how do my gelding look?
 

this is my 5 year old gelding about 16.2hh hes grown 4 inches in the past year, hes TB/QH cross, paint. hes registered he seems to lose weight much faster then my other 2 horses when putting them over from hay to grass. and giving them less oats/feed. while at trainers he said he got over whole flake of a big square bale a day with no oats. last year i did have to put him on weight gain supplements for a month to get him where he should when i bought him. he just seems a bit thinner then he should right now. what do you think? or does he look okay? i always worry about him ive owned a TB before but hew was older and to thin and we lost him one night and i just worry hes getting thin, they are out 24/7.
this is him monday/tuesday. (sorry if they arent the best.)
Attachment 104443

Attachment 104444

Admittedly with such a gorgeous paint job, it's harder to tell, but it looks like he's quite well padded to me. Pretty sure he doesn't need to gain any anyway. Remember he's not fully mature, so may have been going through 'gawky' stages. Remember it's not bad for horses to lose a bit of weight & have 'bad seasons' & a little 'underweight' is generally healthier than overweight.

Why do you feed him oats? If he loses a lot of weight going from hay to rich grass, I would guess it may be the sugar content. Does he get a runny tummy, or his manure smells a bit acidic?

*grabby hands* I WANT! he is gorgeous! he doesnt look like he needs to gain any weight.. he looks pudgy to me.. hes cute!

thank you! we feed them all some oats just as some extra treat durning the day. where we spray them and check them over.

OK, a handful of oats as a treat is not likely to be a problem at all, unless the horse is ultra sensitive. Just wondering. If you were giving a fair bit as a treat, I'd go for something lower starch - chopped carrots, grain free pellets, chaff, etc.

we dont buy horse treats often and they get them twice a month (if that) they get alfelfa cubes as treats/training 5 times a week. and oats everyday.

I'm talking about the oats, not a specific lolly treat.

Lol, I had to go back and read the question again after looking at your lovely pictures - he definitely doesnt need to gain any more weight! Very cute :-)

Your boy is a beauty, but thin he is not. Most horses will bulk a bit before shooting up. Is he teetering? He looks as if he is. If you aren't familiar with the term it refers to a horse's hip being higher than his withers, it means you are going to see a change in height very soon. He looks as if you could switch to a lower fat treat, carrots or apples (no more than grain if you buy in bulk).

What?? A horse's butt/hip being higher than it's wither is "butt high", it's a conformation fault in horses. Young horses will go through different stages where they can go back and forth between conformation "issues" and then will settle out to their most permanent body type.. A horse that is 5 years old, like the OP's horse, won't be doing any drastic changing, he MAY muscle up or "bulk up" a little more, but a 5 year old's conformation isn't going to change much at all..Like the horse posted above..

Harley, we can't really give you any conformation thoughts without better pictures. The pictures you posted could either be spot on correct or completely wrong. It's hard to tell.. As far as weight, he's a tad on the chunky side.. Having the little bit of TB blood isn't going to make him look like a TB. If anything having the QH and paint bloodlines will be more likely to make him a stocky and wider horse, not like the build of a TB..

One flake of hay off of a square bale is NOT much at all..That's not enough for most ponies in a 24 hour period.. and usually oats has little to no nutritional value. It's more of a filler than anything, perfect for the "making him think he's getting something" treat you're using it for.