The Horse Forum banner
Status
Not open for further replies.

Getting conflicting opinions on my mare's weight. What do you think?

4K views 36 replies 15 participants last post by  Silvera 
#1 ·
When I got my girl she was very underweight. The vet said she only needed 50lbs but as you can see from the pictures below, that was way off base.

She has been on 24/7 pasture for three months and while she does seem to have gained some weight, I still don't think she is as filled out as she should be. Everyone has told me something different about her weight, from "she's fine" to "she's a skeleton!".

Here's my problem. I can only go see her every other day. My schedule doesn't allow me to go every day on a regular basis. So if I were to feed her grain or anything else that she'd need to be brought in for it would not be every day. I haven't started this yet because I've gotten conflicting opinions from everyone including several vets on weather or not this would upset her stomach.

The place I board her at would feed her for me on the off days, but they would also charge me full board for it (twice what I pay now, even though they'd only be bringing her in to eat and then turning her back out) and I want that only as a last resort.

So...I'm not sure where to go from here. I think she needs more weight on her, how much I'm not sure but she is still ribby and I'd love some opinions on that, and also any thoughts on feeding her every other day.

First picture was taken two days after she arrived from the auction.


These two were taken three months later (a few days ago) after being on 24/7 pasture the whole time.



 
See less See more
3
#2 ·
I see her ribs a little bit in the pictures, the way ive always been taught for a horses weight was: you should be able to press gently on the ribs cage, and just be able to feel her ribs a VERY little bit. I like them a teensy on the fat side, but thats jsut me. You might be getting different opinions because they might not be used to such a lightly built horse. :)
 
#4 ·
I would put her on some oats and a weight building supplement, and if you can't feed her that every day, can you have someone else feed her for you on off days?
That's the problem. I don't have anyone that can feed her for me on off days, aside from the staff at the barn but then my board gets doubled which I think is ridiculous. So, as of right now, I can only feed her every other day, but haven't done that yet because I don't know if it will upset her stomach to have such an off schedule.
 
#22 ·
That's the problem. I don't have anyone that can feed her for me on off days, aside from the staff at the barn but then my board gets doubled which I think is ridiculous. So, as of right now, I can only feed her every other day, but haven't done that yet because I don't know if it will upset her stomach to have such an off schedule.
Could you agree with other boarder "to share responsibility"? I mean you feed 2 horses one day, other person - other day.
 
#5 ·
oh sorry! i forgot to give some tips to gain weight! lol. It really depends on the hrose, my old horse would colic A LOT, we had to give him oil with his complete feed so it would go down easier (maybe you could also do that? it was canola oil)
but my new mare NEVER colics, and could eat anything. the thing is, she does not stuff herself, no matter what type of food is in front of her. And my aunts mare, she will eat ANYTHING, literally, she has eating a pin from a poppy on my moms shirt one day. but she never colics either. so it really depends on the horse.
 
#7 ·
I wouldn't worry about when to feed her as much as I'd worry about what you're feeding her. Feeding her extra won't do you any good if you're feeding her crap. There are other people on this forum more knowledgable about this than I am, so I'll leave it to them.

I do think she's skinny. There are more things you can work on than just grain. What quality/kind of hay is she getting? Is she fed with other horses? Are you sure these other horses aren't keeping her away from the hay? Adding more good hay will do wonders in gaining weight, is that an option?

What she needs most, however, is work. Good work that'll get her using her haunches. A lot of what makes her look so skinny is she has no neck to speak of, and such a weak hind end.

On a positive note, she looks way better than when you first got her, but she still needs work. =]

PS. What on earth is going on with her feet? She has WAYYYY too much toe. o_O
 
#8 ·
She isn't getting any hay because the barn owner won't put any in the pastures during the summer months. She says the horses won't eat it and it would be a waste of a bale.

Could I feed her hay pellets or cubes instead of grain? Do you think that would help more?

She gets worked every other day for about 40 minutes, but I am afraid to do more with her because I figure she will never gain more weight if I make her burn too much calories doing tons of work.

I think the last two pictures make her feet look funny because of the slope she's standing on, it's not level ground. The first one shows her straighter and that's how she still looks now.
 
#10 ·
My reply in purple.

She isn't getting any hay because the barn owner won't put any in the pastures during the summer months. She says the horses won't eat it and it would be a waste of a bale.

And that's your problem. Pasture is great for most horses to maintain weight, not for underweight horses to gain weight. Can you get hay out there?

Could I feed her hay pellets or cubes instead of grain? Do you think that would help more?

Again, I'll have to leave this to someone with more experience and knowledge on feeding. I would stay away from sweet feeds and "junk food." Perhaps a good senior feed and hay pellets would help, beet pulp may help as well.

She gets worked every other day for about 40 minutes, but I am afraid to do more with her because I figure she will never gain more weight if I make her burn too much calories doing tons of work.

I don't know what kind of riding you do, but I would work on getting her to work long and low, moving off her hind end. Get her to stretch and reach into your contact. Work is just work, it's good, correct work that's going to build the muscle.

I think the last two pictures make her feet look funny because of the slope she's standing on, it's not level ground. The first one shows her straighter and that's how she still looks now.

No, sorry. Her toes are much too long.
 
#11 ·
When you say her toes are too long, do you mean the farrier should be trimming more off? Or that it's a conformation problem?

I have the farrier out ever six week and he has never mentioned anything about them being too long so this is news to me. I'm not doubting you, just wanting to clarify because I really don't know enough about horse feet to be sure.

I can't put hay in the pasture myself because it's not my barn and I don't have permission to make those types of decisions. I think the BO would have a fit if I did.
 
