Re: Body Condition Score
This message is from: "Kristen L. Andersen" Excellent post Phillip, thank you! -Kristen Off to the market in sunny Portland, OR On 8/6/11 8:06 AM, Phillip Odden wrote: This message is from: Phillip Odden Hello from Phillip odden in Northwestern Wisconsin where it is still pretty hot and steamy. In Wisconsin grass grows high and deep. In Norway where all Fjord Horses can be traced back to their genetic base, grass was very limited especially before modern fertilizers became available. If a Fjord was unable to make a living on the small amounts of dried grass and weeds, sea weed, ash tree branches or even fish they either died or that line of Fjords was not bred. Because of the very limited amount of feed on the West Coast of Norway prior to the 1950's or so, Fjords were bred to be thrifty eaters. One old man in Norway told me that if a Fjord were turned out on good pasture all summer and didn't get way too fat there was something wrong with the animal. Dr. Don Henneke developed a Body Condition Score for horses to determine if they are too thin, too fat or about right. This concept is widely used by Veterinarians to understand where fat accumulates in horses and how to judge the condition of your horse. If your horse is too fat evidence suggests it contributes to colic, decreased reproductive performance, development of orthopedic diseases, lameness, and equine metabolic syndrome. I am quite sure more Fjords die from over eating than being starved in a range of 100/1. This Body Conditioning System is a good tool to understand if your Fjord is too fat. Since Fjords are supposed to be a horse with good substance I feel that a Fjord can have a score of say 7 with the range of healthy for most horses being from 5 to 7. Once I became familiar with this system I alway use it to gage the body condition of all my Fjords taking into consideration the season of the year, how much hair they have, what season is coming up, their age, and how hard I plan to work them. I like to have my Fjords a little fat going into our cold long winters since all my Fjords are outside all the time, say BCS 7-8. I expect them to loose weight during the winter. This is how it was in Norway where they were bred. Spring time BCS say 5-6. I keep my young stock a little thinner. People cry about starting to ride a horse before the age of 3. Well I don't ride mine until age 4. But allowing your young Fjords to carry 100 to 200 pounds of overweight each and every step of their lives is much the same as riding them 24/7. Certainly overweight in young horses is not healthy and will limit their soundness in later life. When Dr. Tor Finstad came to visit my farm a few years ago for the NFHR 25th anniversary celebration ( wish we could have another ), he complimented me on how trim and healthy my young stock were at the time. Dr. Finstad is a Veterinarian and was at that time the Chief Evaluator for Fjords in Norway. He was concerned about overweight issues in Fjords in Norway now that Norwegians are buying fertilizers and are able to afford high quality feeds. Fjords are getting too fat in Norway too. This is a complicated problem just as overweight is a very complicated problem for many of us in our personal lives. And many like to think of their horses as an extension of themselves. It has to do with the times we live in with abundant inexpensive food. It is much more difficult to feed a Fjord for a good healthy Body Conditioning Score than to just feed it all it wants. So congratulations to those of you who have found the proper balance. For me it is OK to have my horses hungry a couple times a day. And I feel it is healthy for me to feel a little hungry now and then too. Unless a Fjord is working hard it probably doesn't need any grain or feed concentrate. I use dry lots and I feed mostly over-ripe stemmy grass hay that I put up myself. If you are serious about health issues in Fjords get familiar with Dr. Henneke's Body Conditioning Score for equines. If you feel it is acceptable or not worth the effort to get control of weight issues for your horses then please enjoy them as they are. Its a sign of the times. People and our dear animals, horses, dogs, and cats as well suffer from weight problems in a land blessed with too much food, too easy to get and poor information regarding nutrition and exercise. Comfort food for us and comfort food for our horses too. Its not easy. respectfully, with shades of willpower determination and courage, Phil Odden Now Else where did you hide my bag of potato chips anyway? Its time for a beer. Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f -- Kristen L. Andersen http://www.nightheronfarm.com http://www.facebook.com/ni
Re: Body Condition Score
