Re: weight tapes and Fjords
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In a message dated 5/26/2007 6:26:15 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: *So I figure he weighs almost a 100 lbs more than what the weight tape *measures. I too have used a weight tape on my fjords and verified their weight on a scale. I found that the weight tape was actually VERY close to actual weight. That 100 lb difference can come from something as simple as having the tape and inch or two too far back on the body, or holding it a bit too snug. I usually had differences more like 25 - 40 lbs between tape and scale. Also, the tapes may not be perfect but they are great for monitoring changes in weight - if they've gained or lost weight according to the tape, they have probably actually gained or lost that weight... Amy Amy Evers Dun Lookin' Fjords 260 May Creek Rd Days Creek, OR 97429 541-825-3303 [EMAIL PROTECTED] (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]) ** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. The FjordHorse List archives can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw
weight tapes and Fjords
This message is from: Onna Kulaja [EMAIL PROTECTED] I just took my Fjord to the vet and he has a scale to weigh cattle and horses. Aron weights 965 using a weight tape and 1054 when weighed on the scale. So I figure he weighs almost a 100 lbs more than what the weight tape measures. I don't know if this would hold true with all Fjords, but it does give one some idea of the possible difference between what a weight tape measures and their actualy weight. Aron is 13.2 hands. Onna The FjordHorse List archives can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw
Re: weight tapes and Fjords
This message is from: Sarah Clarke [EMAIL PROTECTED] using a weight tape that only measures the girth is not as accurate as using girth and length. I have a chart but I also found a formula that goes Weight = (girth squared times length) divided by 300 where weight is pounds and grith and length are inches Also, even if your weight isn't precise the important thing is you can track gain or loss. that way you can see a trend sometimes before it's obvious. Onna Kulaja [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: This message is from: Onna Kulaja I just took my Fjord to the vet and he has a scale to weigh cattle and horses. Aron weights 965 using a weight tape and 1054 when weighed on the scale. So I figure he weighs almost a 100 lbs more than what the weight tape measures. I don't know if this would hold true with all Fjords, but it does give one some idea of the possible difference between what a weight tape measures and their actualy weight. Aron is 13.2 hands. Onna The FjordHorse List archives can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw - TV dinner still cooling? Check out Tonight's Picks on Yahoo! TV. The FjordHorse List archives can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw
Re: weight tapes and such
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In a message dated 4/27/2004 2:06:55 PM Pacific Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I agreed and Emily rode Nina in 4 flat classes where Nina won a blue and 2 red ribbons! Then Brittany rode Merit in two hunter classes over cross poles and 2 flat classes. Merit won 2 blues and 2 reds and the overall championship for that group. Wow, that's great Teressa! Sounds like you need to come down and give us some real competition here for the Oregon Gold show!!! Amy Amy Evers Dun Lookin' Fjords Redmond, OR Fjord [EMAIL PROTECTED]
weight tapes
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] What Connie says made sense, using the tape measures to tell if a horse is gaining or loosing weight. On our Morgan gelding, who is prone to fat, we have his own tape and have marked it with the dates, to keep track of him. The only problem is as he ages, his belly is bigger and saggier, so the tape doesn't reflect that. Sometimes you have to have an extremely accurate weight, like the new EPM medication Navigator requires it while the older Marquis does not. Valerie Pedersen Columbia, CT
Feeding, weight tapes, blankets, barns, etc.
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Jean wrote: ...I figure an average of 1 50 lb bale/day of grass hay for four Fjords over the year Sounds about right to me, Jean. In the winter, I feed two 45-55 lb bales of alfalfa or mixed grass-alfalfa hay to 7 fjords and 1 small belgian mare. (We live in dairy country -- not too much all-grass hay produced around here.) The horses get more hay if the weather is cold + windy + rainy and less if there's grass to eat. I also feed oats occasionally for a treat. Our elder pony Biscuit who lives in my front yard gets her own hay + oats + oil combo to keep her weight on. I don't worry too much about the weight tape numbers to figure out if a horse is overweight or not -- instead I feel the neck, ribs, loin and rump for excess fat. Even when the horses are looking trim and fit, it seems like Fjords keep a little more padding around their ribs than other breeds. So with them I worry more about an excess of padding on the neck and loin/rump area. Mike, a Fjord we bought a couple of months ago, had a bubble butt, a cresty neck, and lumpy fat deposits on his abdomen when we got him. Yikes! He's losing his excess weight slowly -- and he will be a heck of a nice looking horse when he's trim again. When I worm our horses, I do sometimes use a weight tape, but I have no real idea if the tape is accurate. It sounds like it's not, from what