would you say he is in poor condition?

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pixiebee

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my warmblood x is 14 and has been well covered over winter but the last 3 weeks since ive cut hard feed he has dropped a fair bit of weight. I have in the last week started him back on a small amount of hard feed and I am bringing him in for some hay each day, the grass in his field hasnt really come through as expected. He has been recently wormed. Im paranoid that he looks much too thin. What do you think? I think he needs more coverage on his ribs definately, is he that bad?????

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and one from a month ago
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He does look to have dropped quite a bit.

If her were mine he'd be back in overnight getting as much has as he wanted.

If your grazing's not great, then he's going to struggle with out 24/7 unless there is adlib hay in the field.
 
I dropped the feed because he was well covered and with that lovely spell of weather we had, I assumed the grass would have shot through and he can get a bit hyper this time of year so didnt want to over feed him!
 
A little poor but certainly not terrible. He's a lot less 'too thin' than most horses are 'too fat', if that makes sense? I'd like a little more on him but I wouldn't be in a rush to pile it on. A little hard feed and more hay will have hhim back to weight in a month, which is a good rate to put weight on.
 
My WBxTB is out 24/7 ATM and normally by this time of year she's out full time living on nothing but grass and a mineral block in the field. This year's been different. I have had to bring her in overnight for a while (during the dreadful wet/windy weather we had) and offer ad lib hay and although she's back out full time now, I am still feeding her a hard feed once a day as the grass in her paddock is less than there normally is at this time of year. Mind you, I am playing it very much by ear as I notice how much my lawn at home has grown in the past week - after all the rain and now some warm weather. Sooner or later the grass in her paddock is going to shoot through. I am also adding Yea Sacc to her feed to help with the changes in grass. Maybe trying some Pink Powders yourself to see if it helps his digestion. Many people recommend this.
 
I would want a little bit more weight on, not huge amounts though but he isnt in poor condition as such. We are so used to seeing fat horses that one who is a little on the thinner side always looks worse. As previous poster perhaps a little oil in his feed as he is now back on one and a bit more hay in the field.
 
I think he's at that point where you really don't want him losing anymore, i'd up his feed and hay again untill he has more grass in his field :).
 
thanks, pretty much what I was thinking. Im wondering whether to cut his exercise down whilst he gains weight???? but I have just started him on dodson & horrell build up conditioning mix with a handful of chaff and pony nuts. Im hoping it doesnt send him through the roof!
 
ok, did debate on the extra feed and less exercise might make him a little on the happy side!! I have doubled his hay intake too so fingers crossed a few weeks he might look a bit better!!
 
His coat is in good condition so this is how horses naturally fare, lose weight over winter and put back on when grass comes through. This year things are colder and grass only grows above 45F. I'm sure he will pick up soon. However he needs more top line and stopping riding will not achieve this. Feed him more and watch grass growth. Forage is the best way forward.
 
Yes, he is poor. I would condition score him a 2. I would be feeding ad lib hay or haylage and probably bring him in overnight until the grass comes through or better still put out hay or haylage in the field. Hard feed will make little difference as it is lots of forage that he needs. Personally I would not be working him until he gains some condition as exercise is one of the biggest factors that contributes to weight loss.
 
Wagtail said:
I would not be working him until he gains some condition as exercise is one of the biggest factors that contributes to weight loss.
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*Shakes head in disbelief* (again)

OP I would give him hay or haylage as a top up, he might benefit more from a specific senior balancer if he is prone to being a bit OTT. The weather is quite pleasant during the day but it still drops pretty cold at night so make sure he is well rugged overnight if he is still out.
Keep working him as normal (assuming you haven't been doing any 3DE fast work ;) ) it helps to keep them ticking over mentally as well as physically and will keep him toned rather than letting him become weaker.
The weather is a complete pain at the moment, I need to get my sheep sheared due to the daytime temperature but it's so cold at night they would be frozen, and I ain't bringing them in!
 
FWIW, I wouldn't stop working him. Exercise will help his mental well-being - I would suggest that stress is as big a contributor to weight loss as exercise, if not more so, unless he's out on the gallops every day...
 
