Weight wise...

[indie1282]

How is he looking? Not in work hence the saggy belly and no topline. Hayed twice a day, no hard feed. I weigh taped him and he was 520kg, hes 16.1hh WB X. I feel he's a bit on the lighter side than I would usually have him but I know that as soon as we get new grass he will stack weight on as he is a very good doer!

 

[Pearlsasinger]

He is a bit lighter than I would like but at this time of the year, he should be at his lightest. I would want him to be carrying a bit more weight before bringing him back into work (if you intend to do so). I would keep a careful eye o him and make sure that he does start to put weight on as soon as he has access to new grass. Would he eat more hay if you gave him more?

 

[Hallo2012]

bit light imo how old?

 

[JJS]

It's hard to tell under all of the hair, TBH, as I think it makes him look like he's got more weight on him than he actually has. If he was mine, I'd want his spine to be less visible and his rump to have more condition. His ribs are also quite protuberant given that they look that way under a winter coat. Whilst I do think he'll put it back on quite quickly once the grass comes through, I'd be tempted to add some hard feed, I think.

 

[Red-1]

TBH, if he were mine I would not be happy with his condition. I would worm count and have a vet visit if the worming was all OK, ask the vet's opinion about teeth and whether he/she thought a blood test may help (presuming the horse was warm enough through winter too). I may be happy if he were a geriatric, with other issues and doing as well as he can, but an otherwise healthy horse I would expect to look better coming out of winter.

 

[ycbm]

Light, but if your worming is up to scratch and he hasn't lost any weight suddenly, I wouldn't worry about it at this time of year. I would be rugging, which it looks from the mud pattern you probably are. I quite like them spare in March, so they have plenty of headroom before they get fat in summer. I believe it's the way nature designed their bodies to work, and that it is preventative against EMS and laminitis later in the year.

These dark horses do tend to show their ribs easily, my TB is a bit like it. Some of it is
sometimes just the shadowing of their coat.

 

[ihatework]

I’m presuming he is old?
Is he up to date with worming and teeth?

He looks a bit ropey but I wouldn’t be too concerned at this time of year

 

[indie1282]

No hes not old - 13. All wormed and teeth up to date. He's not actually got much hair and is rugged normally. They usually have haylage left over but I do think he has probably dropped off a bit too much. Last winter I gave him too much and he came out of winter rather too well! Below is a pic of him on the same day.

 

[oldie48]

If he's 13 i think he's too thin and would be wanting to get a bit more into him. Can you give him a bit of micronised linseed with some beet twice a day? The grass is coming through but tbh he does look poor ATM.

 

[indie1282]

If he's 13 i think he's too thin and would be wanting to get a bit more into him. Can you give him a bit of micronised linseed with some beet twice a day? The grass is coming through but tbh he does look poor ATM.

Yes feeding him is no problem. The grass in our fields is coming through now and he will really pile it on so just trying to find the right balance.

 

[Equi]

I think in proper work he would not look as dramatically poor, the lack of muscle is very noticeable. Yes he probably could do with some weight, but at the same time he needs worked. His belly would go up more, back fill out, hind and neck fill out etc. He would need the proper feed to enable that to happen and to help with the extra calories being used, but i don't think he looks like a "starved" horse if that makes sense.

 

[indie1282]

I think in proper work he would not look as dramatically poor, the lack of muscle is very noticeable. Yes he probably could do with some weight, but at the same time he needs worked. His belly would go up more, back fill out, hind and neck fill out etc. He would need the proper feed to enable that to happen and to help with the extra calories being used, but i don't think he looks like a "starved" horse if that makes sense.

It makes perfect sense 😄 He is a very 'economical' and it takes a lot of work for him to engage his core and actually carry himself correctly. I think in the pics his topline has fallen away and it makes him look much poorer than he is in the flesh. He still has plenty of energy and is cheeky as ever! I will start feeding him as I want more weight on before he comes back in to work.

 

[Goldenstar]

He’s not carrying enough muscle so he may have been using muscle for fuel .
I would not be in a massive panic as spring is coming .
But would be wondering why .

 

[Gloi]

Has he had a Cushing's test? I wouldn't be happy in the way he is carrying his weight

 

[SusieT]

He looks in poor condition to me,sunken in, prominent over the pelvis. I would consider why he has a pot belly and consider a vet check up. There is a differnece between unfit and pot bellied and muscle wastage.

 

[indie1282]

Thanks for all the comments. Vet has been to do teeth and jabs at the beginning of Feb and Horse is up to date with worming. He came out of last winter looking too well so I have probably been over cautious with his weight this year.

 

[Peregrine Falcon]

Yes, he is a bit lean but I would far rather have a horse lighter than overweight. My oldie came out of last winter looking too well so I have been careful this year. He could do with losing a bit more before spring arrives but I am pleased with how he is.