This message is from: Robin Churchill Well, I don't want my fjord to be as lean as an Arab or Thoroughbred that someone mentioned but because they tend to be easy keepers and can really get fat, I am trying to do all I can to keep the horse fit. I think it is easier to keep it under control than to let them get fat and then have to take the weight off or have them get laminitis or some other weight associated problem. I have been weight taping him every 1-2 weeks and he tapes about 900 # and is 14.2. I ride him 4-6 days a week but because of the heat this time of year, I have to kind of take it easy. I think being fat isn't generally good for anyone unless maybe you are a grizzly bear getting ready for hibernation. I think with these kind of horses, it can be difficult to strike the balance of keeping them at an appropriate weight without them acting like they are dying of starvation. Luckily my pasture is not very nutritious so it is hard for them to really get fat on it alone. Robin Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
Re: Body Condition Score
This message is from: Kathleen Prince Phil, thank you for such an insightful post. I'm always worrying about the balance of my two fjord girls, their happiness & their weight. There are only 3 fjords in our entire county and I have 2 of them so they are pretty much viewed as some type of alien. When I was in a boarding barn situation and my mare was pregnant I was constantly battling people wanting to feed her more than what I wanted her to eat. When nursing the baby she got too thin and taped at around 825#. She's gotten up as high as 1115#. She's now maintaining around 1000#. "Regular" horse people just don't seem to be able to comprehend the different requirements. It was also very tough having a growing baby, yet being very aware of her getting fat. She turned 3 in May, is taller than momma and tapes around 900#. I'm going to learn the Henneke Body Condition System! I also see a lot of overweight & obese dogs & cats thru my pet sitting business. One of the reasons we have had our dogs live into their late teens is because they were kept lean their entire lives. Bodies riddled w/arthritis at 16 & 17 years of age were still mobile because they weren't fat. I only wish I had the same concern & discipline for my own body condition! :-) -- Kathleen Prince kathl...@pookiebros.com Pookie Bros. Pet Sitting Professional Pet Care In Your Home! http://www.pookiebros.com On Aug 6, 2011, at 11:06 AM, Phillip Odden wrote: > This message is from: Phillip Odden > > > Hello from Phillip odden in Northwestern Wisconsin where it is > still pretty hot and steamy. > > In Wisconsin grass grows high and deep. In Norway where all Fjord > Horses can be traced back to their genetic base, grass was very > limited especially before modern fertilizers became available. If a > Fjord was unable to make a living on the small amounts of dried > grass and weeds, sea weed, ash tree branches or even fish they > either died or that line of Fjords was not bred. Because of the > very limited amount of feed on the West Coast of Norway prior to > the 1950's or so, Fjords were bred to be thrifty eaters. One old > man in Norway told me that if a Fjord were turned out on good > pasture all summer and didn't get way too fat there was something > wrong with the animal. > > Dr. Don Henneke developed a Body Condition Score for horses to > determine if they are too thin, too fat or about right. This > concept is widely used by Veterinarians to understand where fat > accumulates in horses and how to judge the condition of your horse. > If your horse is too fat evidence suggests it contributes to colic, > decreased reproductive performance, development of orthopedic > diseases, lameness, and equine metabolic syndrome. I am quite sure > more Fjords die from over eating than being starved in a range of > 100/1. > > This Body Conditioning System is a good tool to understand if your > Fjord is too fat. Since Fjords are supposed to be a horse with good > substance I feel that a Fjord can have a score of say 7 with the > range of healthy for most horses being from 5 to 7. Once I became > familiar with this system I alway use it to gage the body condition > of all my Fjords taking into consideration the season of the year, > how much hair they have, what season is coming up, their age, and > how hard I plan to work them. I like to have my Fjords a little fat > going into our cold long winters since all my Fjords are outside > all the time, say BCS 7-8. I expect them to loose weight during the > winter. This is how it was in Norway where they were bred. Spring > time BCS say 5-6. I keep my young stock a little thinner. > > People cry about starting to ride a horse before the age of 3. Well > I don't ride mine until age 4. But allowing your young Fjords to > carry 100 to 200 pounds of overweight each and every step of their > lives is much the same as riding them 24/7. Certainly overweight in > young horses is not healthy and will limit their soundness in later > life. When Dr. Tor Finstad came to visit my farm a few years ago > for the NFHR 25th anniversary celebration ( wish we could have > another ), he complimented me on how trim and healthy my young > stock were at the time. Dr. Finstad is a Veterinarian and was at > that time the Chief Evaluator for Fjords in Norway. He was > concerned about overweight issues in Fjords in Norway now that > Norwegians are buying fertilizers and are able to afford high > quality feeds. Fjords are getting too fat in Norway too. > > This is a complicated problem just as overweight is a very > complicated problem for many of us in our personal lives. And
