Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Too thin, fat or just right?



Okay, I need some advice or input or whatever. Roany is the subject of this post again. What do you honestly think of his weight? I think he is a little thin. His hip bones sorta sticks out and I can feel ribs but not see them. The tail bone is a little high. He does have bad teeth and we get them worked on about once a year. He is a very high energy horse. I feed him about 3 small chips of alfalfa at night along with a big coffee can of Opti-Bran with about 2 to 3 ounces of fat supplement added. I did that fat supplement due to dry hooves and skin but it also should help with weight I would think. Now we have a large round bale of coastal grass that they can free feed on. So he weights about 1033 lbs. That was what we got when we went to the vet last. So....I dont know, what do you think? He looks good but those hip bones are kinda pointy. Roany has always been a hard horse to keep fed. Well I was just wondering what other voices thought. I worry to much. I think in the last post my might of posted about something else that was wrong with him. The top picture was just at the end of winter.

This picture just taken a couple of days ago.

8 comments:

Tracey said...

You don't say how old he is.

Just from the photo, I don't think he looks thin. If you can feel, but not see, then he's really just about right. If you'd like to see him with a wee layer of fat around that barrel, I'd suggest beet pulp. Soak it to avoid choking, of course, but it's a terrific feed for helping to pack on some weight.

I had a QH gelding with a well sprung rib cage that struggled in that department, but BP was just the thing.

Paint Girl said...

I think he is fine, can't see his ribs, which is good, the hips do stick out a little. As Tracey asked, how old is he? I also agree with the beet pulp. My vet has recommended this to me for my Arab.

My Arab carries all her weight in her belly, always has. You can always see her hips and my vet will mention, every other year or so, that she is a little thin. But she isn't. That is just how she carries her weight. She gets plenty of grass hay and a good vitamin/mineral supplement. If I added anything else to her diet, she would bulge out even more in her belly!

I will add corn oil to my Paint's grain, if I feel she isn't holding her weight well. She did very well this winter, and didn't need to add anything!

backattheranch said...

Thanks Tracey and Paint Girl. I wanted to see what other people thought. He is about 14 or 15 years old. So not to old really. I have heard of Beet Pulp. Sounds like allot of people use it. Thanks for the advice as usual!! :)

Dusty Devoe said...

I think he looks good. Dusty has the same problem as Paint Girls horse, Brandy. His hip bones stick out a bit, but he always has such a belly!

backattheranch said...

I guess that is just the way he is built. He has a very small girly look about him. :)

Jennifer MacNeill said...

I think he looks fine, just needs a little more muscle perhaps.

Linda said...

One of the most reliable indications of weight being right is a covering across the ribs you shouldnt see ribs, but you should be able to feel them when you run your hand gently but firmly across without digging, and Lift his tail and look from behind at his bum cheeks where the legs meet up together they should look rounded thinness requireing extra feeding will definately show here, they would look thin, and gap. As a horse gets older they can look thin along their top line withers backbone, from muscle wasting (natural), or when younger from their natural shape or lack of muscle build, but the 2 factors I mentioned are pretty reliable whatever the shape or age. Lindax. I think he looks good, weight wise

prashant said...

it's a terrific feed for helping to pack on some weight.
Contextual Ad Network India