# Critique my mares confo?



## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Either her neck is a bit thin or her head is a little big but they just don't seem to go well together. She is very camped under in the back and a little on the front but that is really all I see. She is a very pretty horse, I love her muscle mass. Well built but not too bulky.


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## HorseOfCourse (Jul 20, 2009)

Lol. Thanks. I think that halter makes her head look larger [and it was taken on my cell phone and she moved so its blurred] but I noticed the thing with her back legs too. She doesn't usually stand like that so it struck me as odd in this picture.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

If she doesn't normally stand like that, then it is probably not as serious a fault as it looks. She may have been a little uncomfortable after the bath or something.


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## riccil0ve (Mar 28, 2009)

She is personally a little too thin for me. If she were to gain a little weight, it would be easier to build up her topline, chest, and neck, and therefore be more proportional to her head, lol.

She is really cute though. =]


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## FGRanch (Feb 9, 2008)

She does look a little thin, but I don't think she really is. I think it's more her build. She is definatly camped under herself in both the back and front and has a skinny neck


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## HorseOfCourse (Jul 20, 2009)

Lol. It's interesting that you guys say she's thin. Everytime I take her to the trainer's she loses A LOT of weight within the first week. I even took her normal diet of grain from home to the trainer's to help. She ate more than even the pregnant mare when she was there and still got thin. We recently brought her back home and she filled right out again. Anyone else ever had something like this?


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## riccil0ve (Mar 28, 2009)

She probably isn't getting the right amount of nutrition for the work she is doing at the trainers. If she's working more, she needs to eat more. It is worrisome that she loses a lot during the first week, it's never good to drop so much weight so fast. Maybe next time she is sent to the trainers, you can fatten her up first? Fat turns into muscle, and if she doesn't have any, she's just going to burn muscle to make muscle.


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## HorseOfCourse (Jul 20, 2009)

She usually is a bit over the weight she should be at home [I spoil her to death] but when she goes to the trainer's she gets 1.5 times what she does at home in grain. I think what makes her lose weight is because at the trainer's she's on a rationed amount of hay and at home she gets free choice of hay from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm, then I work her.


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## FGRanch (Feb 9, 2008)

There are two reasons why she would be losing the weight. 

Not enough good, which sounds like this is true. 

And stress, some of my horses will lose weight very quickly when they are stressed!


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## HorseOfCourse (Jul 20, 2009)

I think she has plenty of food, about 6lbs. [i think] of grain a day and 4-5 flakes of hay daily...and she is not stressed. She loves it there, she's always so much more calm and get her own stall/pasture but can still visit with the other horses. We also wormed her so it's not that either. She's just weird I guess.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Well, you have to consider that she is being put through more intense riding sessions at the trainers than she probably has at home. What kind of hay does she get there, alfalfa or grass? Is that more grain than she is fed at home? I hope it is alfalfa and the grain is just being used as a supplement. Horses are not meant to survive getting all their nutrients from grain.


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## angelsgrace (Apr 30, 2009)

*hope all goes well*

Her neck as others have said her legs make her look like shes cold,

With her weight have you try mineral blocks they could help with minerals and nutrients bute mare though. little bit of weight and I'd buy her.......but I'd never take away lol .

good luck,
Ireland

p.s vet tests if you can afford them,could determine whats up.

:wink:


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## HorseOfCourse (Jul 20, 2009)

We have routine check ups from our vet and we also have 2 mineral and salt blocks in all 3 of our pastures for the horses. And I think she was a bit cold in this pic because I think it was the first time she had had a bath all year [i know, thats kind of sad] but she hadn't been trusting enough with me [shes's one of those ones it takes FOREVER to build a relationship with and now I'm the only one she likes]

And yes..grain is just a supplement, we have 50+ acres of hay that we farm for our horses [i believe it is alfalfa] and they all get turned out to a round bale from 7:00am to 4:00pm, and 3-4 days a week I work them from 4pm-8 or 9 pm

Thanks for all of your input though, guys!


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## TroubledTB (Jun 26, 2009)

Grain won't add weight just energy, important when being trained to add energy, but still isn't going to stop weight loss. In fact it drives me crazy when people add grain, then their horse has all this energy to burn, which it does, resulting in more weightloss because the horse chooses to burn energy and work off fat. Add something high in omega 3's like rice bran, linseed meal, or oil, when she is at the barn. Beet pulp is mostly fiber but it adds weight too. Never add grain to keep weight or gain weight, it does the opposite, giving your horse energy that turns into a fat buring workout.


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## HorseOfCourse (Jul 20, 2009)

Our grain is a mixture of different things. It's not what most other people call grain..I'm not even sure I'd call it grain. Haha. It's kind of weird and I don't know how to describe it, but we order it specifically from our local elevator and they have to order it.


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## HorseOfCourse (Jul 20, 2009)

Don't worry guys. She gained all of her weight back already. She got home about 2 1/2 weeks ago. I will post pics when I take them.


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## mom2pride (May 5, 2009)

She appears heavy on the front end, and steep in the shoulder. She also has a bit long of a back. 

However she has a decent hip, and nice leg structure and a clean neck; she's not as feminine in the face as I'd like, but she has a nice kind appearance to her.


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## mom2pride (May 5, 2009)

HorseOfCourse said:


> I think she has plenty of food, about 6lbs. [i think] of grain a day and 4-5 flakes of hay daily...and she is not stressed. She loves it there, she's always so much more calm and get her own stall/pasture but can still visit with the other horses. We also wormed her so it's not that either. She's just weird I guess.


I would up her hay intake, rather than try to up her grain... grain usually makes 'immediate' energy while hay\grass\cubes, etc is what sustains a horse for longer periods. 4-5 flakes unless these are the 'large square bales' we are talking about doesn't seem like much for a 1000 pound horse.


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## HorseOfCourse (Jul 20, 2009)

I think the trainer actually feeds hay twice a day now that I think about it..that's kind of a bad pic of her..i will post new ones ASAP


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## TroubledTB (Jun 26, 2009)

Your horse isn't TOO skinny, I think were just suggesting what we would do to make her gain weight. Don't worry, I'm sure she is fine, it might just be her.


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