To those who doubted us

[rhino]

A few stray thoughts Ignore if you like

• It is really difficult, if not impossible to accurately condition score from a single photograph, perhaps the veterinary professionals can do it with reasonable reliability but I very much doubt many 'hobby' owners could. Winter woolies make it even more difficult
• Condition scoring is great, it makes you get 'hands-on' and actually feel the fat deposits on your horse; it allows for differences in conformation as it is looking at specific areas of the horse, and not just whether it is 'cresty' or has a big belly Compared to weigh taping, it is a more comprehensive 'measurement' of a horse's weight profile
• In my opinion, JFTD is her own harshest critic. It may not come across how critical - I feel hypercritical - she is about her own horses and practice. It is also my opinion that her horses are at a near ideal condition for their type, and a lot of the strategies she uses (ad lib oat straw for instance) work very well indeed. I do think she sets the bar a little high at times, for herself as much as anyone else

Jade - I look forward to hearing how you get on with Lady this summer

 

[Vizslak]

LOL good old HHO! Jadey I have been critical of your management of Lady in the past. She looks great, well done, I hope she thrives once back in work this summer.

 

[Puppy]

Blimey....!

Jadeyy, well done for getting some weight on Lady She looks like a different horse now, and has a lovely sparkle in her eye If I were you, I would just be careful not to let her get to the other extreme, (she is bit chubby now!) so make sure that you cut back her feed accordingly. The Spring grass is coming through full of goodness and she will no longer be needing to keep herself warm now that we are out of winter. (I've had to do a massive drop in feed for my ISH, despite the fact I was struggling to keep him up to weight at times over winter, and my retired mare has been in her fat farm paddock for 3 weeks now after getting too chubby)

Re cushings - my dear mare who passed away last year had cushings for the last several years of her life, and to be honest with you, looking at those photos, I would be tempted to have Lady tested, to be on the safe side. At this time of year it's very important to know if they have it, and she is showing a few classic symptoms, IMO. It's not the end of the world if she does have it (most horses who live old enough will develop it) but knowing so you can manage her diet accordingly is pretty essential.


Well done for making such a difference. Please try and ignore the harsh comments. Some people just can't help themselves I hope you won't be put off from keeping us updated on how Lady is doing. I, for one, would love to continue seeing how she is

 

[Fii]

The thing is, this mare is old, and not fit! She has gone from being very , very poor, to having a good bit of weight put back on over the winter, and she hasnt been ridden much, if at all! And it is very difficult to judge how much weight by these photo's alone, AND her conformation is not good! So taking all this into consideration, maybe some people should take another look at the mare, and see she is still a work in progress!!
Good luck Jadey you can hold your head up and enjoy her now!!

 

[Fii]

The thing is, this mare is old, and not fit! She has gone from being very , very poor, to having a good bit of weight put back on over the winter, and she hasnt been ridden much, if at all! And it is very difficult to judge how much weight by these photo's alone, AND her conformation is not good! So taking all this into consideration, maybe some people should take another look at the mare, and see she is still a work in progress!!

Actually just realised this describes me down to a T!!

 

[Dobiegirl]

Well done Jade for doing a good job turning your mare around, she is looking good.

 

[Apercrumbie]

Lordy what a fuss!

OP - Congratulations, the pictures of Lady used to terrify me but she now looks very good, maybe a bit too good but as we know, oldies will drop weight at the drop of a hat so I don't find it too concerning.

I think we are forgetting the age of the horse and the effect this has on confirmation and management. For starters, ignore the belly. My oldie has an enormous belly but is actually underweight at the moment. You can see his ribs and he is very poor, except for his big belly. It's just his shape that has got worse as he has got older. Furthermore, I would far rather have a bit of extra weight on an oldie than a bit too little (laminitus/bad arthritis excluding). We are not talking about a competition fit 10yr old TB here.

It is also very hard to accurately tell condition from a photo because you can't feel them or properly account for their confirmation. For example, my Welshie has an ENORMOUS neck, and I mean enormous. This neck doesn't change in size at all (unless he is very, very fat) so even when he is very underweight he looks overweight to the casual eye. Last Summer I may have overdone the laminitis watch (he hasn't had it but obviously he is at risk) so at one point he was extremely thin. The vet at first told me off for him being overweight. I then told her to properly examine him and she then told me off for him being too underweight.

Sorry for the long story but my point is that without having a good feel it is hard to tell what the horse really is like. The Highland that JTFD was defending the other day is apparently not that overweight in the flesh. As I haven't met the horse I can't really say otherwise even if from the photos it looks unlikely.

