Re: weight guidelines
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Amy K White) Ingrid, I never rely just on the ribs for judging weight. I think the top line is a better indicator. I've seen horses that you can see the ribs on but have rolls of fat on the back and especially at the base of the tail. Or just the opposite. A boney back, but you can't see the ribs. Horses will deposit fat in varying places just like people (i.e. some people have the spare tire, some have big hips, etc.). Be sure to take the whole horse into consideration. -Steve Steve and Amy White _ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]
Re: Re: weight guidelines
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Thanks to everyone for the tips - L. Lottie
Re: weight guidelines
This message is from: Julia Will <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> This is Julie at Old Hickory Farm; our weight loss program consists of 1 - 3" flake of grass hay, first cutting, FOUR times a day. If we have any doubt about overall nutritional status, a handful of grain with added vitamen/mineral supplement would be given once a day. (For instance if the hooves looked less than healthy, the hair coat was dull, etc.) It does take a few months to see a big change, and it is hard to see them look longingly at the pastures, but it works.
Re: weight guidelines
This message is from: Marsha Jo Hannah <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Steve McIlree <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > 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. > [...] It's hard to eyeball these guys and see gains > or losses to their sometimes considerable girth, so the tape is a > valuable aid. IMO. I'll second that. Part of my weekly routine is to measure the heart-girth and rib-girth on each of my equines, and record the numbers on the calendar. I use an ordinary 1/4"-wide carpenter's measuring tape, and record to the nearest inch on the Fjords (1/2" on the donkey). This allows me to see if the animal is generally gaining or losing, and compare where we are this year vs last. I have found that measurements can vary as much as an inch or two without the animal actually changing weight, depending on stance (head up vs down), level of tension, etc. And, AM vs PM measurements can vary as much as 5", especially over the ribs! I try to measure them the same time of day (just after I deliver their breakfast hay), with them in the same postures (necks down, eating it), every time. But, I don't really believe a measurement until I see it repeated over several weeks. There are formulas for converting girth measurements to approximate weights. All measurements below use girths and lengths in inches to give weights in pounds. Girth is heart-girth measurement (just behind the withers and elbow) at full exhale, with the head carried level; length is from point of shoulder to point of rump---a measurement that I find it difficult to take reliably. 1) weight = girth x girth x length/300 2) weight = 50 + (girth x girth x length/300) 3) weight = girth x girth x length/330 1) is from an Australian book on donkeys. 2) is from a U.S. Peace Corps manual, supposedly for use in the 3rd world, i.e. probably intended mostly for donkeys, small mules, ponies, and half-starved horses. 3) was posted on rec.eq, citing The Chronicle of the Horse, 8/21/92 (this agrees fairly well with most horse weight tapes). Oddly enough, I find the donkey formula (1) to agree better with my estimates of my Fjords' weights than the one intended for horses (3)! Marsha Jo HannahMurphy must have been a horseman-- [EMAIL PROTECTED] anything that can go wrong, will! 30 mi SSE of San Francisco, Calif. ---
Re: weight guidelines
This message is from: Marsha Jo Hannah <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > What do you consider a typical flake of hay? 3" - 4" - 6" and with > no grass to eat how much should a portly l200 lb Fjord gelding be > eating. I am trying to get some weight off > Linda Lottie Sorry, folks---pet peeve of mine. "Flake of hay" is a rather, um, flakey unit of measure. It varies widely---did it come off of a 40-lb eastern 2-string bale of grass hay, or a 180-lb western 3-wire bale of alfalfa? What brand of baler? Etc! The best thing to do is get a kitchen scale (or a fish scale) with a capacity of around 25 pounds, and weigh your rations (I use either a firewood carrier or a xerox-paper box to contain the hay, and zero the kitchen scale to account for the carrier). In the winter (the only time mine are totally hand-fed), my Fjords hold their weights nicely on 15 lb per day of ryegrass hay (mowed cow pasture). Now, that's a mild California winter, and non-working "pets", of around 950 to 1150 lb each. YMMV, but the general rule of thumb for "ordinary" non-working horses is 2% of body weight per day. For fuel-efficient Fjords, I suspect 1.5% is closer. A word of caution about weight loss programs. Some equines (it's all too common in donkeys, and happens in ponies), when they lose weight too quickly, develop hyperlipidemia (spelling?). Essentially, the body "panics" and tries to metabolize all its fat at once, which the liver and/or kidneys can't handle. So, don't put a 1200-lb Fjord on a crash diet by halving his rations. If you think he ought to be a 1000-lb Fjord, feed him like that's what he is. And, if at all possible, gradually increase his exercise. Marsha Jo HannahMurphy must have been a horseman-- [EMAIL PROTECTED] anything that can go wrong, will! 30 mi SSE of San Francisco, Calif. ---
Re: weight guidelines
This message is from: Steve McIlree <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Ingrid-- Friday, 18 September 1998, you wrote: > Are weight tapes a good investment or do I skip them? 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. So if a horse goes from 1200 to 1000 pounds on the tape you don't really know that he now weighs 1000 pounds, or even that he lost 200 pounds, but you do know that he's lost alot of weight. It's hard to eyeball these guys and see gains or losses to their sometimes considerable girth, so the tape is a valuable aid. IMO. -- Steve McIlree & Cynthia Madden -- Pferd, Keyah, Skipper, Tank -- Omaha, Nebraska, USA When I bestride him, I soar, I am a hawk...the basest horn of his hoof is more musical than the pipe of Hermes. --William Shakespeare(1564-1616)
Re: weight guidelines
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Brian: What do you consider a typical flake of hay? 3" - 4" - 6" and with no grass to eat how much should a portly l200 lb Fjord gelding be eating. I am trying to get some weight off and he is loosing the "stuffed" look but I am thinking it will be several months before I see a major weight reduction? Also, should he be fed two or three times a day - HE JUST LOVES TO EAT and I wonder if going all day with nothing to chew on would be frustrating for him - to add further insult he has to watch my QH munch on his hay very slowly - I am always trying to put weight on him. Great pair - huh?? I am new to self caring for my horses having been at boarding facilities for the past 5 years (my Fjord is a new purchase). Weight seems to be a big issue with Fjords so it is important to have good information to keep them fit and healthy. Thank you for you wonderful help and comments on so many subjects!!! Linda Lottie from Minnesota