I think he looks slim, not poor. If he is still losing weight I would give him some hay/ haylage to try to keep him from dropping any more. I certainly wouldn't be rushing to out much back on him.
 
amymay said:
No need to stop working him. Just get hay in to him.
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I agree hay is the good option as it will put it on slower rather than trying to instantly fatten him up. He just needs a tad more but not a lot. I would keep working him as well.

Plain old mineral lick and job done. Most horses are hugely fat these days but yours just needs a miniscule bit on his ribs and he looks grand then. As you say your grass hasnt come through or as most folks are finding with the rain its been trashed to pieces.

Nice horse good luck
 
The first two pics I'd have said poor but from the others he doesn't look poor just on the slim side. Agree with others that you should keep working him and as you've increased his hay see how he is in a couple of weeks. I wouldn't increase his hard feed, just see how he is on extra hay.
 
Ad lib hay till the grass comes through. He is a bit lean, but nature intended horses to come through winter on the lean side so they could stuff their faces on grass through the summer, ready for winter!

Incidentally, I had a rescue horse from a charity who was much thinner than your boy and she was scored at 2.5 out of 5 by their vet!
 
Shakes head with baggybreeches!! OP he's running up a bit to light for my liking, nothing drastic. Up the hay significantly and increase hard feed a bit. Do not stop working him, part of the poor condition is lack of muscle over top line which will need correct work to improve
 
Shake your heads all you like. There are always differences of opinion.

As I said before, I would not work a horse that is thin. It would only mean a week or two off work or gentle walking only. You can still do exercises such as long reining over poles if you are concerned about losing top line.

But this horse does not just have lack of top line, his hind end is bony as and his ribs are clearly visible. So I maintain my position that the horse needs some time off proper work until its condition improves.
 
But he's not "thin" Wagtail - you just condition scored him at 2, which is OK by WHW standards. His hind end is bony in that you can see the points, it is reasonably well covered other than that - as it should be. His ribs are visible. Slightly too visible, maybe, but they should be visible!
 
JFTD said:
But he's not "thin" Wagtail - you just condition scored him at 2, which is OK by WHW standards. His hind end is bony in that you can see the points, it is reasonably well covered other than that - as it should be. His ribs are visible. Slightly too visible, maybe, but they should be visible!
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I didn't say he is a welfare case. I said he was thin. I still think he is thin. :)
 
No head shaking from me but I must admit i wouldnt say the horse was thin. I usually condition score on the 1-9 scale and would put him at 4 which would be moderately thin. Perfectly acceptable at this time of year given the circumstances the OP described and provided no undelying medical reason should be remedied with more hay and some oil in his feed until the grass comes through. I certainly wouldnt say he was thin enough to warrant not riding with extra care being given to saddle fit etc. Yes you can see his ribs but this is mainly where the horse is bending his neck to the other side making them more visable.
 
Wagtail said:
I didn't say he is a welfare case. I said he was thin. I still think he is thin. :)
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But a horse with a condition score of 2 is not thin - it is described as "moderate" by WHW condition score - that is unrelated to whether he is a welfare case. To be described as thin, again by condition score standards, he would have to score at 1 - which he is nowhere near.

OP, he is not thin, he could use some extra hay, but does not need, nor will he benefit from, you ceasing to work him within reason.
 
I wouldnt be that concerned with him looking like that at this time of year, if it was going in to winter then maybe but going in to spring, not really.

I'd just put some hay out for him and keep working him to help him build muscle not just fat. As others have said as long as your not doing stupid ammounts of fast work then there really shouldnt be a problem keeping him working.
 
Baggybreeches said:
On the plus side, I would like wagtail to condition score me! BMI of 20 here I come.......... ;)
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lol, me too. :D

At this time of year, I wouldn't be worrying about his condition, OP. Maybe a little extra hay as people have already suggested, but he's only ribby when he puts his head down, so is slim, but not poor. If he's still got the energy, then a bit of extra hay will give him some more condition. Not sure I'd go as far as build up cubes/mixes, especially with summer (allegedly) coming.
 
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