 

[Dolcé]

I have one coming out of winter looking like Lady weight wise, I am worried sick about him, he is a native pony! I have a TBx poor doer coming out looking the best he ever has but if he looked like lady I would be thrilled. I have a couple of warmbloods and a couple of natives coming out fairly lean and that is just the way I would want them at this time of year, knowing I can let them eat grass without worrying and they will bang weight on in no time. It all depends on the horse, Lady doesn't hold her weight well so I am more than sure Jade could get it off her quickly if the need arose. I would think when she starts working she will lose any excess anyway, at least she won't have felt the cold this winter.

Well done Jade (and Lady), she looks lovely, the photo looks like and end of summer one, how mine look going into winter, so she has done really well this year. She looks really happy too. x

 

[ozpoz]

Well done Jadey!
She looks well and happy and I'm sure you are proud of turning her around.

And I'm in agreement with Millitiger.

 

[Kaylum]

well I am not a sheep on this forum so Well Done! Jadey came on here for advice, took it, how many people ignore it?

Now Jadey just take the other advice about watching the spring grass and exercise and your there.

 

[touchstone]

Well done Jade, I think she's looking heaps better than before although I have to agree I wouldn't want her any fatter and possibly slightly slimmer, it will be bad for her old joints to carry excess weight. But it is a remarkable change around from last year, just shows the difference plenty of fibre can make.

Just to mention that her saddle will probably need checking as I'm sure it probably won't fit after such a dramatic change in shape and start any exercise slowly and gently for an old girl like Lady.

 

[Arabelle]

Your horse looks greatly improved, well done.

No one on this forum can accurately condition score that horse, in its winter coat, from those photographs. Those that pretend they can are just 'armchair experts' and actually displaying their own ignorance.

I would never put photos of my horses up here, based on some of the nonsense spouted on this post, by an irritating minority.

 

[Jazzy B]

Jade I don't know the history of your other posts, but I think from looking at the pics, well done! Just be careful with that spring grass

 

[Meandtheboys]

Meandtheboys my highland condition scores as a 3 by both myself, other owners and my vet, I don't know what you mean.

Exactly..............pictures to the eye can be decieving so in my eyes your horse looks over weight - but that is merely my opinion on the information I have!!
You have not physically seen OP horse and the last thing she needed was her confidence being knocked yet again, if you didn't feel horse was better than last year why could you not just read post and move on or as other people have stated read your reply and stop and think how others may feel from the response.

From what some have said you are a knowledgeable person so why could you have shared some support and direction rather than provoking an attack on OP and making her feel she is incompetent.

 

[TGM]

Well done Jadey for taking all the advice on board and getting her through the winter so well. Yes, she is a bit on the chubby side from those pics but I can quite understand that when a horse has been a poor doer there is a tendency to veer the other way at first, especially during the winter when they can drop off so quickly. However, you have already said you are going to start working her now to get her toned up now Spring is here so I am sure you will have her looking fit and spot-on in condition very soon.

 

[guido16]

Ester, if you read my post I said "without reference to this post" I wasnt suggesting lady was a pony with constant fat issues.

 

[MurphysMinder]

Well done Jade, a huge difference, and as you are aware you need to watch her weight I am sure she will continue to do well.
As a point of interest, have a look at the survey on welfare organisations in the sticky at the top of NL, the horse in the "after" picture doesn't look too dissimilar to Lady condition wise.

 

[Archangel]

Oh honestly I had to go back miles to find a photo of her before
My goodness what a difference she looks terrific. I expect you chose the photos that make her look the plumpest but echo what the others have been saying - your grass is much further on than mine, so I would be taking it steady with any supplementary feeding now.

But brilliant job

 

[jokadoka]

Can't find a reference to the age of this horse, but she looks fine to me.
Especially compared to the 'before' photo.
As this horse has an issue keeping weight on, I don't think there'll be any need for the "armchair condition scorers" to panic just yet....

 

[ester]

sorry guido I didn't spot that, I just thought it was a point worth making was just as someone else said, if Frank (welsh good doer) looked like that now I would be worried, if I had an elderly mare known not to hold weight that looked like that now I probably wouldn't be so much .

Jadey I would love to see some pics when she gets her summer coat through please

 

[guido16]

Ester, no problem. I was just suggesting she stays alert about her weight. The last thing jade wants is laminitis to kick in! Been there, seen it and never want to do it again.

 

[Lady La La]

As a point of interest, have a look at the survey on welfare organisations in the sticky at the top of NL, the horse in the "after" picture doesn't look too dissimilar to Lady condition wise.

Yes, I thought that.

As this horse has an issue keeping weight on, I don't think there'll be any need for the "armchair condition scorers" to panic just yet....

Quite agree.

