponies. I cannot understand how a diagnosis of laminitis by the vet comes as such a surprise to a lot of horse owners! The "new" horse owners that have sprung up over the last twenty years or so buy plenty of "bling" for their horses, personalised rugs and numnahs, coloured brushes, toys, rugs-a plenty-are us and try every new bag of feed/balancer/calmer that comes on the market. Sod brushing them lets bath them instead with the biggest choice of shampoo available (and coat enhancer/detangler/dirt repeller) but they dont actally RIDE or exercise. And before someone points out that you wouldnt exercise a 2/3 year old six times a week I am relating to a work schedule of an adult horse.
 
The thing is with showing, is that a judge is looking for a full package, and frankly, a horse with a rib showing isn't going to be placed highly. Horses in true showing condition are healthy, muscled and up to weight. I know of many show hunters and HOYS winners who people have branded as 'huge' 'obese' and 'overweight', who hunt all winter.

Yes you will get the odd fat pony, and yes some judges will place these ones highly. But you also get people putting horses forward with no topline and no muscle, and then slag the judge off for judging unfairly as their horse is evidently healthy. Its not a health competition. Its a show class, horses who are eventing fit 'looking' are just not going to do well.

Hopefully this pony will lose lots of weight with his new owners.
 
I do love the shape of that pony, purely because it looks almost like a stylised horse! (I'm an artist, so these things interest me) however, if that were MY pony, it'd be going on a diet and FAST!
 
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