You have done the right thing making sure he isn't too podgy this year. A small tweak for next winter and I'm sure you'll have it spot on.

 

[indie1282]

Yes, he is a bit lean but I would far rather have a horse lighter than overweight. My oldie came out of last winter looking too well so I have been careful this year. He could do with losing a bit more before spring arrives but I am pleased with how he is.

You have done the right thing making sure he isn't too podgy this year. A small tweak for next winter and I'm sure you'll have it spot on.

Thank you. I've owned him since a foal and this is the first winter hes come out a bit lean, my fault as I should have supplemented his haylage with hard feed sooner.

 

[be positive]

Is he just ridden during the summer, to me while he had a big belly last year he still lacked any real topline and has little on his quarters which suggests how he is now is a continuation of the lack of muscle tone, I would suspect something is not right behind, possibly changes to the hocks so he is not going to engage his core easily, a few months out of work should not mean they drop all their muscle tone in normal circumstances .

 

[ycbm]

Thanks for all the comments. Vet has been to do teeth and jabs at the beginning of Feb and Horse is up to date with worming. He came out of last winter looking too well so I have probably been over cautious with his weight this year.

It's the better mistake of the two possible to make.

 

[indie1282]

Is he just ridden during the summer, to me while he had a big belly last year he still lacked any real topline and has little on his quarters which suggests how he is now is a continuation of the lack of muscle tone, I would suspect something is not right behind, possibly changes to the hocks so he is not going to engage his core easily, a few months out of work should not mean they drop all their muscle tone in normal circumstances .

He has been out of work for over a year.

 

[Equi]

He has been out of work for over a year.

Has there been a reason for that or just lack of time/rider etc?

 

[indie1282]

Has there been a reason for that or just lack of time/rider etc?

Lack of time unfortunately.

 

[JJS]

He has been out of work for over a year.

I would still be slightly concerned by his lack of muscle. I have a rising 11 year old who's been retired since he was seven, and both him and my 26 year old retiree have much better muscle tone without being at all overweight. The potbellied look and lack of muscling across his ribs and topline mean that I'd want to test for Cushing's if he were mine.

 

[Hack4fun]

I would condition score so you can assess the fat deposits and track how they are changing. Given we are towards the end of winter, one would expect well kept horses to be at their leanest. Feeding will not develop muscle no matter what - they only come with work. If and when he comes back into work build it up slowly so he can regain some of his fitness. If he is not working then he does not need the muscle, except a bit on his back may help with a saddle. Resist the temptation to feed empty calories or expensive supplements.

 

[indie1282]

I would still be slightly concerned by his lack of muscle. I have a rising 11 year old who's been retired since he was seven, and both him and my 26 year old retiree have much better muscle tone without being at all overweight. The potbellied look and lack of muscling across his ribs and topline mean that I'd want to test for Cushing's if he were mine.

I have owned him since a foal and he has always had a large belly even then. He does have a very deep girth and a large rib cage. The only time it goes is when he is in work and he actually uses his core! This is him
in work.

 

[Gloi]

There is likely something going on to give him the potbellied look that he has. It is making him look 10 years older than he is. Cushings would be my first guess but if not that there is certainly something wrong and it is not just that he has a large ribcage and is not in work.

 

[Red-1]

There is likely something going on to give him the potbellied look that he has. It is making him look 10 years older than he is. Cushings would be my first guess but if not that there is certainly something wrong and it is not just that he has a large ribcage and is not in work.

You have put this better than I did, it is not the lack of weight per se that would bother me, but the general appearance of the muscle tone and distribution of weight that made me say that I would call the vet for worm/teeth/blood test, presuming he had been warm enough.

 

[be positive]

You have put this better than I did, it is not the lack of weight per se that would bother me, but the general appearance of the muscle tone and distribution of weight that made me say that I would call the vet for worm/teeth/blood test, presuming he had been warm enough.

This was my feeling, I have a 14 year old of a similar type and size that has not worked for nearly 2 years, he is living out 24/7 with no rug or hard feed having only a token amount of hay once a day, mine also tends to have a large belly but his general muscle tone is good and he looks the age he is, if not younger.

 

[Red-1]

This was my feeling, I have a 14 year old of a similar type and size that has not worked for nearly 2 years, he is living out 24/7 with no rug or hard feed having only a token amount of hay once a day, mine also tends to have a large belly but his general muscle tone is good and he looks the age he is, if not younger.

Yes, I was looking for a photo of Jay before he was PTS. He had 6 months off, 18 months of minimal hacking, then 6 months over winter of nothing, and still looked... well.... as opposed to not well. He had lost topline, as in the extra muscle, but was still normally muscled as opposed to dropped off. If he had looked like this he would have had the vet.