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 Posted: Sun Nov 04, 2007 2:10 pm
Alrighty! Never did see a thread about this, so here goes:
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A healthy Height and a Healthy weight to go with that height, is it that hard to achieve?
Penny weighs in around 1302-1350lbs and her height is 15.3hh.
Pretty ideal. I mean, 1400-1500 is for taller, more draft/thicker breeds.
Is YOUR pony overweight? Underweight? Too skinny for being their height? Too fat for being their height?
Fess up. Grab your measuring tapes and go grab your ponies, cause you need to keep track of their weight to height ratio over winter!
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It's pretty simple to do.
If you have a tape, get it taught, but not so tight it's squeezing the excess blubber. Measure, and proceed to check their height at the base of their withers.
Once that is done, record it here.
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If you can help out, please do so! We need experts / people who know what they are talking about to help give advice. biggrin
For me, I plan to give Penny a little extra feed over winter, as she won't be as active, but she will be outside. (Meaning, not ridden as much. )
So, to keep her pudgy for all winter, I should increase her feed just a bit and keep her on frequent walks every week to make sure she burns excess but keeps healthy, right?
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Posted: Sun Nov 04, 2007 6:54 pm
If your horse is being turned out, you don't need to take them for extra walks because they excersis themselves, but if its something you want to do, its fine either way. Actually, pennys ideal weight should be closer to 11-1200 lbs (which is heavier than another horse like an arab of the same hieght because QHs should be more muscled). My mare who is a warmblood and is 16.1 weighed about 1200lbs fit (as in performance fit, muscled and a healthy layer of fat), and that was on an actual livestock scale, not a measure tape. Are you sure you're not going over her whithers? Because that would add a LOT of extra 'weight' to your result which would be inaccurate. Here's a FANTASTIC site on basic nutrition and feeding for horses http://members.aol.com/VWHenry/feeding.htmlHeres a site on using a measuring tape for your horses weight and it even does the math for you! http://www.ruralheritage.com/horse_paddock/horse_weight.htm
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Posted: Mon Nov 05, 2007 1:21 pm
Ah. Well, Walkies are a fun thing to do. x3 You get to play and give them more active things to do to burn off excess energy.
Really? Well, Dr.Steve said she needed to gain 200 pounds before I could ride her again. 1300 means she was at 1100 or under. Which was sad, because she was 900lbs when I got her.
I measured where the tape said. The heart girth and just at the base of the withers.
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Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 7:17 pm
I've noticed those tape things can be really inaccurate. It said my 15hh QH was like, 1250 lbs. eek
If I were to guess, I'd say Joy's probably around 1100. She's short, but extremely stocky and heavily-built. I'm hoping to put a bit of weight on her for winter, so I've added a splash of corn oil to her daily snack.
And yeah, I'd say 1300lbs is quite excessive for a 16hh horse. I'd guess Penny's weight is probably around Joy's weight, because she doesn't have a whole lot of muscle (which is heavier than fat).
And I will admit, Joy was OBESE when I first started working with her. She was probably an 8 on the BCS scale. She was so out of shape, a few laps of trotting in an arena and she was really sweating and huffing and puffing.
Now, I'd guess she's around a 5 1/2. A little on the chubby side, and the ribs can be felt but not seen, which is known as ideal. She still has a slight crease down her back, but I don't think that is ever going to go away. She just has a really broad back.
For reference, the Body Condition Score scale..
http://www.shady-acres.com/susan/conditionscore.shtml
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Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 7:30 pm
Well, give or take 100 pounds or so. xd
Penny's ideal for now. I mean, I'm happy she has come so far as far as weight and conditioning.
I would think Penny is a High 4 medium 5, right?
Penny actually does have muscle now. I mean, her front legs are still a bit tender and squishy near the back shoulder, but that can be fixed with some back and front end working exercises.
Keeping a horse fat over winter is Ideal I guess. I mean, if they lose 25 pounds while fat over winter, not too much to worry about, seeing as all most horses do in winter is eat, sleep and poop. (Occasionally, if the rider has their own arena, they ride their horse. )
Penny is getting some Canola oil in her feed for the winter to help her heaves so she doesn't get so heavy when the weather is a bit dry.
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Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 7:54 pm
While I think and definitely agree Penny's come a long way, I wouldn't consider her weight ideal just yet. Her ribs are quite discernable, even from a distance. She also has a thin neck, and her hips are quite pointy. SOME of that is just needing more muscle tone, but some of it is in need of more fat. It's just odd how she is carrying so much in her barrel, and yet is so thin in other areas. Like I said, I think I'd suggest a probiotic, in the very least. Perhaps a fat supplement as well, once you've got the deworming thing figured out and you're sure the big belly's not from worms. Maybe next time the vet's out, you can ask what he thinks. Just seems like by this point she should be evening out and adding fat around the neck and hind quarters, and even along the topline a bit.
And I think I would definitely worry if a horse lost weight through the winter, riding or not. Means they are burning more calories than they are taking in just trying to stay warm. At that point I'd either up the blanketing system to more layers or heavier weights, add more forage, or add more concentrates. Or all of the above. xd
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Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2007 2:03 pm
Dr.Steve said she was looking good, but that was before her teeth were done. I'm having him come out before the first good frost to do a general check up.
