What makes people oblivious to their own horse's weight issues?

[Sophstar]

In your situation I think I would be making a few pot/kettle comments, loudly in their hearing, and if they say anything pointing out the fact that there horse is grossly overweight! I tend to stay out of other peoples business, but if they make rude comments, all bets are off!

I made a comment yesterday that simply was 'maybe its time for a muzzle?' after cow pat like poo was spread across the yard and the owners ajoked about the amount of mess she makes.

The ironic thing is her other 2 ponies have muzzles put on through the summer especially when they are allowed in the hay field to munch it down for a few weeks, yet this mare is just simply allowed to gorge. I have heard excuses of she's a welsh cob so on the chunky side. There is a difference between build of a breed to fat! My cob is 'chunky' but looked amazing when he was at his peak of fitness after numerous looooog rides before he was diagnosed with arthritis. Arthritis makes me even more strict at keeping his weight down and not letting it slide just for that little bit longer before action is taken. Hence why my ponies were reintroduced into their muzzles through the pouring rain, then ready for full time muzzling when it starts to shoot up.

Another pony who was on box rest for 6 months with laminitis which was found to be caused by diabetes is the pony of an owner who 'pities' my ponies for seeing them look slightly grumpy in a muzzle. This pony was slimmed down beyond recognition and the vet highlighted THAT was the weight he was supposed to be and needs to be kept. A stark difference to what the little fat thing looks like now. Everytime my vet has come out there is a comment about weight, positive or negative, so i'm surprised others don't have this.

 

[Littlelegs]

Madeleine1- I can only speak for myself, but 'fat people fat horses' to me means on a national scale, rather than individuals, not that all overweight people have overweight horses. As a nation people & animals are getting fatter. As a child, my friends & I were all quite shocked at the size of roseanne barr in the series as none of us knew anyone like that, whereas now you could meet a dozen people that size at Tesco. Likewise, early 90s my friend got a pony that had been turned away for a few years & we were all shocked at his fatness, & until he lost weight she was always telling everyone he was new as she was embarrassed. But looking back at pics, he'd be average by todays standards. There's always been a percentage of people overweight, but that percentage is growing rapidly, so only logical our pets will too.

 

[Serenity087]

Fat people - Fat horses - what a load of tosh!

My family are all fatties and we have always owned cobs as a result. And we were always marked down at shows for having lean cobs!

Carrie was the only exception and she came to us from a well known equine charity morbidly obese...

As is the way, is easier to put weight on a horse than to get it off and I'll put my hands up and admit Dorey was a podge. But what could I do with a horse who was on ad lib STRAW and hay, minimal feed (just to stop her removing doors...), restricted turnout and box rest? Cut her throat?

Is interesting though, I got nothing but fat jibes about her from people and I kept her reasonably lean (I starved her, in her mind!). I think being a cob who resembled an obese andalucian didn't help matters!!

But yeah, I resent that fat people are causing fat animals. All our horses are lean, "half starved" and "underweight" (except the clydesdales, I think Mum assumed big horses needed twice as much food as little ones and missed the memo that one of her big horses was actually a foal.......)