 

[Ilovefoals]

Just wanted to say well done. The difference is amazing and I think she looks great and will look even better when she's back under saddle regularly. Your hard work and determination has paid off! xx

 

[YasandCrystal]

Honestly if you find me so offensive use the 'user ignore' function - that is what it is there for. There was nothing sarcastic about my comments on this thread. My original comment was merely shock that anyone can take the idea that their hrse is fat so lightly as the op did in her original post.

I think if you really believe you comments are inoffensive you need to take a reality check and maybe look at the reactions of others!

 

[Paris1]

The before and after pics are a stark contrast. I think the most recent pic of a well covered horse, shiny coat, is pleasing. Yes be careful no more weight is put on but just exercise and take a look at the feed cos you probably won't need so much now.
Well done!

 

[JFTDWS]

• In my opinion, JFTD is her own harshest critic. It may not come across how critical - I feel hypercritical - she is about her own horses and practice. It is also my opinion that her horses are at a near ideal condition for their type, and a lot of the strategies she uses (ad lib oat straw for instance) work very well indeed. I do think she sets the bar a little high at times, for herself as much as anyone else

rhino, for once, I disagree with you. I don't think it is setting the bar too high to expect owners to keep their horses within a healthy condition score. I do agree about the difficulties of condition scoring from photographs - and repeatly added caveats to comments about judging from photos. My initial comment was because the photos to me look to confirm the OP's own description of her as "fat". She didn't say "doesn't she look well", she said "COME AND LOOK AT THIS FAT BEAST".

She didn't say "she looks well, possibly too well and I'm bringing her back into work to keep her weight under control coming into spring" (and for the comparision with the highland - that is a big difference - her owner had already put her on a diet). If the OP had implied that she realised "fat" (by her own description) was not "right", I would not have commented

For those saying my comments are offensive, I really think you're on a different planet. It was fine for you all to gang up on the OP last year when you judged her mare's condition (from photos) to be unacceptably poor. If someone even suggests that fat isn't right either and that the mare is overweight they are rude and sarky and unable to judge from photos though

I have read and re-read my comments and I think the reaction to my comments was far "sarkier" and ruder than my comments in the first place. I also notice that most of those who chose to comment about them are people who have disliked my opinions on other threads recently

I am genuinely shocked that you all think the mare looks a good weight. In fact, I'm genuinely concerned by that.

 

[lexibell]

Jade

not sure if you will remember me, Ive not been on here in months. we exchanged PMs when all the original nastiness started.

I think Lady looks well. maybe a little porky but sweet lord shes hardly obese!

Chin up and keep going, shes 100 times happier and healthier looking. I hope she continues to improve, cant wait to see her in her summer coat, fit and out doing stuff, shes going to look fab.

None of us have all the answers, and despite what some of us on here would like to think we are not all experts. You have continued to search for knowledge and gain experience, that is all anyone can do. You have not buried your head in the sand and have done/are doing your best by that mare, and called in professional support as well. which is a hell of a lot more than some poor horses get.

x

 

[AmyMay]

I am genuinely shocked that you all think the mare looks a good weight. In fact, I'm genuinely concerned by that.

To be fair JFTD, the majority are saying that the mare is a little porky, and to keep an eye out for the spring and summer grass to ensure that she doesn't put any more on. It's also interesting that one or two posters seem genuinely not to think that the mare looked too bad before. Personally I'd be more concerned about that.......

Personally, I'm delighted to see the mare looking so well. And a little excess won't do any harm at all.

I also think that whilst it's really important to highlight the fact that the weight should be monitored, Jadey has had a bit of a hard time from some on here - unnecessarily.

The mare was in a very bad way a year or so ago and so to see her coming of out of winter looking so fantastic is just great.

In an ideal world yes our horses, like us, would be picture perfect, absolutely the ideal weight, and never have a fat day in their life. But as we all know, life isn't like that - and having a horse carrying a little excess is certainly not the end of the world. (It's interesting when you look on some of the welfare sights of previously poor horses that many of them look so well to the point of fat......)

I think people have taken a bit of the moral high ground here - which is incredibly unfair - and I hope it doesn't put Jadey off posting further updates in the future (although she seems to be made of sterner stuff than that).

Not a go at you - just musings and observation.

 

[Ruth_Cymru]

I think the point to note here is that Jadey is trying her utmost for her horse. She knew that Lady's condition was poor last year, and has obviously worked hard to change that around. I'm sure she will now take on the challenge of keeping her mare at a healthy weight, and will take on board, as she did last year, suggestions about how she can achieve this.
I wish you all the best with your beautiful mare Jadey.

 

[Angua2]

Thanks for the comparason photo.

I would like to add my congratulations of turning that mare round 100%.