What do you consider ideal weight- Post pics!

Heifer

and an example of why big belly doesnt = fat

Buckley when i had only had him a month, not healthy, not fat but big belly

domingo

@ Heifer

is a hay belly necessarily a sign of not getting the proper nutrition?

Bethy

This is Hondy at a weight that I like him at.
He is a big horse, not so much in height (16.2hh) but more in width. If you look at the width of his chest and the size of his bum, he is naturally a big solid horse. He's not at all cresty and you can feel his ribs and see muscle definition.
With less weight on him his bum looks slopely and his neck not as good.
I don't know about other opinions but this is how I like him to look.

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Heifer

I have heard/read that - someone more knowlegable in nutrition can help me out here?

not from the most reliable source, but:
"However, when horses are fed low-quality hay, they may develop an unhealthy, obese, "hay belly" due to over-consumption of "empty" calories."

useful guide:
http://feedxl.com/2009/03/why-body-condition-score.html

Jadelise

Wattle whats that on his back leg, im just curious ive been racking my mind trying to figure out what it looks like ha

Anna E

Domingo not always a sign of not getting the right stuff - you need to take it in the context of the whole horse.
A hay belly means they are eating a lot of low quality fibre. So their belly is full all the time, as the stuff takes a long time to digest/is not completelly digested so a lot goes through to the poo...
Also a lot more is presented to the hindgut or caecum (basically, grains and soluble carbs are digested in the stomach, fibre goes through to the caecum to be broken down).
So a big hay belly can mean the horse has a big, fluid filled, "happy" caecum with lots of bugs doing their job breaking down fibre. OR it can mean the caecum is full of fibre which is basically just sitting there, not being digested, and SLOWLY getting pooed out.
The former will be a fat shiny horse with a hay belly.. the latter will be a skinng sad horse with a hay belly.
A big hay belly on a youngster may mean they are not getting enough energy and protein to fill their needs - again though you need to look at the whole horse.
Most horses will adjust to high fibre diets (they have evolved to eat that) but when growing or in hard work straight hay may not have enough metabolisable energy and protein in it to maintain them.
The presence or absence of a hay belly has NO relation to whether or not they are getting anough trace elements and vitamins.

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"Curiousity is the very basis of education, and if you tell me that curiousity killed the cat, I say only that that the cat died nobly". Arnold Edinborough.

Heifer

Thanks for the info Anna

My horses are generally on a roll of hay, unless there is adequate pasture for them, and get small hard feeds and they dont have hay bellies.

I guess key thing is that you should use a condition score NOT just think big belly = fat.

Anna E

Yep
Lucky you Heifer - I have one round shiny happy pony running in a canola stubble, with access to a hay roll at night, and a small hard feed. He is in good nick but not fat - but looked at from in front you'd swear he was 9 months pregnant.. I guess he just likes sucking canola stalks.

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"Curiousity is the very basis of education, and if you tell me that curiousity killed the cat, I say only that that the cat died nobly". Arnold Edinborough.