#12 ·
My guess is you have a less-then-ideal farrier. He isn't cutting her toes back enough. Having long toes [and it is a farrier thing, not a conformation thing] puts a ton of extra strain on the soft tissue in her heels and all the tendons and ligaments on the back of her legs. This is a picture of my mare's feet.

 
#13 ·
She definitely needs more weight, and should be fed daily. Is there anyone at the barn that you could pay to feed her on your off days?

I would put her on a diet of alfalfa pellets, rice bran or flax, a probiotic, and a vitamin supplement (like Grandvite). You shouldn't need any other feed or grain. Also, make sure she's parasite free and her teeth are in good shape.
 
#15 ·
Wow, I had no clue my farrier wasn't trimming them properly. He has been in business for 30 years and comes highly recommended (and is dang expensive!) so I assumed he knew what he was doing. I'm really disappointed.

She is due for another shoeing in two weeks so I'll have to decide if I want to take this issue up with him or just hire someone else.

Luvs2ride, there are only five people boarding at my barn and none of them go out everyday, so they can't feed her. I don't have anyone else that can do it either. I've racked my brain to think of someone but there just isn't anybody. She is stuck with me and my every other day-ness.

Edit: just read your last post. I will try her on the alfalfa pellet mixture you suggested and see what happens.
 
#18 ·
I agree with luvs2ride. Alfalfa pellets will add more protein to her diet and help her put some weight on. It will also help her to build muscle under work. I would avoid anything with added sugars like sweet feeds. Since you aren't able to get out there every day, just try it with days you are out there first and if you don't see any results, then figure something else out. Part of the reason that she appears so skinny is that her body is so long. Add that to her lacking muscle and voila, skinny looking horse. Even though she's thin, she doesn't look unhealthy so that's a good thing.

As for her feet, yeah, toes are way too long and heels look underslung a bit.
 
#19 ·
I think that starting with every other day extra food will not hurt anything. Try it and see how it goes. I assume you are not going to be adding tons of extra pounds of feed so it should not be an issue.

Do I think she is skinny (the word many are using)? No. I do think she is thin and could use some weight.

Do I think her toes are long? Yes. But note that her feet should never look like the photo ricci posted. They need to match the angles of her pasterns. She has sloping pasterns so her feet would never be that vertical.

In other words, I agree with smrobs.
 
#20 ·
Do I think her toes are long? Yes. But note that her feet should never look like the photo ricci posted. They need to match the angles of her pasterns. She has sloping pasterns so her feet would never be that vertical.
Oops. Seems I'm always leaving out something important. My mare has rather upright pasterns. :oops:
 
#24 ·
I think she looks a little on the thin side.
My sister's paint was like that when she 1st came on property. We put her on a feed with some alfalfa, rice bran, flax, and beet pulp in it. It took a while, but she finally put on some muscle & weight. Her paint is a naturally a slighter built horse anyway so she's never going to look like a QH. We call her a supermodel.
Working your horse shouldn't make her lose weight if she's getting enough good quality food. If anything it will help her put on muscle instead of fat.
The feet do look a little long in the toe. Didn't you say she was a originally a rescue? How long have you had her? Talk to your farrier, he may not be able to bring her toe back anymore. Sometimes if a horse has went for a long time without trimming, it takes a while to get the hoof back where it should be.
 
#26 ·
Try again. You know these horse things are fussy creatures when we want them to eat something. I say try a few times.

My mare used to not eat anything but sweet feed (that is what her breeder fed her). Now she gobbles down anything. Even carrots and apples.

I just had to keep trying.
 
#27 ·
You have of course wormed her as much as doc said you could right? I know my vet has at times put horses on much different worming regimens than the usual as he thinks it is necessary. I think she's thin but I agree that every other day would be fine. Bring her to my dad's farm she will be on a diet in a week. I have 4 geldings 2 on grazing muzzles (just tried it pray they stay on) and another boy who should have one (he's way too big) but he is so healthy i hate to mess up a good thing as he's 23. She (your girl) is very pretty : )
 
#31 ·
While these are great comments. I would agree with loosie you definitely need do more research on nutrition and hoof care. I think your horse is a little on the thin side more because of her hip ad top line not so much her ribs. Bran, oats and flax seed while they will help your horse gain weight it may not be appropriate for your use.

If she is ridden every other day for 40 minutes that's actually not a whole lot of miles. I would look into using beet pulp because it is classified as a roughage, but it won't give your horse a bunch of unused energy. You will have to soak it but it really doesn't have much cause for colic.

Are you able to change her feed? Maybe look into a more suitable feed. What's the protein and fat content? What is the top three ingredients? These will help you know where the caloric intake is coming from and how your horse will digest it. If you aren't very experience I would recommend a more complete feed like Total Equine. While it is expensive it has all around nutrients including trace minerals and hoof supplements. It is digested in the small intestine rather than the cecum allowing the bacteria to activate and the horse is able to digest and use up to 90% of it's feed with less waste.

About the hooves they are pretty long you should ask around your area and at the feed store for a reputable farrier, I have learned that at my boarding stables just because they use them, doesn't mean they are suitable for your horse. Every horse's hooves grow different and have different shapes so shop around a little.
 
#33 ·
Good news! I was able to find a new barn that will feed her for me twice per day for about the same rate as I'm paying now. I also like the owner a lot better.

So hopefully she will be moving at the end of the month and then she can start gaining some weight. I'll be happy once I don't have to worry about when and what to feed her!

I will agree with the people that said she is not "skinny", but that she need to fill out more and gain muscle. I don't want her overweight, so I am only aiming to make her less ribby but still lean.

Regarding her feet, I'm going to talk with my farrier next week when he comes out and if I don't get a satisfactory answer I'll be looking around for a second opinion. I've been googling lots of info on hoof care too and trying to get better educated.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Top