[pattarmm]

This is my 13 year old OTTB mare Dottie. She raced once when she was three, then was sold in an auction to the girl before me (who did nothing with her). I've been working with her trying to slow her trot down and she's doing much better under saddle. My problem however, is that she keeps dropping weight. She gets hay twice daily but is turned out 24/7. I give her grain when i come to visit (like every other day or so).
Does anyone have any suggestions about keeping weight on her/ how she looks?

 

[justsambam08]

I personally think she looks alright, weight wise. I don't like rolly polly TB's. She looks just a tad bit over the knee in that first picture, but we'd really need pictures from the front and back of her as well for real a confo critique.

 

[Peetz]

She looks really good! Weight wise, she looks fine there too. TB are not going to look like a QH, no matter how much foot you pour on them. My OTTB is 15 this year and we blanket in the winter, he is stalled in a barn, gets hay and alfalfa and grain, that keeps him at a weight that makes us all happy, him mainly. Their metabolism is higher and they burn fuel faster that other horses, hence the term " hot horse". Beet pulp has worked to keep weight on him when needed and not make him " hotter".
Your mare looks really nice. Keep working her and doing what you are doing and she will be happy.

 

[Kayty]

She looks really good! Weight wise, she looks fine there too. TB are not going to look like a QH, no matter how much foot you pour on them.

haha you havent seen the bloke that I just bought have you! Check him out in my dressage/project critique thread. He finished racing last October, is out in a bare paddock and gets 2 biscuits of meadow a day and a handfull of chaff and grain to keep him happy when the others get fed. And he has ROLLS! Can't wait to get him home!!

You're mare actually does look quite good weight wise. It may just take a bit of adjusting with feed but she should pick up quite well. If possible, get her eating away at a round bale of meadow hay. She should get as much hay as she can possibly eat at the moment. Also, I wouldn't bother hard feeding her if you're only doing it here and there it won't be making any impact. If you're feeding large amounts you can also run the risk of colic and founder so I wouldn't do it unless you can hard feed daily and preferably twice daily.

 

[Honeysuga]

I agree with Kayty, just skip the hard feeding if you cant do it every day, it wont help her at all and sets her up for colic and founder.... The way you keep her, she just needs plenty of free range great quality hay and pasture. Now if you fed her every day I would put her on a senior feed to help stabilize her weight (and her joints since she was run at such a young age). Though for a TB, she has great body condition in te pictures you showed, doesnt really need any weight.

 

[Kayty]

Sorry didn't add to my post :
As I said she is good weight wise, all she needs is muscle tone, and I think that's why you're under the impression that she is underweight. There is a difference between a healthy fat covering and well muscled. Obviously the muscled horses are going to look 'fatter' if you like. Tb's generally aren't the type of horse to bulk up on feed. My new boy is a bit of a freak like that, but you're girl is very much a more typical racing tb build and won't get much 'bulk' on her, just lean muscles and a healthy weight.

She's cute!