Penny is on EFF (Extra Fat and Fiber) sweet feed, and equine senior kibble, so I dunno what is causing her to look thin. But she was Pretty darn close to being Emaciated when I got her, so you gotta understand a rescue that lived off of her own muscle and fat needs more time to get that back onto her boney area's.
BUT. She is more comfy to bareback. x3 Less ridge, more tableback! ;D (Or, that's how I put it. Her spine is not very noticeable now. I mean, yah, near her but, it's kinda jutting out a bit, but it went down LOADS. xD )
Blankets. I find the more you use it, the less your horse grows their winter coat. I have two blankets, but one needs to be fixed and washed. @_@
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Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2007 6:15 pm
Saikano Dr.Steve said she was looking good, but that was before her teeth were done. I'm having him come out before the first good frost to do a general check up. Penny is on EFF (Extra Fat and Fiber) sweet feed, and equine senior kibble, so I dunno what is causing her to look thin. But she was Pretty darn close to being Emaciated when I got her, so you gotta understand a rescue that lived off of her own muscle and fat needs more time to get that back onto her boney area's. BUT. She is more comfy to bareback. x3 Less ridge, more tableback! ;D (Or, that's how I put it. Her spine is not very noticeable now. I mean, yah, near her but, it's kinda jutting out a bit, but it went down LOADS. xD ) Blankets. I find the more you use it, the less your horse grows their winter coat. I have two blankets, but one needs to be fixed and washed. @_@
As for weight gain supplements, they're great in that they usually are pretty dense in fats and calories, so you don't have to pour feed into the horse by the truckloads, because the supplements are designed to give optimum results with minimum bulk.
As for blankets, the old wives' tale that blankets cause the horse to not get a coat is in fact a myth. It's the length of the days that determine coat growth, not blanketing. It just makes them look like they don't have as much coat, because the hair is all smoothed down flat. For horses who are already going into winter skinny, blankets can really help. You don't want her burning calories just staying warm.
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Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 1:42 am
well umm my 14.1hh mare weighs 396kg and i dont know how to convert that for you guys. shes a good weight thoguh
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Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 9:21 am
chick_with_a_chainsaw well umm my 14.1hh mare weighs 396kg and i dont know how to convert that for you guys. shes a good weight thoguh
For a 14.1hh horse, I think that's reasonable.
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Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 10:50 am
Mine's 15hh and around 850-900, I think. But she's also an Arab. biggrin
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Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 10:54 am
Darkeenya Saikano Dr.Steve said she was looking good, but that was before her teeth were done. I'm having him come out before the first good frost to do a general check up. Penny is on EFF (Extra Fat and Fiber) sweet feed, and equine senior kibble, so I dunno what is causing her to look thin. But she was Pretty darn close to being Emaciated when I got her, so you gotta understand a rescue that lived off of her own muscle and fat needs more time to get that back onto her boney area's. BUT. She is more comfy to bareback. x3 Less ridge, more tableback! ;D (Or, that's how I put it. Her spine is not very noticeable now. I mean, yah, near her but, it's kinda jutting out a bit, but it went down LOADS. xD ) Blankets. I find the more you use it, the less your horse grows their winter coat. I have two blankets, but one needs to be fixed and washed. @_@
As for weight gain supplements, they're great in that they usually are pretty dense in fats and calories, so you don't have to pour feed into the horse by the truckloads, because the supplements are designed to give optimum results with minimum bulk.
As for blankets, the old wives' tale that blankets cause the horse to not get a coat is in fact a myth. It's the length of the days that determine coat growth, not blanketing. It just makes them look like they don't have as much coat, because the hair is all smoothed down flat. For horses who are already going into winter skinny, blankets can really help. You don't want her burning calories just staying warm.That's not entirely true, actually. The coldness of the weather also has something to do with it. I moved my horse from California (where she was blanketed all winter) to Oklahoma (where she is only blanketed if it's raining), and her coat is waaaay longer now than it was before.
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Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 5:11 pm
Ahrihliir; Gah, you're right. I should've added climate in there too. domokun
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Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2007 8:57 am
Our mare Lady is our fatty horse! She's around 14.2hh and prolly 10-1100lbs. We're hoping she loses some weight this winter because she's going to have to get her fatty-a** moving and look for food in the snow (We just moved to a pasture that has real prairie grass and lots of other foliage that they can dig for naturally) and will only get hay if it's necissary (the old man will get a couple flakes probably, but idk, we'd like to save as much hay as possible). Jag is getting a bit pudgy, but I'm not worried to much. he'd about 15.2hh and prolly 11-1,250lbs and I can just start seeing a faint crease down his back when he's in the right light. Though, he gets riden the most out of the three and actually has to work every once and a while, if he doesn't lose it this winter, spring'll come around and I have some jumping lessons planed for him (insert evil laughter and Jag running away in fear). Now the old man, I am so, so, so, so, so, so, happy how much he's come since we've got to this new barn! He's had it rough, the first barn we were at, they just "forgot" to feed him to the point where he seizured from starvation (we were out of the barn the next day, literally). Then the next barn, they'd feed him, but he got about half his grain stole by the other horses. Now that we're feeding him and monitor his intake, he's looking much better. If we can get some muscle on him, I'll be a happy camper! He's prolly 14.2hh and 800lbs (danty arab) from where he was only 650lbs when we left the first barn. His hips used to poke out and was just boney over all, but how he's starting to get a nice rounding on his hips and whithers and is even getting abit of a belly on him. : p
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