# Is he too ribby?



## Courtney (May 20, 2011)

This is my yearling Quarter Horse gelding. He's going through a massive growth spurt at the moment (last Saturday, I sticked him at 12hh. Yesterday, he was 13.1hh) and eats as much as the barn owner's full grown mare. He is on the pasture and fed hay twice daily. He's in the process of developing a grass belly, as you can see, and was last wormed on July 17.

Is he too ribby?


----------



## ilovemyPhillip (Apr 4, 2009)

I think he's growing. Just keep feeding him consistently, but not OVER feeding him.


----------



## Courtney (May 20, 2011)

I think he's just growing too, but I'm hearing so many conflicting opinions on him that I figured I'd ask. I come from a racing background and all the horses were very lean, so I'm not exactly sure what a pleasure horse should look like at a year old.


----------



## goneriding (Jun 6, 2011)

His weight is fine, he's growing. A little rib is ok.


----------



## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

You are seeing ribs and thinking skinny, but there is more to it. He is carrying good weight over the rest of his body, so chances are good that he is just going through a phase in his growth. As ilovemyPhillip said, just keep the feed to him, and wait it out


----------



## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

I don't think a horse could grow 4" in 1 week. If he grows to fast you going to have more problems with his legs and bones. Not sure of the term but it is very serious that they do not grow too quickly


----------



## Gluey33 (Jun 2, 2008)

He looks good. Just regularly run your fingers over his rib to feel the coverage. You probably don't want him any lighter. Does he get anything besides pasture and hay, like a vit/min supp.


----------



## Courtney (May 20, 2011)

Thanks everyone! That makes me feel a little better. He eats A LOT and has been growing like a weed.

While I have you all here, what do you think of him? He's pretty awkward right now and there are days when it looks like he hasn't been fed in weeks, but do you notice any really glaring faults? 

This is a picture of him from just two days ago, to give an example of how much he varies in appearance day to day. That day, I was actually concerned about his weight. Heh.


----------



## Courtney (May 20, 2011)

Re: Supplements -- I don't have him on anything yet, but I'm doing some research to figure out what the best thing for him. He does get a mineral lick, but aside from that... I'm trying to decide what the best supplement for him would be. What would YOU recommend?

He also needs some muscling and we're working on that.

Re: His massive growth - I was shocked too! I've never known a horse to grow so quickly either. His legs are like tree stumps (the pictures don't really do them justice) and his hooves are massive.


----------



## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

churumbeque said:


> If he grows to fast you going to have more problems with his legs and bones. Not sure of the term but it is very serious that they do not grow too quickly


That is a good thing to mention, churum, and something to consider, OP. That is another major contributor to chronic unsoundness in halter horses, they are over-fed with rich food to maximize their growth and muscles and they grow so large so quickly that it screws up their legs.

That being said, a bit of rib on a growing youngster is perfectly acceptable. You can tell that he is otherwise very well cared for and well fed. He'll gain it back in time. He's a good looking boy.


----------



## Courtney (May 20, 2011)

Thanks! Is there anything I can do to slow down that growth? I have no idea how he's managing to grow so quickly because he's just on grass and hay, but if there's a healthy way to slow that growth down, I'm all ears.

Also, is his belly distended and bloated, or is that just a grass belly? A poster on another forum said he was bloated, which was a sign of digestive upset. I'm really confused.


----------



## Gluey33 (Jun 2, 2008)

I'm assuming your in the aus so someone over there will have to recommend a good supp for a young growing horse. Whats your worming regime? Young ones generally need doing more often.


----------



## Courtney (May 20, 2011)

I'm in Canada. I was going to worm him every 3 months (he was last done on July 17 with an Ivermectin paste), but it's not an issue to worm him sooner. I'm planning to have the vet out in fall to do his teeth, and I can request a fecal at that time as well.

Would you recommend worming him sooner? Would it hurt him to be wormed every 2 months versus every 3-5?


----------



## Druydess (Jan 25, 2008)

goneriding said:


> His weight is fine, he's growing. A little rib is ok.


I second that; they change from day to day when they're growing.. he looks fine..tomorrow he'll look different..:lol:
Just supply the recommended amount of nutritious food for his age and weight, and he'll catch up to it..


----------

