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Weight on this pony?

1K views 8 replies 6 participants last post by  draftrider 
#1 ·
This is Acorn. He is a 19 yr old pony. He, as most ponies do, gets fat if you look at him the wrong way.
He has been out on pasture - not lush, lots of weeds and brush, but there is plenty of grass, too - 24/7 for the past few weeks, and this is almost the same size he was keeping through the winter on 2 flakes of med. quality hay and a handful of safechoice daily.
I started taking him off the grass of the day and letting him out in the PM and back up in the AM about 3-4 days ago.

I'd like some feedback on his weight today since I look at him all of the time, as does my husband, and altough I know he is clearly heavy. . . should I keep him off grass at all, just let him out a few hours? Grazing muzzles haven't worked in the past since he will find a way to hurt himself on them. . .trying to eat through them, to get them off, etc.



 
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#2 ·
IMHO, he looks fine. He may be a tiny bit heavy, but I tend to like them fat and sassy. Just remember that the grass quality will diminish somewhat when the summer heat sets in and he won't pick up as much weight. Our pasture only horses always gained weight in the spring and lost a bit in the summer. Our shetland did the same thing and never foundered.
 
#6 ·
Most of my horses come to me looking like old moth eaten rawhide stretched over a skeleton so anytime I see a plump horse I'm like OOOOOOH. =) He looks good to me.
 
#9 ·
Cresty necks aren't just from being fat. They can have an excess of testosterone such as from being proud cut. Also I think horses that are insulin resistant will have cresty necks. If he was overweight at one point in his life and had a thick neck, that hardly every goes away even if he lost a bunch. I've gotten donkeys here before that have had a collapsed neck. They get so fat that their crest actually falls over. Even if they are emaciated, their neck is still messed up.
 
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