you all have been saying here. I usually use ivermectin and other wormers with a wide margin of safety on the dosage, so I don't get too worried about this issue. I don't own any horse blankets and only have a run-in area for the horses to get out of the wind and rain if they want. Most of the time they don't seem to care about the shed. I've noticed a difference this fall and winter though, now that we have Agnes, born 7/30/03. The big horses take her into the shed so she can sleep dry at night -- it's kinda cute how they all protect her. Her momma Sissel (from the Jensen's Trinity Fjords) feeds Aggie very well and Aggie is quite willing to chow down her alfalfa with her doting uncle Mike, an older fjord gelding. She's quite the butterball with an unusually thick woolly curly coat. I have only seen a horse shiver when it's cold + windy + rainy -- the shivering ones were were a thin skinned paint gelding and our Biscuit. I have used my own barn coat or an old people blanket as a makeshift blanket. Although I watch Aggie closely, especially in bad weather, she seems quite comfortable so far this winter. DeeAnna Northeast Iowa
Re: weight tapes, 1500#
This message is from: Jean Ernest [EMAIL PROTECTED] Jerry, I feed this when the temps are averaging -20F to -30F, not all the time! Obviously, you wouldn't feed that much in California? Yet you said you're feeding 18-20 lbs grass hay...I feed only about 12 lbs grass hay in warmer seasons, (Brome/timothy IS grass hay, you know) and only about 1/2 lb grain and supplements. Old Bjarne seems to need the greater amount of senior feed and supplements to keep his weight up, he is 28 1/2 years old and was extremely thin, poor condition last spring. He is in great shape now. So I believe he needs the Equine senior as he doesn't seem to get the nutrition he needs out of just hay and the cob I was feeding him last year. equine senior actually is a lower carbohydrate feed than COB, so they are actually getting LESS grain. Basically, you're feeding 3-5 lbs more grass hay than I do even in the -20 degree weather, and your horses live in a mild climate! And I seem to remember that your Fjords were always much fatter than mine when you lived in Wasilla, AK! LOL Jean in Fairbanks, ALaska, warming up to -8 tonight! Jean feeds 15 lbs of Brome/Timothy hay to each fjord plus about 1 lb Equine senior, 1/4 lb calf manna, 1 oz Sho-glo vitamins and 1/4 cup ground flax. Old Bjarne gets 4 lbs Equine senior and 1/2 cup ground flax plus the calf manna and vitamins in addition to the hay.. --- I feed only grass hay, about 18 to 20 pounds, and 1/2 cup of TNT [supplement] by Dynamite. That's it, unless they are in hard competition , and/ or, working, than I feed [several pounds] Dynamite grain [dry cob], and a small amount of alfalfa. I do increase the grass hay when it's cold and rainy. Jean Ernest Fairbanks, Alaska mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
weight tapes, 1500#
This message is from: jerrell friz [EMAIL PROTECTED] Jean feeds 15 lbs of Brome/Timothy hay to each fjord plus about 1 lb Equine senior, 1/4 lb calf manna, 1 oz Sho-glo vitamins and 1/4 cup ground flax. Old Bjarne gets 4 lbs Equine senior and 1/2 cup ground flax plus the calf manna and vitamins in addition to the hay.. --- Wow Jean, If I feed this much grain, and the other stuff my horses would weigh 1200, to 1500 pounds. I feed only grass hay, about 18 to 20 pounds, and 1/2 cup of TNT [supplement] by Dynamite. That's it, unless they are in hard competition , and/ or, working, than I feed [several pounds] Dynamite grain [dry cob], and a small amount of alfalfa. I do increase the grass hay when it's cold and rainy. My four year- old Fjord gelding ,14.2h, taped 920 # yesterday. [He has whithers!] Although he weighs about 15 percent more. He will weigh about 1050# on the scales. This is because of dense bone, slow growth . He was not raised on a high protein diet. Mares milk is 10 percent protein, why feed 20 percent or more??? I figure he will continue to grow for another 2 years. I also find that tapes can be quite accurate. Just need to find how much your horse weighs on the scales, then use the tape, with the correction up or down. If your horse has been on a high protein diet ,then the tape will be more accurate. [ less dense bone] They discovered this in race horses some time back. Track T/B's, are constantly being weighed. I use the Henneke chart for body condition. I try to maintain a 5. If you want to look at the chart go to www.kritters.net/hen/hen.htmlhttp://www.kritters.net/hen/hen.html Please,, don't read into this that I am against alfalfa. Alfalfa is a great feed, a little goes a long ways. Alfalfa roots can go down into the soil 30 or more feet. Alfalfa contains a lot of minerals. A big problem with all hays now is the huge amount of nitrates, chemicals, that growers are using. And the chemicals that they inject into the hay as they are baling. It's all about the dollar, never mind the health of the horse or cow. [Good idea to know your grower, ask them what they use] It is very hard to get good hay here in Ca. Oh, it looks good nice and green BUT, high in nitrates. If in doubt have your hay tested. Regards, Jerry Friz Anderson, Ca. every farm needs a team
weight tapes...
This message is from: Ingrid Ivic [EMAIL PROTECTED] Although weight tapes may not give an accurate scale weight, they do provide you with a measure of how a given horse is doing relative to his own past. Makes sense to me...thanks Steve! Although I do give my guys and gals a good once-over every day, the tapes should help. Ingrid
