So how fat actually is he?

T

Tonty Tont

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Im not too sure how overweight Tont actually is. I got told today by his old owner that because of his breathing difficulties, he has an overly large stomach. So im not sure whether his chunky belly is fat or stomach, so I thought I'd ask you knowledgable horsey people :D You can feel his ribs, if you apply *ahem* pressure :rolleyes:

Sorry the pictures are bad quality.

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Thank you, Nicole :D
 
Sorry, if he were mine I would want to get some weight off him. His neck looks rather cresty and there is no definition over his shoulder.
 
He looks to have a deep girth yes.
The pictures all look different though:confused:
1st pic he looks quite overweight. No definition between shoulder and neck, a tad cresty......
Then 2nd pic isnt too bad at all. No "apple" shaped behind that would suggest he is a porker.
And the 3rd is no help to me at all:D
 
joeanne said:
He looks to have a deep girth yes.
The pictures all look different though:confused:
1st pic he looks quite overweight. No definition between shoulder and neck, a tad cresty......
Then 2nd pic isnt too bad at all. No "apple" shaped behind that would suggest he is a porker.
And the 3rd is no help to me at all:D
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Agree

missyme10 said:
I think Tont is quite a bit over weight, and for his health if he were mine, I'd work towards him losing a significant amount of weight x
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I would too especially with breathing difficulties. Extra weight will only make it worse
 
Agree it's strange that no "apple bottom" in 2nd pic. If you google/you tube fat scoring horses or go on WHW website etc there are quite a few useful videos so you can score him yourself at home. It's very easy.

He certainly looks like he could drop a bit though.
 
Ouch!! I would say that he is rather fat!!!

My horse who is in light work due to injury had an asthma attack this summer and with the possibility of having to use steroids I put him on a bit of a diet as he was a bit over-weight. The difference in his energy levels has been really noticeable and I would suggest that Tont's 'breathing problems' could possibly be related to his excess weight! Try reducing his feed and upping his exercise as I'm sure that you will find that this will be beneficial to his health. Also - looking a bit trimmer would make him look very smart!
 
Thank you for the advice :)

He is already on a strict diet, and the breathing problems are from where he only ate mouldy hay as a youngster (with a dealer).

I just wanted to know how fat he actually was, so I knew how far to go until the ideal weight :)
 
He's a lovely stamp of a horse, but unfortunately quite fat.

I think his lack of apple bum is possibly due to poor topline as well.

They're awful quality photos... but a fat cob should still have a well defined shoulder, neck and buttocks because the fat sits on the muscle beneath!

Sorry, but I think he's in pretty poor condition.

Also... what is his breathing condition? A cob of his size possibly has a knackered windpipe rather than poor lungs!
 
tontytont said:
Thank you for the advice :)

He is already on a strict diet, and the breathing problems are from where he only ate mouldy hay as a youngster (with a dealer).

I just wanted to know how fat he actually was, so I knew how far to go until the ideal weight :)
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I think you have a way to go until you get to his ideal weight assuming that these are recent pics. Not knowing his height/weight it's hard to quantify in kilos. I would say that you should be able to see some definition in his shoulders/neck, and also hip area. Plus of course be able to feel his ribs without really hard pressure. Also you should be able to 'wobble' his neck - if it's completely solid and immoveable then you know he is still too fat!! The other option would be to seek the advice of your vet who could be more specific and help you monitor him over a period of time.

Good luck though. It's hard enough dieting oneself without having to be strict and imposing it on your horse!!
 
Harper_Gal said:
He's a lovely stamp of a horse, but unfortunately quite fat.

I think his lack of apple bum is possibly due to poor topline as well.

They're awful quality photos... but a fat cob should still have a well defined shoulder, neck and buttocks because the fat sits on the muscle beneath!

Sorry, but I think he's in pretty poor condition.

Also... what is his breathing condition? A cob of his size possibly has a knackered windpipe rather than poor lungs!
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I haven't owned him for long, so his condition is due to the previous owner :(

He was owned by a dealer when he was a youngster, and neglected and fed only on mouldy hay, therefore his lungs are damaged.

Thank you for the advice though :)
 
He's mahooosive. I'm sure with a good diet and plenty of exercise you can get him to a sensible weight.

I don't understand why the previous owner says that having breathing difficulties gives him a large stomach?
 
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Well he looks pretty fat to me. I am not used to cobby types but have a native x mare and she is a similar shape (bit less porky) at the moment and I am concerned - but she drops a lot over the winter so I don't worry so much as I would if she did well over winter.

If you have not owned him long you will need to find out if he holds onto all that or if he drops in the cold weather. Once you have owned a horse for all four seasons then it gets easier each year as you know their pattern.

I would try and get some of that off him though especially if he has breathing problems.
 
You know he's over weight going by old threads, and being turned out 24/7 isn't going to help. I would sersiouly work on shifting the weight before spring else I think you will have problems
 
He is pretty damn big, I think you have quite a way to go with him. A strict diet, muzzle or strip grazing.....and exercise, exercise, exercise!!! I'm sure if he can loose the fat then it may help his breathing as he won't be lugging the extra weight around too!

I too don't understand how having damaged lungs from mouldy hay would mean his stomache appears larger?
 
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Hels_Bells said:
Agree it's strange that no "apple bottom" in 2nd pic. If you google/you tube fat scoring horses or go on WHW website etc there are quite a few useful videos so you can score him yourself at home. It's very easy.

He certainly looks like he could drop a bit though.
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My fell pony, who needs to lose some more weight still, has no apple bum, but doesn't have the best defined shoulder yet. Its because she puts the weight on her neck first, then her bum so it could be normal.

OP - I do agree, he needs to lose some weight but remember if he loses it too quickly it could also affect his health. Its taken my 3 years and I've still got some way to go (she was extremely obese when I got her).
 
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