how much should he weigh?

[Nico101]

Hi

how much should a 2 1/2 yearonld (3 in May) TB x Dutch Warmblod weigh?? I think Nico is a bit on the porkey side. also how much hay should he be getting is it 40% of his body weight?

thanks

[Keket]

Hi

how much should a 2 1/2 yearonld (3 in May) TB x Dutch Warmblod weigh?? I think Nico is a bit on the porkey side. also how much hay should he be getting is it 40% of his body weight?

thanks

Rather then use a number, the best thing to do is grade his condition. Legs and Coquette were the same breed, both registered Quarter Horse and the same height, but she weighed a lot more then him because she carried more muscle then he did. And with a crossbred, pinning down to a number could be harder. Here's a link to a condition scoring table, widely used by vets:
Condition scoring and weight estimation of horses. (http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/dpi/nreninf.nsf/childdocs/-89E7A8DAFEA417624A2568B30004C26A-DCF81751F0371063CA256BC700811D1B-57E927C43CAD20E74A256DEA00276E26-B4255417CAFF14CFCA256BCF000BBE2E?open)

[puzzles]

around 350-450kg i would say, in general, however also ditto keket.

you can use a weight tape to help monitor his weight, and if still in any doubt then please don't hesitate to contact a nutritionist (such as Dengie, Baileys or Spillers for example).

:-)

[Nico101]

around 350-450kg i would say, in general, however also ditto keket.



:-)


well i weighted him and hes 420kg but i'd score him at 4 on the score table :confused:

[puzzles]

well, if 5 is clinically obese then 4 is slightly unhealthy - the ideal being about 3 - for a youngster as it puts more stress than necessary on his immature, still-growing limbs.
are you sure? could you add a picture on here?
x

[Nico101]

i tried to get a piccy tonight but not much luck it was too dark, should be earlier when i go up on wed i'll try get one then, its just i can't feel his ribs unless i prod

x

[CurlyWurlyRach]

my TBxdutch WB is 16.2 8yrs old and weights 450kg-ish and shes an exellent weight if thats ay good for you to compare to :)
shes not very muscular tho.

[Keket]

This is another condition scoring system, called the Henneke Scoring System (http://www.lser.org/Henneke.htm). It goes from 1-9, instead.

However, I've found any condition system isn't good for very fit horses, at least not very fit Quarter Horses. These are rubbish for Coquette because she's got so much muscle bulk, but seeing as she can canter 30 minutes+ without breaking a sweat or showing any signs of tiring, I'd say she's fit. Always use your own discretion.

[Nico101]

i have a thread in general with picys of nico on http://www.newrider.com/forum/showthread.php?t=106205

looking at these piccys i think he look ok, i've started weighin his haynets but not sure if he is getting the correct ammount, he is 923lbs and i've been told for every 100lb you should give 1lb of dry feed so he is getting 2lbs of bucket feed a day , 3lbs of hay in a morning and 4lbs a night ,

does this sound right?

Thanks

[Jessey]

Re weight, at that age (any age really) it is best that they come into spring on the thinner side, so they can afford to gain a few pounds on the spring grass - naturally horses don't maintain the same weight year round so it is perfectly healthy :p
Also with youngsters it is best they are a little thinner as any excess weight puts extra stress on the joints and growing bones - if you can only feel his ribs by poking firmly and you scored him as a 4 then I would say he is a bit porky.
Personally I like to just about be able to see their ribs come spring :p

Re feed, a good guide to feeding is you should always feed by weight (not scoops) and as per condition. The general rule is a horse needs 1.5% of total body weight to loose weight, 2% to maintain weight and 3% to gain weight.

If your boy is around 420kg then to maintain his current weight (at a 2% ratio) he would need 8.4kg total of feedstuffs per day, at least 75% of this should be forage (but up to 100% can be forage but if this is the case then vit and mineral supps should be given) so working on 75%/25% he would need at least 6.3g of hay/haylage/grass/short chop bucket forage (such as chaff or Alfa A) going in per day and only 2.1kg of hard feed per day to maintain his current weight.

Its very important with youngsters to make sure they get all their vits and minerals, they need them to grow up big and strong so I normally opt to feed an entirely fibre diet (unless they really can' hold weight with that) and give supplemental vitamins and minerals :D this also means they are not getting an overly high energy diet, giveing too much hard feed can cause serious growth spurts and very fast growth generally, which can cause as much damage to the horse as one who has been neglected and not fed at all when young, it can have very serious implications in later life.

[puzzles]

Jessey, are you honestly my mental horsey double?? what is it with us!
:-D

200% ditto, ditto and ditto Jessey again and again and again . . .

i couldn't put it better myself.

[Nico101]

hi not checked this thred for a while, thank you so much for that information, i've been working in lbs, but have started weiging all his feed.

thank you again xxx