Show me your fat/grass bellies

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jessikaGinger

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I have been to see a horse recently who I think is almost perfect but she has a huge/grass belly (looks like my pregnant mare at full term) I asked if she had been near a stallion they said no and she is open to vetting, she looks a bit underweight everywhere else so could you show me pics of yours?
 
Haven't got any photos but a friend as a arab gelding like that, if he wasn't a gelding you'd swear he was in foal! He's very very carefully managed but it's still there!
 
My two get like that, despite being in during the day and out at night with muzzles. Haven't any current photos. Work is the only thing to get it off...

ps. Wouldn't worry me - these types are cheap as chips to keep in winter when the thin horse owners are suffering!!
 
Am I right in thinking your last mare was unknowingly in foal?

Just be sure to get her vetted if you got her, and agree with Honey08 in that if it's just grass you'll be sorted for winter! :)
 
Pre purchase examinations/vettings DO NOT include any checks for pregnancy

Sorry if you already knew that, but a lot of people don't seem to.

If you want to know for sure, you will need to get it done separately (but can combine it with vetting) :)
 
rhino said:
Pre purchase examinations/vettings DO NOT include any checks for pregnancy

Sorry if you already knew that, but a lot of people don't seem to.

If you want to know for sure, you will need to get it done separately (but can combine it with vetting) :)
Click to expand...

I meant to suggest adding it on to the vetting, forgot to make that obvious!
 
If you want to see a pic of a major grass belly, have a look at my mare:

IMG_0432.jpg

IMG_0186.jpg


(OK, yes, she is a bit on the podgy side due to nice grass, being unewll so not being ridden, and being a broodmare for most of her life.)
 
A big belly is not necesserily a fat belly. A horse can have a big belly for other reasons such as worms or not being fed enough. Lack of protein in a diet can cause a fat/pot belly. It would seem more likely to be for one of these reasons considering that you say she looks underweight everywhere else.:)
 
I cant believe i forgot to ask if she haqs been wormed!!! Doh! i literally asked even the stupidest things that arn't particularlly decision making worthy too!

:o
 
One of ours has an emormous grass belly, but she's not fat elsewhere. You could be forgiven for thinking she was about to drop a foal.

Hers really blew up last month. Since then both the little ponies are in during the day on soaked hay and out in a starvation area or with muzzles, at night.

They are dropping weight but that grass belly is fairly persistent.
 
how old is she? my 16 yr old mare who has been out of proper work due to time and crap weather has a 'scraggy' bum due to lost muscle but a huge belly, although hers is wide rather than low and you can just feel her ribs. my mares bum never seems to get fat or nicely rounded unless she's in work.
 
This is my gelding - he has Cushings - hence the pot/grass belly.
It has been estimated that a high percentage of horses in their teens will be PPID. If I were buying her, I would have her tested before commiting myself
- just to be aware. She could still perform what you want even if she is, depends what you want her for - but best to be aware of it - IF she is.
Of course it could just be a grass belly though ;)
potbelly.jpg
 
My mare has quite a low/big belly, she has since i bought her! I firstly thought it was fat but she is slim right now and you can see ribs in certain light!
She is perfectly healthy and my vet thinks its where she has previously been in foal and then out of work for a while. She is currently coming back into full work after being off due to injury and it is slowly lifting!
I think sometimes they are just built like that maybe from previously having a foal like mine, just need to do the right kind of work, lots of hacking and hill work and and keep the weight under control and it shouldn't be a problem :) obviously if she is healthy in all other respects!
 
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